Double amputee receives new 'smart home' in Cumberland County
A former Fort Bragg soldier who lost both legs in an IED explosion in Afghanistan received a new home Thursday.
Posted — UpdatedStaff Sgt. Eric Myers, who served in the 82nd Airborne Division, had both legs amputated above the knee after stepping on an IED in 2012. He spent 11 months at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center before returning home to his wife and daughter in North Carolina.
"I wouldn't be here, anywhere, without the women in my life, especially my wife. Really, she's the one that's made this home," Myers said.
On Thursday, the Tunnel to Towers foundation presented him with a mortgage free “smart home” on Duck Pond Road in Linden featuring customizations to accommodate his injury.
"I know he'll be able to open doors with things in his hands. He'll be able to carry things in and out of the house now. He'll be able to cook without bruning his elbows," said Myers wife, Laura.
“It makes life, not easier, but more livable,” Myers said.
The Tunnel to Towers foundation was created in honor of firefighter Stephen Siller, who died during the Sept. 11 attacks. The organization assists catastrophically injured service members and first responders.
Myers' home was the 56th built by the organization
“Five of our guys in the last year have had babies because their lives, their dreams, their ambitions, everything they wanted is moving on," said Tunnel to Towers CEO John Hodge.
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