Gary Sinise Foundation, construction company donates free home to wounded military veteran

An Army veteran and his family have a brand new place to call home tonight, free of charge, thanks to two charities 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 suffered serious injuries during his final deployment.

The Gary Sinise Foundation’s RISE (Restoration of Independence Support Empowerment) program, in coordination with donations from building products manufacturer LP Building Solutions, gifted the Hargis family their permanent home in Nashville, Tennessee.

LP Building Solutions donated decorations and siding as well as financial support through their LP Foundation.

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 extremely grateful for our partnership with LP and the LP Foundation and for their commitment to join us in honoring our nation’s veterans by including extraordinary heroes like Sergeant Hargis, who put their lives on the line every day protecting our freedoms and our country,” said Gary Sinise Foundation Executive Vice President Jim Ravella.

LP Vice President of Specialty Sales and 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 amazing work, LP is proud to be a partner with that foundation… this is our eighth home that we’ve worked with them, and we just dedicated our home,” Sichling said.

“We were able to spend some time with US Army Sergeant Josh Hargis and we just got a chance to meet the family. There were a number of guest speakers and we were able to basically provide them with a home that is a forever home for them. It is designed and built for his special needs. He is a double amputee. And we were able to not only build the house, but flip it mortgage-free. So it’s really a very real, powerful, moving experience just to engage in that devotion.”

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 commissioned as a K9 handler with my dog, Jany,” Hargis said in a release from the Gary Sinise Foundation.

“During a night raid, we pulled into an area that was littered with buried IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and our targets were wearing explosive vests that were hidden under their clothing.”

“Our unit has suffered catastrophic injuries. Four members of our team died. My K9 companion was killed. Another soldier and I suffered amputations on the battlefield and many others suffered serious injuries,” Hargis added.

Joshua lost both legs, one above the knee and the other below, as a result of IED injuries.

“It aligns with our core values ​​around housing and supporting our veterans, those who have given it their all,” Sichling said.

“And it also allows us to not only have a national reach, but also to be able to work in the homes and communities where we live and have our operations.”

“So it really accomplishes two objectives for us: One is to make sure we’re addressing housing, because America has a housing shortage, and certainly our veterans need housing, especially those who have returned wounded. And it really aligns with our building a better world and supporting, you know, housing and sustainability in America,” Sichling added.

Veterans make up roughly 7% of the population, but make up about 13% of the homeless population according to data from the VA.