SYLVANIA, Ohio — The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has paid off the mortgage for a Gold Star family in Sylvania in honor of Veterans Day, the foundation announced Tuesday.
Army Pvt. E-2 Thomas Brennan, who served as a gunner and loader in the U.S. Army, enlisted in 1990 at age 17 with his father’s permission. He served two years, including a deployment to Germany during the Gulf War. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation says he earned several honors, including the Army Achievement Medal, Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal and the Overseas Service Ribbon. He was honorably discharged because of a knee injury.
The foundation says after leaving the military, Brennan was diagnosed with multiple myeloma at 36, a cancer linked to toxic exposure during his service. Brennan battled chronic pain, broken bones, tumors and hospital stays for nearly 16 years while remaining active in his community and family life…