Veteran’s family surprised with new, free home.
LAWTON, OK (KSWO) – Friday night’s performance of the Lawton Rangers Rodeo featured much more than the best cowboys around. It also provided the surprise of a lifetime for a former Fort Sill soldier and his family.
Sergeant Tomas Garcia, Junior, thought he was there to accept a check on behalf of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, but found out he was also getting a mortgage-free, custom-built home, courtesy of Operation Finally Home, Hawkins Custom Homes and City National Bank. Sergeant Garcia was deployed to Iraq in 2006 out of Fort Sill when his unit was ambushed, and he was hit in the head with a bullet that fractured his skull, and left him with a traumatic brain injury. He was discharged in 2007, but since then has continued to work with soldiers as an instructor, and veterans and their families. The Garcia family will move into their new home sometime next year.
Operation FINALLY HOME is a national, non-profit organization with a unique network of experienced builders, suppliers, and supporters dedicated to building homes for wounded, ill or injured veterans, surviving spouses and their families. We bring together homebuilders, the military and communities to build custom mortgage-free homes for America’s military heroes and the widows of the fallen, those who have worn America’s uniform and sacrificed so much to defend our freedoms and values, providing a strong foundation to help them move forward with their lives. It is our honor to unite all of those who respect and value the sacrifice of America’s veterans and their families.