Home for Our Troops - Roger Rua

Homes for Our Troops is a Massachusetts based charity that builds mortgage-free, specially adapted homes for severely injured veterans post 9/11. Most of these veterans have sustained injuries including multiple limb amputations, partial or full paralysis, and/or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The Soldiers Fund provided a grant directly toward the building of a home for Roger Rua.

On March 29, 2012, Marine Corporal Roger Rua was serving with the Security Platoon attached to the 9th Engineer Support Battalion when the vehicle he was riding in drove over a command detonated improvised explosive device (IED) in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Cpl Rua sustained fractures to his spine, femur and sternum, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a result of the explosion.

Initially paralyzed from the chest down, doctors were uncertain if Roger would walk again. But after four months of physical therapy at the VA in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, Roger was able to stand and eventually walk small distances with assistance. By the time he was discharged, Roger was managing to walk with only a cane.

Although there has been significant improvement in his health, Roger’s chronic lower back pain and injuries often affect his quality of life and mobility. The slightest of falls could have devastating consequences due to his past spinal injuries. An adapted home from Homes For Our Troops, free of hazards such as stairs and thresholds, will allow him to live independently and safely, while allowing him to rest his back.