ORLANDO, FLA. (WSVN) - A wounded Central Florida veteran is showing his gratitude after moving into his new custom-built home.
Cameras captured the moment a yellow ribbon was cut outside U.S. Army Sgt. Chad Rozanski’s new house on Saturday. Moments later, he opened the door to his new Orlando home.
The nonprofit group Homes for Our Troops bought and fully customized the home in Orange County for the Iraq war veteran.
“This will be the first time in my adult life to have my full, complete independence,” he said.
Rozanski lost both his legs when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb while he was on patrol in Iraq.
Homes for Our Troops builds customized homes for disabled veterans who qualify.
Rozanski said he never thought any of this could have been possible.
“Finally I’m in a position of ownership and control, and that is a very good feeling,” he said.
Retired Army Brig. Gen. Tom Landwermeyer, the CEO of Homes for Our Troops, said the house has more than 40 special features to accommodate his disabilities.
“Wider doorways so that he can come through in a wheelchair, wider hallways. The only thresholds in the home — so, a bump, a transition — are the four doors that go to the outside,” he said.
There’s also no boundary from the floor into the roll-in shower, which was specially designed to be wheelchair accessible.
The controls are all electronic, and the light switches and electrical outlets are the proper height. The kitchen has pull-down shelving and lowered countertops, and there’s a built-in electric generator.
The master bedroom closet also doubles as a safe room. All four walls, the floor and the ceiling are reinforced with concrete, and it has a heavy-duty steel door in case of an emergency.
Fellow wounded veterans said it’s great what Homes for Our Troops is doing: giving people who have served their country more confidence and a new lease on life.
“It’s phenomenal. It seemed too good to be true when I heard of it, you know?” said Army Sgt. Chris Short. “Now, it’s like, it’s real, so it’s amazing.”
The organization has built more than 300 homes across the U.S. They currently have nearly 80 home projects like Rozanski’s house underway; 12 of them are in Florida.
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