Homes for Our Troops House Honors Vet with House in Honea Path
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
After nine years traveling the country in a recreational vehicle, Army Sergeant First Class Daniel Metzdorf and his wife Kristen now have a new place to call home.
The Metzdorfs, who could have chosen any city in America to call home, chose Honea Path because of the beauty of the area and “the people.”
The couple is the recipient of a new house built by Homes for Our Troops, a national non-profit organization that builds and donates specially adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives. The Honea Path home was built by Glenn Construction of Anderson, and the Metzdorfs could not say enough good things about the Glenn family and their work on the new home.
The move from a mobile lifestyle to a house adapted to Metzdorf’s challenges is a welcome change. The specially adapted custom home from Homes For Our Troops will give him the ability to navigate the entire home using crutches or a wheelchair. There is also a sidewalk on flat ground that circles the house. He’s looking forward to the financial freedom of the mortgage-free home, which will allow the couple to pursue their dream of starting a farm and becoming part of the local homesteading community.
On January 27, 2004, on his second combat tour, Metzdorf was conducting a night patrol with the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq when a roadside bomb detonated, killing three Soldiers, and injuring three others, including Metzdorf. He sustained severe injuries resulting in the loss of his right leg above the knee.
After less than a year of rehab, he reenlisted in the Army and eventually joined the Army Golden Knights Parachute Team, becoming the first above-the-knee amputee to pass the training course.
Friends and family from across the county and even a few from other nations were on hand for Saturday’s grand opening of the couple’s new home.
Homes for Our Troops restore some of the freedom and independence our Veterans sacrificed while defending our country, and enable them to focus on their family, recovery, and rebuilding their lives. HFOT builds these homes where the Veteran chooses to live, and continues its relationship with the Veterans after home delivery to assist them with rebuilding their lives.
