Operation: Coming Home Begins Construction of Home for Marine Cpl. Ryan Wightman
Nonprofit Organization and Royal Oaks Homes to Build Ninth Hero Home in Fuquay-Varina Neighborhood
Raleigh, NC, November 16, 2014 --(PR.com)-- Operation: Coming Home, a joint volunteer project by the Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County (HBA), the U.S. Veterans Corps, and various area nonprofits and businesses, began construction on its ninth Hero Home, to be built in Fuquay-Varina’s Gray’s Creek community, in a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 13. U.S. Marine Cpl. Ryan Wightman, along with his wife, will reside in a custom-built home provided by Royal Oaks Homes.
Cpl. Wightman, a native of Orange Park, Florida, enlisted in 2009, training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, South Carolina and attending the Marine Corps School of Infantry in Camp Geiger, North Carolina. As a rifleman, he was assigned to Weapons Company, Scout Sniper Platoon, 1st Battalion, 8th Regiment. Cpl. Wightman was stationed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and promoted to Lance Corporal in 2010. He deployed to Helmand Province in Afghanistan from Sept. 2010 to March 2011. Upon his return to the United States, Cpl. Wightman married his wife, Melissa on March 29, 2011. On Jan. 7 2012, he again deployed to Helmand Province and was injured by an improvised explosive device on May 26, 2012 while trying to help a fallen Marine. He was transferred to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he now resides. On Sept. 3, 2014, after two years of limb salvage and multiple surgeries, his left leg was amputated below the knee.
On hand for the celebration were Cpl. Wightman and family members; U.S. Army General Cornell Wilson, military advisor to Gov. Pat McCrory; Phil Matthews, chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners; John Byrne, Fuquay-Varina mayor; the USO of North Carolina; representatives from the Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County (HBA) and members of the U.S. Veterans Corps. The ceremony included addresses by Tim Minton, president of the Operation: Coming Home Foundation and executive vice president of the HBA and U.S. Marine Capt. Michael Steadman.
For more information on Operation: Coming Home and the construction of the ninth Hero Home, visit http://www.operationcominghome.com.
Details:
- Cpl. Wightman was announced as the recipient of the ninth Hero Home at the UNC vs. Virginia Tech football game on Oct. 4.
Quotes:
“We are honored to gather here shortly after Veterans Day to honor Cpl. Ryan Wightman’s service and sacrifice, and there is no one more deserving of a new home,” said Minton, president of the Operation: Coming Home Foundation. “Our volunteers banded together to create a custom-built home where Cpl. Wightman and his wife can become part of the local community, raise a family and make memories for years to come. It is hard to believe that we are already working on our ninth Hero Home, and we look forward to building homes for Triangle area veterans for years to come.”
New Media Content:
Operation: Coming Home on Facebook:
http://on.fb.me/p36FMG
About Operation: Coming Home:
Operation: Coming Home is a joint volunteer project by the Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County (HBA), and various area nonprofits and businesses. The project builds and donates homes for disabled combat veterans who have served in the Middle East, after a selection committee interviews candidates to determine the best fit. For more information, visit http://operationcominghome.com.
Cpl. Wightman, a native of Orange Park, Florida, enlisted in 2009, training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, South Carolina and attending the Marine Corps School of Infantry in Camp Geiger, North Carolina. As a rifleman, he was assigned to Weapons Company, Scout Sniper Platoon, 1st Battalion, 8th Regiment. Cpl. Wightman was stationed in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and promoted to Lance Corporal in 2010. He deployed to Helmand Province in Afghanistan from Sept. 2010 to March 2011. Upon his return to the United States, Cpl. Wightman married his wife, Melissa on March 29, 2011. On Jan. 7 2012, he again deployed to Helmand Province and was injured by an improvised explosive device on May 26, 2012 while trying to help a fallen Marine. He was transferred to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he now resides. On Sept. 3, 2014, after two years of limb salvage and multiple surgeries, his left leg was amputated below the knee.
On hand for the celebration were Cpl. Wightman and family members; U.S. Army General Cornell Wilson, military advisor to Gov. Pat McCrory; Phil Matthews, chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners; John Byrne, Fuquay-Varina mayor; the USO of North Carolina; representatives from the Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County (HBA) and members of the U.S. Veterans Corps. The ceremony included addresses by Tim Minton, president of the Operation: Coming Home Foundation and executive vice president of the HBA and U.S. Marine Capt. Michael Steadman.
For more information on Operation: Coming Home and the construction of the ninth Hero Home, visit http://www.operationcominghome.com.
Details:
- Cpl. Wightman was announced as the recipient of the ninth Hero Home at the UNC vs. Virginia Tech football game on Oct. 4.
Quotes:
“We are honored to gather here shortly after Veterans Day to honor Cpl. Ryan Wightman’s service and sacrifice, and there is no one more deserving of a new home,” said Minton, president of the Operation: Coming Home Foundation. “Our volunteers banded together to create a custom-built home where Cpl. Wightman and his wife can become part of the local community, raise a family and make memories for years to come. It is hard to believe that we are already working on our ninth Hero Home, and we look forward to building homes for Triangle area veterans for years to come.”
New Media Content:
Operation: Coming Home on Facebook:
http://on.fb.me/p36FMG
About Operation: Coming Home:
Operation: Coming Home is a joint volunteer project by the Home Builders Association of Raleigh-Wake County (HBA), and various area nonprofits and businesses. The project builds and donates homes for disabled combat veterans who have served in the Middle East, after a selection committee interviews candidates to determine the best fit. For more information, visit http://operationcominghome.com.
Contact
Operation Coming Home
Emily Packard
919-233-6600
Emily Packard
919-233-6600
Contact
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