June 3, 2015
WSB-TV – Atlanta
SMYRNA, Ga. — A metro Atlanta Army specialist is enjoying his first day in his new home, thanks to volunteers.
“This is awesome. We never expected anything like this. It’s amazing,” said Spc. Charles Fuller as he received the key to his brand new home.
Fuller said the house is a dream come true, not just for Fuller, but also for the couple who came up with the idea in memory of their daughter, Dana Walters.
Walters died in 1994 from cystic fibrosis.
“Today, standing in front of it, and knowing that my child would be looking down on it, and saying, ‘Yes, mama, that’s the right thing to do,’ I get goosebumps,” said Karen Walters, Dana’s mother.
Volunteers with “Operation Solider at Ease” did all the construction, and “Helping a Hero” chose Fuller as the lucky one to get the home.
Fuller was injured during an enemy attack. He uses a cane and, sometimes, a wheelchair.
Walters gave Channel 2’s Sophia Choi a tour of the house, pointing out the special features to fit the Army vet and his family’s needs, including visiting grandchildren.
The dedication was a big deal for the tight-knit community, with the Patriot Guard, Smyrna police and even Georgia’s First Lady Sandra Deal showing up.
But the biggest celebrity at the celebration was singer Lee Greenwood, who befriended Walters before her death.
“You know her life, there was the operations, and every year, there was something else,” said Greenwood. “This is like a celebration of her life.”
During the dedication ceremony, Greenwood sang his famous song, “God Bless the USA,” as the event came to a close.
Fuller then walked through the front door, where he says everyone will be blessed by an angel that was placed in the home’s foundation in honor of Dana.
Source: Injured Army specialist receives new home, Lee Greenwood performance