Military Warriors Support Foundation awards home, vehicle to combat-wounded veterans
Key ceremony takes place during Monday's Country Club of the Rockies' Patriot Day tournament
Zoe Goldstein/Vail Daily
The Military Warriors Support Foundation awarded a mortgage-free home and a payment-free vehicle to two combat-wounded veterans at the Country Club of the Rockies on Monday, Sept. 11. The key ceremony took place during the Country Club of the Rockies’ annual Patriot Day Golf Tournament.
The San Antonio, Texas-based Military Warriors Support Foundation operates with the goal of easing the reentry from service abroad for wounded military members returning from combat overseas. Since it was founded in 2007, the organization has given over 100 payment-free vehicles and nearly 1,000 mortgage-free homes to combat-wounded veterans and unmarried Gold Star spouses. The homes and vehicles also come with family and financial mentoring.
Former U.S Army Specialist Aaron Hart was presented with the ceremonial keys to his mortgage-free home during Monday’s ceremony. Hart joined the Army in 2009 and was wounded in action while supporting combat operations during his deployment in Afghanistan in 2011. He received the Purple Heart, along with the Combat Action Badge and Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two campaign stars for his service. In 2012, Hart was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army and currently lives in Southpoint, Ohio.
Former U.S Army Specialist Cody Miller was presented with the ceremonial key to his payment-free vehicle during the ceremony. Miller joined the U.S. Army in 2009, where he served as a combat engineer in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was wounded in action while supporting combat operations and received the Purple Heart for his injuries. In 2015, Miller was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army and currently resides in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, area.
“This program is beyond helpful to veterans,” Miller said. “I hope all veterans can someday get something like this. The vehicle program has been instrumental to my entire family. It has provided us with a level of success that we never would have had, had we never found this program,”
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Medal of Honor recipient Donald “Doc” Ballard was also present, one of just 66 living Medal of Honor recipients. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. Ballard earned his medal in 1968 during the Vietnam War for covering a live grenade with his body to protect the lives of five other Marines.
During the singing of the national anthem, a Black Hawk helicopter flew over the crowd, landing on the grass just beyond the driving range, where it remained for tournament participants and event guests to explore and enjoy. The ceremony opened with mounted cavalry, who rode toward the crowd proudly carrying the American and Colorado flags.
The event also acknowledged the Vail Veterans Program, and founder Cheryl Jensen, as another program that works to support wounded veterans that is specifically based in Eagle County. Several Vail Veterans Program participants were present at the key ceremony and golf tournament.