An army veteran and his family have a brand new place to live tonight, for free, thanks to the charitable work of two organizations working together.
Retired U.S. Army Sergeant Joshua Hargis, an Army Ranger and K9 handler, received a mortgage-free custom home thanks to the generosity of LP Building Solutions and the Gary Sinise Foundation on Tuesday.
Sergeant Hargis served four tours in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom and sustained serious injuries during his recent deployment.
The Gary Sinise Foundation's RISE (Restoring Independence Support Empowerment) program, coordinated with donations from building products manufacturer LP Building Solutions, has donated the Hargis' forever home in Nashville, Tennessee.
LP Building Solutions donated trim and siding as well as financial support through the LP Foundation.
The LP Foundation has partnered with the Gary Sinise Foundation since 2022 to donate eight homes to date to veterans in need. These homes are allocated to each family.
“On behalf of our founder Gary Sinise and all of us at the Gary Sinise Foundation, we are extremely grateful for our partnership with LP and the LP Foundation and for their commitment to joining us in honoring our nation’s veterans, including incredible heroes like Sergeant Hargis.” who put their lives on the line every day to defend our freedoms and our country,” said Jim Ravella, executive vice president of the Gary Sinise Foundation.
LP's Vice President of Specialty Sales and Marketing Craig Sichling sat down with Fox News Digital to share what it was like for his organization to donate a home to the Hargis family.
“The Gary Sinise Foundation does an amazing job, and LP is proud to be a partner with that organization… This is our eighth home we've worked with, and we just customized the home,” Sitchling said.
“We were able to spend some time with U.S. Army Sergeant Josh Hargis and had the opportunity to meet the family. There were a number of guest speakers, and we were able to provide them with basically a forever home for them. It was designed and manufactured to meet their specific needs. It's a truncated Parties. And we were able to not only build the house, but we were able to deliver it without a mortgage so, it's a really real, powerful and very moving experience to be involved in this dedication.
Hargis is a graduate of the Army Ranger School and trained as a K9 handler with the 75th Ranger Regiment.
“On October 5, 2013, I was assigned as a K9 handler with my dog Janie,” Hargis said in a statement released by the Gary Sinise Foundation.
“During a night raid, we were pulled into an area filled with buried explosive devices, and our targets were wearing explosive vests hidden under their clothes.”
“Our unit suffered catastrophic casualties. Four of our team members died. My K9 buddy was killed. Another Soldier and I were amputated on the battlefield, and countless others were seriously injured,” Hargis added.
Joshua lost both legs, one above the knee and the other below, as a result of being hit by the explosive device.
“It aligns with our core values around housing and supporting our veterans, the ones who gave everything,” Sichling said.
“It also not only allows us to reach a national level, but also allows us to work in the homes and communities where we live and where we conduct our operations.”
“So, it accomplishes two goals for us: One is to make sure that we address the housing issue, because America has a housing shortage, and certainly our veterans need housing, especially those who have come back wounded. “It really aligns,” Sichling added. “While building a better world and supporting housing and sustainability in America.”
Veterans make up roughly 7% of the population but make up about 13% of the homeless population according to Department of Veterans Affairs data.
