Uniontown, Pa.—Between school and qualifying for the Paralympic Games in weightlifting, Marine Cpl. Brandon Rumbaugh has a lot going on. Soon he will have a home specially adapted by Homes for Our Troops (HFOT), a national nonprofit, non-partisan organization, to his needs that will make life “a lot less stressful” as he continues to chase and achieve his dreams.
Cpl. Rumbaugh’s home and the other homes are built by HFOT at no cost to the veteran through the support of individuals, foundations, and corporate contributors. Armstrong, as the exclusive flooring supplier to HFOT, has provided floors for the Rumbaugh home and Armstrong distributor Ohio Valley Flooring (OVF) will be donating 50% of the flooring for this build. OVF ‘s Rick Young attended the groundbreaking, along with local retailer Barry Faris from Faris Carpets here, who also is donating time and services.
From left, Mayor Ed Fike; Congressional representive Rebekah Sungala; home recipient Cpl. Brandon Rumbaugh; Major Gen. (ret.) Tim McHale, HFOT president; Sen. Richard Kasunic and Marine Gunnery Sgt. (ret.) Augie Malekovich.“We at Faris Carpet are honored to help out our local disabled veterans,” said Faris. “We are thankful for what he has done for our country.”
“I’m honored to be a part of this project,” said Rick Young, sales representative, OVF. “It is satisfying to help Cpl. Rumbaugh in any way.”
Cpl. Rumbaugh was on his second deployment when he lost both of his legs in an IED blast in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on Nov. 29, 2010. Just returned to an outpost from a combat patrol with the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, Cpl. Rumbaugh was responding to the scene of an IED blast involving one of his good friends just outside the compound.
Carrying a stretcher, and rushing with his team to aid the injured Marine, Brandon stepped on a second IED resulting in the traumatic amputations of his right leg at the hip and his left leg below the knee. Medically evacuated by helicopter, Cpl. Rumbaugh was treated at Camp Bastion before being airlifted to Landstuhl, Germany. Next, he was transferred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, in Bethesda, Md., spending a total of 18 months receiving treatments and therapies.
When asked what he would say to thank the volunteers who are working to help make his home possible, Cpl. Rumbaugh shared the following: “I’m looking forward to getting my life back to normal and words cannot express how grateful I am to HFOT and those who support this amazing organization. I will be able to wake up in my own home every day and carry out my duties as a loyal American citizen. Thank you for giving me the chance to regain my freedom and independence in my own home.”
Learn more about Cpl. Rumbaugh’s story at hfotusa.org/rumbaugh.