EVANS, Ga. — More than 120 volunteers, including nine active and retired firefighters from the Chattanooga Fire Department, are coming together in Evans, Georgia, to build a fully accessible, mortgage-free home for a retired Army sergeant.
The project for retired Army Sgt. 1st Class David Mathis and his family, organized by the nonprofit A Soldier’s Journey Home (ASJH), runs from May 18 to May 31 and aims to support post-9/11 combat-injured veterans.
Mathis, who served several tours in Iraq, suffered life-altering injuries from an improvised explosive device in 2017, resulting in the loss of both legs.
The new 2,700-plus square-foot home is designed for full accessibility, featuring widened doorways, roll-in showers, and other adaptive technologies to support Mathis’s independence.
The Chattanooga Fire Department volunteers taking in the build include Capt. Tyler Swindell, retired Capt. Chip O’Dell, Lt. Joseph Fuller, Senior Firefighter Britt Bradshaw, Senior Firefighter Mark Coffman, Senior Firefighter Derek Riley, Firefighter Jake Case, Firefighter Joshua Hixson, and retired Firefighter Adam Cannon…