RIO RANCHO, N.M. (KRQE) – It was a once-in-a-lifetime surprise for a retired Army sergeant and his family. Sergeant Mike Lawson spent nearly a decade with the army as a combat engineer with deployments across the Middle East. And on Wednesday, a non-profit helped put the retired serviceman in a new, mortgage-free home in Rio Rancho.
“I consider myself very lucky, in 2009 in Afghanistan, it was an extremely difficult year, some of us didn’t make it back, so I feel very lucky to be standing here today,” said Sgt. Mike Lawson.
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Like many service members, Lawson came back with PTSD and physical injuries. He said he needed help getting back to normal life at home. And after moving year after year while enlisted, the family now has a home of their own in Rio Rancho, thanks to the building homes for heroes program, “Standing here in front of this amazing house, with my amazing family, and this amazing group building homes for heroes, feels like a dream,” expressed Lawson…