Homes For Our Troops builds home for injured Mass. veteran

Volunteers build home for injured Mass. veteran
By Bob Dunn
Daily Hampshire Gazette via The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday May 13, 2012

GRANBY, Mass. — When Marine Sgt. Joshua Bouchard enters his new home for the first time, messages of thanks, support and well-wishes will literally be embedded in the walls.

Bouchard, 29, originally from Amherst, lost a leg and severely injured his spine while serving a tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2009. He will receive a new, accessible home suited to his post-war condition through the efforts of volunteers, donations and Homes For Our Troops, an organization in Taunton that provides homes for injured and disabled veterans.

Bouchard is recuperating at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., from injuries he incurred when an improvised explosive device struck the Humvee he was traveling in. The blast killed two other Marines.

Bouchard said he will be at the hospital for the next two months.

A.J. Crane, co-owner of A. Crane Construction, which is donating its services, said that for $5 donations, people were invited to sign pieces of lumber that would become the frame of the 2,650-square-foot house.

“Thank you for your service,” reads one. “Wishing you many years of happiness,” reads another.
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