Groundbreaking ceremony held on Nebraska veteran’s new home

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - A groundbreaking ceremony took place today in Sarpy County to celebrate Sgt. Benjamin Marksmeier’s brand new house.

He is a recipient of the ‘Helping a Hero’ program that awards post-9/11 wounded veterans new homes.

“I really am speechless,” Marksmeier said. “I always have words, but there are no words for this feeling.”

He served in the U.S. Army in Iraq. In 2006, Marksmeier survived an IED explosion. This caused him to lose his right leg and become an amputee.

“I’ve learned to go through the struggles,” Marksmeier said. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

Marksmeier is receiving an adaptable home that will have wheelchair access to all areas of his house.

Meredith Iler with the Helping a Hero nonprofit believes it will meet all of Markmeier’s needs.

“It’s going to have wider doors, roll-in shower, and a roll-under sink,” Iler said. “It’s going to enable him to go in and out of his home in his wheelchair.”

Iler and many other organizations are making this vision become a reality. It’s all a part of Iler’s ‘Donate 100 Homes Challenge’. So far, they’ve donated 40.

“These men and women are out there and they need help, and (if) we don’t know about them, we can’t help them,” Iler said.

For Marksmeier and his family, it will be a place they can feel secure.

“For me to serve, it’s just the way I am,” Marksmeier said. “For me to get anything, I have to give.”

Marksmeier’s house is set for completion by the end of the year.

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