Wounded Army Veteran Receives Smart Home

Army Sgt. Christopher Kurtz, was serving in the 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan in 2010 when an IED went off nearby. Kurtz, who lives in TN, lost both of his legs and two fingers. After many surgeries, Sgt. Kurtz returned to active duty before medically retiring from the Army in 2013. He was recently honored with the keys to his new specially adapted smart home, courtesy of the Gary Sinise Foundation.

He received a brand new “smart home” that has been customized to make living easier for Kurtz. The foundation built him a four bedroom, three bath home with an open floor plan, wide hallways, low counter tops, and smart technology to control everything in the home with the touch of an iPad. The house was provided to the Kurtz family mortgage free by the Gary Sinise Foundation program R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence, Supporting Endowment), which builds specially adapted smart homes for our nation’s most severely wounded veterans and first responders, their caregivers and families.

A “Walls of Honor” ceremony was held at the site of the house in Adam, TN to celebrate handing the keys to Kurtz. In a video prepared for the event, Sinise said “The house that stands before you today is a small symbol of appreciation and respect from a grateful nation.” Mike Thirtle, CEO of the Gary Sinise Foundation said “We want to make it as customizable and tailorable for them and their family. So when you go inside the home you’re going to see countertops lowered and you’re going to see a Dutch oven that opens a certain way. You’re going to see a sink where they can wheel up with their wheelchair to have access. You go to the bathroom and you see how it’s easier for them to get around because there’s a lot of wheelchair considerations.”

Sinise, who played wounded war veteran Lt. Dan in the movie Forrest Gump, said that experience opened a whole new world for him. For the past 10 years, Sinese has been providing mortgage-free homes for veterans through his foundation. “Shortly after the movie opened, I was contacted by the Disabled American Veterans Organization inviting me to their national convention where they wanted to present me with an award,” Sinise said. “I met hundreds if not thousands of people who were not playing a part in a movie.”

Sgt. Kurtz said the home has changed his life. “I am incredibly grateful to the Gary Sinise Foundation, not only for what they do for the military community, but for changing my life with this home that will help restore my independence and make life easier for our family. This place is awesome, it’s going to be a great place to grow the family, my kids are going to be in great schools, this entire community is very supportive. I can’t ask for more, this is an incredible opportunity, and I can’t be more thankful, it’s just a blessing,” Kurtz said.