America Supports You: Homes for Our Troops Turns Over Ninth Home

A Homes For Our Troops volunteer works on the kitchen cabinets in the Douglasville, Ga., house turned over to Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Joe Dan Worley, a Navy Corpsman on Oct. 23. Worley was injured Sept. 17, 2004, while serving in Iraq. His home is the ninth that Homes For Our Troops has donated to severely wounded servicemember since its inception in 2004. Courtesy photo   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

John Gonsalves, Homes for Our Troops president and founder, joined by Kirt Rebello, director of projects and veterans affairs for the group, today officially transferred the deed of another house to Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Joe Dan "Doc" Worley. The transfer occurred during the afternoon reception of the America Supports You charity golf tournament at Sugarloaf TPC golf club in Duluth, Ga.

“This is the ninth house we’ve … been able to turn over,” Gonsalves said. “We’re feeling pretty good right now.”

Both Homes for Our Troops and TPC are members of America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting ways Americans and the corporate sector support the nation’s servicemembers.

The Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization held a key turnover ceremony for Worley at the house in Douglasville, Ga., yesterday.

“It’s a great feeling to be able to do this for them,” Rebello said.

Worley, a hospital corpsman assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, in Iraq was wounded Sept. 17, 2004, while rushing to the aid of a wounded Marine. Worley lost his left leg to a roadside bomb and suffered five gun shot wounds to his right leg, leaving it severely damaged.

Homes for Our Troops purchased an existing home in Douglasville and made modifications to accommodate Worley’s specific needs. All the doorways were widened from the normal 30 inches to 36 inches to make them wide enough to get his wheelchair through, Rebello said. The plush carpeting was replaced with hard flooring surfaces, a concrete ramp was added to provide the veteran with access to the front door, and the bathroom was modified for handicap accessibility, he added.

With the help of local businesses and dedicated volunteers, Worley, his wife and young daughter will now have a new home of their own where he and his family can adjust to a new way of life. This home is one of the four to six presentations Homes for Our Troops expects to make to wounded veterans around the country by the end of 200, Gonsalves said.