Area veteran and family to receive home from nonprofit

Becky and Vicente Ramirez are pictured with their sons, Cade (left) and Ison. [SPECIAL TO THE NEWS BULLETIN]

CRESTVIEW — Homes For Our Troops will soon begin building a custom home for U.S. Army veteran Vicente Ramirez. A kickoff celebration is scheduled Feb. 16 in Crestview.

In 2006, Ramirez lost his left leg and was severely injured in his other by an incident involving two improvised explosive devices in Iraq.

In the nonprofit's video footage, he said, "Having a house would take a huge burden off my daily living and the issues that bring the pain."

One source of pain is the lack of wheelchair access in his family's Baker home. Vicente, who goes by Vince, has difficulty standing for long periods of time. Without his wheelchair, he has to stand a lot.

The new home will have an open floor plan and other necessities built to accommodate him, he said. They will make it easier for him to do daily tasks and do simple things with his family.

Vince and his wife, Becky, also a disabled Army veteran, have two sons. Cade just turned 3, and Ison is 6. The new home will make it easier to do simple things with them, he said.

The couple decided to build in Florida since it is near both of their families.

Vince expressed his gratitude to supporters. Their gift is "allowing him to rebuild his life," the release stated.

"These homes not only help soldiers, but most importantly, these homes help veterans be more productive individuals to family and friends," he said.

"Our homes include more than 40 special adaptations such as widened doorways for wheelchair access, a roll-in shower, and kitchen amenities that include pull-down shelving and lowered countertops," Teresa Verity, JFOT marketing associate, said.

"The home will also alleviate the mobility and safety issues associated with a traditional home, including navigating a wheelchair through narrow hallways or over thresholds, or reaching for cabinets that are too high."

She discussed the basic criteria to apply for a house through the organization. The veteran applying must be:

  • a post-Sept. 11, 2001 veteran injured in the theater of Iraq-Afghanistan war.
  • retired or in the process of retiring from military service.
  • must have received a letter of eligibility for the VA Specially Adapted Housing Grant program
  • have the HFOT home as their primary residence.
  • must accept the responsibility of home ownership and have the resources to maintain a home (ongoing maintenance and upkeep, property taxes, home insurance, utilities, etc.).

Visit https://www.hfotusa.org/building-homes/veterans/ramirez/ for more information about the Ramirezes. You may also visit that site to RSVP for the Feb. 16 kickoff celebration.

Verity said the other home HFOT will be building in Northwest Florida is for Army SPC Elliott Smith of Pensacola. Visit www.hfotusa.org/esmith for details.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Area veteran and family to receive home from nonprofit