Meet Three Military Heroes Being Saluted by William Ryan Homes this Memorial Day

Meet Army Staff Sgt. Joel Tavera 

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Joel Tavera sustained serious injuries in the Iraq War, undergoing 75 surgeries and four years of medical care.

His Tampa house was built from the ground up to accommodate Tavera’s disabilities. For example, a special soft water pool was installed to help with Tavera’s burns on his skin. The 3,200-square-foot, 4-bedroom home also has lots of open space designed to allow him plenty of access from a wheelchair.

However, the wheelchair accessibility is no longer needed, since Tavera is now walking all the time. “This home has given me the stability I needed to get through everything and move on,” Tavera said. “William Ryan Homes jumped in head-first to help me.” 

Meet Army Corp. Anthony Trzeciak

U.S. Army Corp. Anthony Trzeciak suffered injuries to his head and back when his vehicle struck a bomb in Afghanistan. Afterwards, he contracted a near-deadly infection that led to him becoming paralyzed from the waist down. He also suffers from the effects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

He lives in a William Ryan Homes community in Riverview, Florida in a four-bedroom, 2,600-square-foot home with amenities like a screened-in pool overlooking a lake. Special features for his needs include an entrance with no steps, lower countertops and pull-out cabinets throughout the house, and a handicap-accessible bathroom with a 5-foot radius that allows him to wheel around with ease.

Trzeciak’s home has changed his life. “I’m now more physically independent and mentally I’m in the best place I’ve ever been in my life,” he says. “Building Homes for Heroes really helped me. For many years i was struggling and because of Building Homes for Heroes, I no longer am.”

Meet Army Master Sgt. George Vera

U.S. Army Master Sgt. George Vera suffered a spinal cord injury that resulted in paralysis after he was shot when his base in Afghanistan came under attack. He also suffered a traumatic brain injury and significant damage to his internal organs. He is now confined to a wheelchair.

Vera’s house includes features like a completely customized kitchen and two large customized bathrooms. “But it doesn’t resemble a hospital,” he says. Vera has lived for more than a year in the home, located in Land O’ Lakes, Florida.

Building Homes for Heroes helped Vera with more than just a home. “From day one, the program has been there not only for myself, but also for my family,” he says. “They have given us a beautiful home and a caring extended family. I know if we ever need help, they’ll be the first ones to offer us assistance.”

Building Homes for Heroes and William Ryan Homes: A successful Partnership for Tampa Veterans

Together with Building Homes for Heroes, William Ryan Homes Tampa Division has built six homes gifted to severely injured veterans in Tampa. “We have a valuable, longstanding relationship with William Ryan Homes that has spanned nearly a decade,” said Andy Pujol, founder and CEO of Building Homes for Heroes. “We look forward to many more years of working together to provide homes that enable veterans with severe disabilities to lead independent and productive lives, as they so deserve.” 

To learn more about other veterans benefitting from Building Homes for Heroes, visit Meet Our Heroes