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Soldier wounded in combat helps break ground on new smart home

"It feels like a community we're coming back to. It's our home and it feels really good."

WILDWOOD, Mo. – A soldier who lost both legs in combat took a big step Tuesday toward his new life.

Retired Army Sergeant Legrand Strickland helped break ground on his new, specially-adapted smart home.

Strickland spent the last eight years recovering from leg and brain injuries. His life will never be the same, but thanks to the Gary Sinise Foundation, it's about to get a whole lot easier.

“I didn't believe it, you know? It had to sink in. It was something else,” said Strickland about being chosen for the new home.

Strickland survived an IED attack in Afghanistan during a mission in 2010. His challenging journey left him and his wife Carrie longing for the area where they grew up.

“You know, I missed it. I missed everything about it. The way it looks. It's peaceful,” said Strickland.

“It feels like a community we're coming back to. It's our home and it feels really good,” said Carrie Strickland.

The Stricklands were welcomed with cheers by a crowd of family members and supporters as they took their first steps onto the property in Wildwood where their new home will be built. Strickland chose the land for its location.

“I love everything nature,” he said. “I can’t wait to look out the back window into the woods.”

The smart home will return to Strickland some of the simple freedoms his injuries took away.

“Just being able to do everything in the house on his own that he's not able to do in our house we have now,” said Carrie Strickland.

Organizers revealed the final design of the home to the Stricklands during Tuesday’s ceremony. The plan calls for a special area where Strickland can spend his days and nights working on his favorite hobby.

“He’s got a garage space all to himself,” said Carrie Strickland.

“I really love working on my old cars,” said Strickland. “I can’t wait to get out there and work on them.”

For Scott Schaeperkoetter, director of operations for the Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. Program, working on smart homes is an honor that never gets old.

“These are my favorite days,” said Schaeperkoetter. “It's an opportunity for the family to come out, the community to come out and just celebrate Legrand and Carrie and what he's gone through.”

For Legrand Strickland, the home will be a place where his family can live happily ever after.

“This right here is a lifelong home.”

Strickland's family and supporters will be invited to sign the studs of the new home with inspirational messages. That'll happen sometime in July.

The Stricklands should be able to move in this fall.

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