After sustaining injuries during his military service in Iraq, retired Staff Sgt. Timothy Kramer has been unable to do the simple things: like tucking his kids into bed or cooking a meal for his family.
Homes for Our Troops is hoping to change that. The nonprofit organization that has built more than 325 homes across the country for veterans injured in combat is constructing and paying for a home for Kramer, a 41-year-old Bayard native, and his family in Minatare.
The project officially began with a kickoff ceremony on Feb. 5.
“The community kickoff signifies the start of the build process,†said Teresa Verity, a marketing associate for the organization. “And is also a way for us to help engage the community.â€
Kramer served two tours in Iraq as a military policeman for the Army from 2003 to 2007. During his second tour, Kramer served as a security detail with the 58th Military Police Company in the 25th Infantry Division.
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On Aug. 6, 2006, during his second tour, Kramer was transporting detainees when his unit encountered enemy fire and their vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device, he said in a video interview with Homes for Our Troops. Kramer sustained a traumatic brain injury but remained in Iraq until the end of his deployment in 2009.
After returning to the United States, Kramer experienced other health problems. He had a stroke, which resulted in the loss of the use of his left hand and foot, and experienced hearing loss in both ears, seizures and traumatic headaches.
Kramer, now medically retired, said he struggles to carry out everyday tasks in the family’s current home in Bayard, where many of the doorways are too narrow for his wheelchair to pass through, including into the children’s bedrooms, and the cabinets are too high for him to reach.
The new home will have four bedrooms and two bathrooms and will feature adaptations including widened doorways for wheelchair access, a roll-in shower and a kitchen with pull-down shelving and lowered countertops.
“When you get injured like this, it’s the little things that matter that people, I think, don’t see,†he said. “Making dinner for your family on the stove, putting them in their crib, swinging with them.â€
Kramer said he and his wife came across the Homes for Our Troops website and figured it wouldn’t hurt to apply, but they weren’t expecting to be selected.
“We thought, ‘Yeah right? Who builds a house in Nebraska?’†he said. “Nobody out here gets stuff like that; it just doesn’t happen.â€
When they got the call that Homes for Our Troops was indeed going to build them a custom home and pay for the family to fly to Boston to learn more, Kramer said, he was ecstatic.
“They really transformed my life, they’re going to transform my family’s life and they’re gonna lessen the burden off of my family,†he said.
Kramer and his wife, Cassidy, have three daughters: Destinee, 21, Raylyn, 10, and Brynley, 3, and three cocker spaniels. Kramer said he enjoys going on camping trips with his family and is a big Husker football fan.
At the project’s kickoff event, family friend Melanie Dolby described Kramer as “the ultimate girl dad†and said his positive attitude is contagious.
“If we could learn one thing from him, it’s his outlook of life,†she said.
Cassie Nichols, director of constituent services for Nebraska U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, read a message from Sasse at the kickoff event congratulating the Kramer family on their new home.
“Nebraska is a great state, and we’re glad you’re committed to raising your family here,†his statement read.
Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson sent in a video message also celebrating the project and thanking Kramer for his service.
“What a vital ministry this is to show, in a physical form, our appreciation for your work,†he said.
Verity, with Homes for Our Troops, said numerous factors can impact how long it takes to build the Kramers’ home, but the build process typically requires six to nine months.
John Hilgert, director of the Nebraska Department of Veteran Affairs, spoke in a video message shared at the kickoff event about the importance of a safe and accommodating home for a veteran’s family.
“It gives the veteran a home base, if you will, to get on and carry on with their family,†he said. “I can’t wait to see what’s built in Minatare when I get the chance.â€