Veteran Gets Mortgage Free House At Crowne Plaza

From the PGA Tour newswire:

FORT WORTH, Texas—On national Armed Forces Day, a U.S. Army soldier wounded in Iraq and his family were presented with a mortgage-free home during a patriotic celebration during the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. The tournament also hosted and honored six Medal of Honor recipients during this, the 150th anniversary of the Medal of Honor, which is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government.

Lt. General Leroy Sisco, founder of the Military Warriors Support Foundation, surprised Louis Dahlman and his wife Laurie with their new mortgage-free home located in Sugarland, near Houston. The Dahlman’s home came to be through the Foundation’s initiative called Homes 4 Wounded Heroes which is sponsored by Chase and Bell Helicopter. Military Warriors Support Foundation awards mortgage-free homes to wounded heroes injured during combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. The homes are for families who have severe and/or unique circumstances due to their injuries received while serving our country. In addition to the home, the families will receive 3 years of family and financial mentoring.

U.S. Army Specialist Louis Dahlman, 27, was severely injured by a road side bomb in 2007 while serving in Iraq. Shrapnel to his face resulted in the loss of his lower mandible and all of his lower teeth. Dahlman has undergone numerous surgeries including five that have been more than 12 hour procedures to reconstruct his mandible. In these surgeries, doctors have taken the fibula from both of Dahlman’s legs, and bone was harvested from his right hip. Dahlman said the bone has finally taken in the jaw and he is hopeful that he will soon be receiving implants after upcoming reconstructive surgeries are finished.

In a twist of fate, while Dahlman was recovering and undergoing treatment at Brooks Army hospital in San Antonio, he met his wife Laurie. The two met at a Clay Walker benefit concert for Military Warriors Support Foundation where Laurie was volunteering. Louis and Laurie married in 2009 and they now have a daughter Stella, who will turn one at the end of May. Ironically, the Dahlman’s anniversary and Stella’s birthday are both May 29.

“Getting this house is incredible,” commented Louis Dahlman. “We can’t believe it, and we couldn’t be happier. This is going to allow me to finish surgeries and not have to worry about how we will be able to afford to pay rent or a mortgage. Plus, Laurie is from Houston, so we will now be close to family,” Dahlman added.