Family takes possession of house

CARTHAGE — Sgt. 1st Class Roy A. Mitchell and his family were presented keys to their new home Saturday by Thomas Benoit, Homes for Our Troops chief financial officer.

Cars and American flags lined Crowner Road as Army personnel, Vietnam veterans, family, friends and volunteers stood by in preparation for the Mitchell family's arrival by firetruck.

Sgt. Mitchell was injured while patrolling the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in 2003 when his vehicle was struck by an antitank mine. He suffered third-degree burns on his right leg, lost three-fourths of his left leg, had cuts on his jaw and elbow and spent 11 months at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Shortly after arrival at their new home, Sgt. Mitchell, his wife, Michelle C., and their three children greeted visitors waiting in the driveway.

"Thank you," Sgt. Mitchell said, unable to hold back his smile. "It's a dream come true."

Homes for Our Troops, a national nonprofit organization, began construction on the home Oct. 21 with a three-day Building Brigade. More than 300 volunteers laid the foundation, raised walls and installed windows and doors, getting the home ready for interior work. Over the next five months, volunteers dug, hammered, cleaned and even supplied food.

"Without the volunteers, the Roy Mitchell home would not exist," said F. Amy McEathron, volunteer coordinator for HFOT.

Mr. Benoit said more than half the supplies and money needed to build the home were donated, which allows extra funds to be used to build more homes. The average cost of each house built is $330,000, including the value of donated materials.

Sgt. and Mrs. Mitchell purchased the land where the house was built in 2006, planning for it to be the site of their retirement home. Sgt. Mitchell said he plans to retire from the Army in 2014.

Applicants can choose where they would like their house built, whether it be on land already owned or land purchased specifically by HFOT.

The four-bedroom, ranch-style home is equipped with extra-wide doorways, handrails in each bathroom and high and low granite countertops in the kitchen for easy reach.

"This house doesn't have any obstacles," Sgt. Mitchell said.

He and his family live in post housing on Fort Drum that does not have the proper accommodations for someone in a wheelchair, making even the simplest day-to-day task difficult.

"You constantly have to think about everything you do, constantly have to plan everything in detail. It gets frustrating," St. Mitchell said.

Although his injuries have made for difficult mobility, Sgt. Mitchell remains positive and has not let it get the best of him.

"Look back in history," he said. "If they stopped at an obstacle every time they came to one, nothing would have gotten done."

The Mitchell family hopes to be fully moved into the home by the end of April.