Nonprofit to build custom home for veteran wounded in Iraq

RINCON, Ga. (WSAV) – Homes For Our Troops (HFOT) kicked off the building of a home for an Army Sgt. in Rincon on Saturday.

HFOT is a publicly funded 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that builds and donates specially adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives.

Bill Ivey, Executive Director of HFOT said, “What we’re doing here today is, Homes For Our Troops is kicking off a specially adapted custom home for Matt Watters, who was wounded, severely injured, in Iraq.”

In 2002 Watters went on his first tour to Afghanistan and deployed again in 2003 to Iraq with the 1st Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment.

On June 11, 2003, Watters was on a raid on a terrorist training camp in western Iraq when he was struck in the leg by a rocket propelled grenade. He lost his left leg below the knee and sustained severe damage to his right leg and left arm.

After medically retiring from the military, Watters worked as an officer with the Tacoma Police Department for over 17 years before moving to Georgia with his wife, Lindsey, and their two children. In their current non-adapted house, Matthew cannot use his wheelchair because the hallways are too narrow.

Receiving a specially adapted custom HFOT home in Rincon will enable Matthew to rest and recover in his wheelchair.

“What really makes us different than a lot of other organizations is number one, we build where they want to live, and number two, we stay in contact with them for life,” said Ivey, “So, we don’t hand them the keys and say good luck, we say here are the keys, welcome to the family, we will be there for you for the rest of your life.”

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