Plain City home for disabled vet reaches milestone
PLAIN CITY, Ohio (WCMH) -- Builders of the Gary Sinise Foundation’s newest home in Plain City, Ohio, marked a milestone on Wednesday.
They are halfway done with construction on a brand new home for Central Ohio native and U.S. Army Sgt. Shane Parsons.
The foundation says he was chosen out of hundreds of applicants.
Parsons’ wife tells NBC4 Gary Sinise, known to many as Lt. Dan, called them personally last March to tell them the news.
“It was an emotional moment and that’s when everything started to fall into place for us," said Jennifer Parsons, who will live in the home. "I was about three months pregnant with our son, so having that final plan set in stone, where we would be in a year or two, is what really brought everything home and was really about to put our feet in the soil and really root us down.”
U.S. Army Sgt. Shane Parsons lost both legs in Iraq in 2006 and underwent months of recovery from a traumatic brain injury after suffering cardiac arrest thereafter.
He said he is grateful to Sinise and the foundation for all they do for veterans.
“Sometimes I just...I don’t feel like I’m worthy or feel like I’m deserving of this. It’s still surreal,” Shane Parsons said. “Him coming out and just being like, ‘Hey, I’m not going to give you a hand. I’m coming in. I’m going to put my foot in the door. No matter what. If you like it or not and I’m going to help you.' That’s what I feel from him, you know? Like, ‘Hey, I’m going to do this because you deserve it.’”
The home will be finished in 6-8 months.
This is the second home build in Ohio paid for by the Gary Sinise Foundation.
The foundation representatives said they will begin another build at the end of 2023 in Lebanon, Ohio.