Homes for our Troops

The NJ Chapter of NADRA successfully completed the deck and ramp for Sgt. Minard and his family on November 17, 2009. Army SSG Michael Minard, 26 years old, was on his third tour in Iraq when tragedy struck. "1 October we were out on a recon just a couple clicks north of Sadr City in Baghdad and on the way we got hit by a [roadside bomb]," he said. "It tore through our Stryker and stripped my legs apart." Sgt. Minard lost both of his legs in the explosion.

While Homes for our Troops is building the house, NADRA worked on building the deck and ramp for Sgt. Minard. Several NADRA members and other builder volunteers and manufacturer's reps came together and built this deck and ramp in six days. "You would never know that the volunteers are competitors in the building industry, as everyone worked as a unified team all with the goal of giving back to someone who sacrificed so much for our country", states Jen Sheridan, secretary of the NJ Chapter of NADRA.

“There is no better way to give back to our soldiers; we completed the ramp last week. Again my level of gratitude is extremely high for the sacrifice of these men and women who risk their lives for the safety of our country. [It was] a great experience when Mike came to the site, it was so rewarding to meet him and yet heart wrenching as I chocked back the tears. The official ribbon cutting will be December 21st.” – Lainie Sleppin, Parksite Deck Specialist

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