One Army veteran and his family have a brand-new place to call home tonight, free of charge, thanks to the charity of two organizations working together.
Retired U.S. Army Sergeant Joshua Hargis, a decorated 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 severe injuries during his final deployment.
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The Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment) program, in coordination with donations from building products manufacturer LP Building Solutions, donated the Hargis’ family forever home in Nashville, Tennessee.
LP Building Solutions donated trim and siding as well as financial support through their LP Foundation.
The home was specially crafted with donated LP® SmartSide® Trim & Siding. (Courtesy of LP Building Solutions)
The LP Foundation has partnered with the Gary Sinise Foundation since 2022 to donate eight homes so far to veterans in-need. These homes are customized for each family.
“On behalf of our founder Gary Sinise and all of us at the Gary Sinise Foundation, we are incredibly 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 defending our freedoms and our country,” said Gary Sinise Foundation Executive Vice President Jim Ravella.
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LP Vice President of Specialty Sales & 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 a wonderful job, LP is proud to be a partner of that foundation … this is our eighth home working with them, and we just dedicated the house,” said Sichling.
Gary Sinise spoke at the ceremony donating the brand-new home mortgage-free to the Hargis family. (Courtesy of LP Building Solutions)
“We were able to spend a little time with U.S. Army Sergeant Josh Hargis and we just had an opportunity to meet the family. There were a number of guest speakers, and we were able to provide them basically a home that’s a forever home for them. It’s designed and built for his special needs. He’s a double amputee. And we were able to not only build the house but turn it over mortgage free. So it’s really a very true, powerful, moving experience just to be involved in that dedication.”
Hargis is a graduate of the Army Ranger School, and trained to become a K9 Handler within the 75th Ranger Regiment.
“On October 5, 2013, I was tasked as a K9 Handler with my dog, Jany,” said Hargis in a release from the Gary Sinise Foundation. “During a night raid, we were drawn into an area that was littered with buried IED’s (improvised explosive devices), and our targets had donned explosive vests that were concealed under their clothing.”
Army Sgt. Hargis and his family pose in their new home with the LP Building Solutions team. (Courtesy of LP Building Solutions)
“Our unit sustained catastrophic injuries. Four members of our team died. My K9 companion was killed. Another soldier and I suffered battlefield amputations, and countless others suffered severe injuries,” added Hargis.
Joshua lost both his legs, one above the knee and the other below, as a result of injuries from the IED.
“It aligns with our core values around housing and supporting our veterans, the ones who have given it all,” said Sichling. “And it also allows us not only to have a national reach, but we also have been able to work in homes and communities where we live and where we have our operations.”
“So, it really meets twofold objectives for us: one is making sure that we’re addressing housing, because America is in shortage of housing, and certainly our veterans are in need of housing, especially the ones that have come back wounded. And it really falls in line with our building a better world and supporting, you know, housing and sustainability in America,” added Sichling.
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Veterans make up approximately 7% of the population but constitute about 13% of the homeless population according to data from the VA.
