Customized Homes Help Iraq Veterans Heal

June 18, 2005 — -- Two years ago, Peter Damon was an electrician and helicopter mechanic. He leads a different life now.

As a sergeant in the National Guard, Damon repaired helicopters in Iraq until one day, during routine maintenance, a tire he was filling exploded. He lost both his hands.

"The first thing that I was thinking about, I remember when I woke up, was, 'How am I going to take care of my kids? How am I going to take care of my family now?' " he said. "I've always worked with my hands, and now they're gone."

After more than a year in the hospital, Damon went home to Brockton, Mass., and started over. He needs time and patience to do even the simplest things.

"It just takes a lot more effort to open a doorknob, if it's a regular doorknob rather than a latch doorknob," said his wife, Jenn Damon.

John Gonsalves, a local builder, wants to make things a little easier for him. Gonsalves is the founder of Homes for Our Troops, one of a handful of non-profit groups building new houses and adapting existing homes to meet the special needs of disabled veterans, all at little or no cost to the vets.

"These are real people with real families," Gonsalves said. "When we have somebody being injured, I think a lot of times people may not stop to think what that may mean."

Gonsalves and his team of volunteers are building a new home for the Damon family in Middleboro, Mass.

"The shower unit's gonna have wall sprays for you so it'll make taking a shower nice and easy for you," Gonsalves told Damon. "We're going to put a pantry unit that's going to have pullouts and stuff so that you can get inside and access all canned goods."

"I like to think I can sit home if my wife's not there," Damon said, "and take care of the kids, make them lunch, and don't have to stop and ask anybody for help."

Sgt. Tracy Jones, another Iraq war veteran, and his wife, Johnnie, were stunned to learn they, too, would be getting a new home from another group, The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes.