New home given to wounded 82nd paratrooper

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New home given to wounded 82nd paratrooper




By Mark Locklear - The Robesonian via AP
Posted : Sunday Mar 2, 2008 16:35:24 EST

LUMBERTON, N.C. — Lee Jones was helped to his feet and walked slowly to the podium, from where he peered through his glasses at 100 or more people who had gathered in front of his new home on a cold, wet morning.
“Thank you for all that you’ve done for me ... thank you,” Jones said before the tears came.
Words don’t come easy for the 25-year-old veteran of the Iraq war. After suffering a brain injury and severe burns in combat, he has survived three strokes that have slowed his speech.
In the crowd were veterans and volunteers who helped build Jones’ brick home — at no cost to him — that offers amenities that will help him live with his disabilities, along with his wife, Maria, and their 3-year-old daughter, Angel.
It was an emotional day for Jones, a former staff sergeant with the 82nd Airborne who is on a long road to recovery after a bomb blast that nearly took his life. He smiled as a parade of dignitaries, including U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre, used words like true American hero, brave and inspiring to describe Jones.
Jones learned about Homes for Our Troops while at the Veterans Administration hospital in Tampa, Fla., where he spent a year and a half. The Massachusetts nonprofit builds specially-adapted homes for severely wounded veterans. The group oversees the project, but all the work and supplies are donated.
“This house is the least we can do for you and your family,” said the Rev. Jeff Mitchell. “There are many others like you who have made a commitment since 2001. I am sure that I speak for all of us who say, with a heart of appreciation, how much we thank them for their commitment in protecting our freedom that we enjoy in this country of ours.”
Jones’ four-bedroom, three-bathroom 2,900-square-foot home is in the Oak Grove subdivision on Odum Road, northwest of Lumberton. Jones’ Purple Heart is prominently displayed on a hallway table that guests passed on their way inside. Framed pictures, including a painting by an Iraqi artist and one of Jones meeting with President Bush, hang in the spacious living room. Jones, who uses a wheelchair often because his legs tire easily, can roll easily from room to room. The bathroom is large and includes a roll-in shower.
“He has been talking about this house every day,” said Jones’ sister, Stephanie. “He would be over here until 9 and 10 at night. He is excited.”
With the help of hundreds of local volunteers and many businesses, the house was built in four months. Paul Gemme, senior project manager for Homes for Our Troops, said Jones’ home is the 22nd built for wounded vets nationwide since the nonprofit was formed in 2004.
“When I came on board one of my goals was to get a house built from groundbreaking to key ceremony within six months,” Gemme said. “I am proud to say that this is the first house that has fallen under that six-month window.”
Aaron Thomas, owner of Metcon, a general contracting firm in Pembroke, learned about the project last year after reading an article about Jones in The Robesonian.
“It was very moving,” Thomas said. “I am a veteran myself and I felt like we needed to help and be involved in the project.”
Thomas donated his services, as did nearly 100 other local businesses, government agencies, churches and individuals.
Samantha Locklear, project manager with Metcon, said she was skeptical at first about asking subcontractors and laborers to give their time and supplies.
“ ... But once we got started and the calls started coming in ... it was just unreal,” Locklear said. “From the beginning, this project has really touched me. Lee is an awesome guy. He has the biggest heart.”
Thomas added, “This is a testament of the type of people we have in this area.”
A Shannon native and a 2001 graduate of Red Springs High, Jones was on patrol during his third tour in Iraq when his Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb on Oct. 3, 2005. The blast flipped the Humvee over and it caught fire.
“I got out and my Army clothes were on fire,” Jones said. “I stopped, dropped and rolled ... stopped, dropped and rolled. My face was burning.”
He suffered burns to almost half his body, but was luckier than his fellow soldiers.
“All three died but me,” Jones said.
Jones lost his left thumb. He has only partial use of his arms, and has no feeling in his feet and hands.
Jones’ father, Gralen McGirt, said his son has no regrets.
“As a father I hate to see him hurt like that,” said McGirt, 43. “I hate to see him like that. It’s hard for me, but he doesn’t regret it one bit.”
Jones receives physical therapy at the VA hospital in Fayetteville twice a week.
“He’ll probably need therapy the rest of his life,” McGirt said. “I am just glad to have him home. I am tickled to death (about his new home). It meet his needs.”



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