St. Louis, Mo.—The R.I.S.E. program builds mortgage-free, custom, specially adapted smart homes for severely wounded veterans and first responders.
The home dedication for U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Jason Pacheco took place April 16 in Fallbrook, Calif. NWFA member DuChateau donated the flooring for the project.
Service and resilience
Pacheco joined the Marines after graduation with his sights set on the infantry. He had a gift for shooting and earned a spot at Advanced Urban Sniper School.
He graduated at the top of his class. In May 2010, he deployed to Afghanistan as a corporal and scout sniper team leader.
Three months after Pacheco arrived in Afghanistan, Taliban soldiers pinned him down during a four-hour firefight. After the battle, he went out to conduct a battle damage assessment when an IED detonated.
The blast caused a traumatic brain injury, a leg amputation below the knee, a femur fracture, a pinky amputation and blown eardrums.
“After three months of physical therapy, Sergeant Pacheco learned to walk,” said Stephanie Owen, NWFA president and CEO. “After six months, he learned to run. And just a few months after that, he became one of the first three Marine Corps amputees to return to a combat zone on full duty. His dedication to his team and his country is remarkable and we’re honored to partner with DuChateau to provide beautiful real wood floors for his new home.”
NWFA has completed 86 homes through the program. It is working with members to supply wood flooring for 13 additional homes in various stages of planning and construction. A total of 163 NWFA member companies have donated product, logistics and installation services across the United States. Those contributions exceed $7 million in value.
A list of participating companies is available at nwfa.org/giving-back.