Bank America and Homes For Our Troops Team Up For Widows

Fort Campbell widows receive mortgage-free homes
Feb 15, 2013
Written by
Kristin M. Hall
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, TENN. — The widows of three Fort Campbell soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan received mortgage-free homes in Tennessee on Friday from Bank of America and Homes for Our Troops.

The wives of Army Spc. Charles “Scott” Jirtle, Army Spc. Blaine Redding and Army Spc. Anthony Vargas were presented with ceremonial keys to their homes in front of a crowd of supporters who had come to Nashville from the post on the Tennessee-Kentucky state line.

The donation of the homes was a reflection of the support from the military community around Fort Campbell for these families, who are referred to within the military as “Gold Star Families.”

All three soldiers were assigned to units in the 101st Airborne Division. Some of the division’s top leaders were in attendance, including the deputy commanding general for support, Brig. Gen. Ronald F Lewis.

Jirtle, 29, and Redding, 22, were killed after their vehicle was hit with an improvised explosive device on June 7, 2010, in Konar, Afghanistan. They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team.

Vargas, 27, died Nov. 8, 2010, in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, after insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team.
read more here