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Sgt. Jason Nielson was on patrol in October 2005 in Baghdad when a sniper’s bullet pierced his spine. Like so many other severely wounded soldiers, Nielson returned home to many months of painful therapy and the unknown of life confined to a wheelchair.
But he also returned home to something he didn’t expect. “Everywhere I go, people hug me and thank me,” he said. He also returned home to a loving family and a community willing to help him.
That was made more evident on Friday, May 11, when it was revealed that Lacrosse Homes and Homes for Our Troops are collaborating to build the Nielson family a new four-bedroom home near Milford.
Dozens of Lacrosse employees and company executives dressed in white shirts and black pants, Homes For Our Troops officials, local and state officials, and even U.S. Sen. Thomas Carper attended a groundbreaking.
What started as a home renovation project at his current home in Harrington, ended up as a total new building project.
“Why put a Band-Aid on their problem?” said Lindsay Dixon, president of Lacrosse Homes. “We are going to put our heart and soul into this project. We want to make our house your home and make everybody proud of this project.”
“It’s a dream come true. It’s like winning the lottery,” Nielson said. “It’s been amazing. We’ve been on a real roller coaster ride.”
Kevin Leisenring, Lacrosse Homes vice president, said volunteers and donations will be used to build the home. “The goal is to keep the cost from getting in their pockets,” he said.
Homes for Our Troops is purchasing the land and will help during the construction phase. Lacrosse Homes is the general contractor for the project and will attempt to get its subcontractors to donate products and services.
The home includes an exercise room off the master suite, breakfast nook, family room, dining room, three bathrooms, porch and garage. Everything will be handicapped accessible.
Nielson, who served for five years in the active Army, was in the National Guard in Phoenix, Ariz., when his unit was called up in 2005.
After he was shot, he was sent to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and ended up in a rehabilitation center in Richmond, Va. He is still in therapy.
His wife, Krista, who is expecting their third child in June, said they decided to move to this area in late 2006. “I have some relatives here and we really like the change of seasons. It’s a better place for us,” she said.
The couple’s two children are Devin, 11, and Hailey, 2.
Nielson has not slowed down much in spite of paralysis in his legs. He still gets out to hunt and fish and plans to go back to college.
Homes for Our Troops is a nonprofit organization founded three years ago for one purpose – to provide specially adapted homes for severely wounded veterans. John Gonsalves, founder and president, who attended the groundbreaking, said homes have been built in 18 states and 21 projects are currently under way.
Gonsalves has collaborated with ABC-TV to help build three homes for wounded soldiers as part of the hit show, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”
Homes for Our Troops’ goal is to help the most severely woundSoldier
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ed troops. An application form can be found on the organization’s website at www.homesforourtroops.org.
“I spend a lot of time with wounded troops and when the community rallies around them, you start to see an amazing transformation,” he said. “It’s not a left or right thing to do – it is the right thing to do.
“They were doing their job – doing what was asked of them – and we owe no less to them,” he said.
Nielson teared up when he talked about his fellow soldiers still serving overseas.
“Thank God for our troops and soldiers,” he said. “They believe in what they are doing. They are the best people on earth.”
Sgt. Jason Nielson can be counted in that number as well.
Contact Ron MacArthur at ronm@capegazette.com
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