"Welcome Home"

The article “Welcome Home” is the touching story of a man name Matt Keli and his wife Tracy. After graduating high school in Toledo, Ohio, Matt decided to enroll in the United States Army. Before he left he married his wife Tracy and had a wonderful honeymoon. After being deployed to Kosovo and Korea he then served in Iraq. While stationed in Iraq the unthinkable happened. While Matt was hanging camouflage netting on the roof of an abandoned house, he was shot down by an enemy gunman from a nearby roof top. A long road was ahead for Matt.

At eight in the morning, Tracy picks up the phone to hear a voice say, “He’s been shot in the shoulder.” Strangely she was not surprised because she had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach the day before. Tracy and her mother then board a plane and fly to the east, thinking that the injury isn’t that bad. When arriving at the Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Matt was in the ICU, fully sedated and breathing with a ventilator. The doctor tells them that the bullet went straight though his shoulder and penetrated in spinal cord leaving him parlayed from the neck down. When Matt finally comes to his senses after being sedated, he was delirious and terrified. Once his head is clear he realizes what was happening and asks many questions. After six weeks Matt regains some limited movement in his left arm but not enough to leave the medical center. He then is transferred to a Trauma Center in Tampa, Florida and stays for six weeks. Finally he is transferred to a rehabilitation center and is off the ventilator and learning how to handle his “normal” lifestyle.

After entering back into the real world, reality sets in for the Keli family. They need to find a place to live that will be accessible for Matt. They search tons of places and nothing can accommodate him. One day, Debbie Quackenbush, founder of American Military family, drops off a gift of one thousand dollars to the Keli family. The corporation is a nonprofit aids company to Colorado soldiers and their families. Thirty three thousand U.S. soldiers have been injured in the Iraq war and about three thousand need permanent care systems. It can cost thousands of dollars to renovate a home or apartment to fit the needs of an injured veteran. Homes For Our Troops was the first organization to construct homes for disabled veterans. The organization relies mostly on donations and free labor by various companies. The company has the Keli family in mind and told them the surprise at an AMI dinner. The couple is shocked that they were getting a new home. After the home is constructed and they move in they have to learn all the new technology that is put in their house. The house is now accessible with elevator, accessible doorways, and electrical system. Matt now is more independent and doesn’t need as much help from his wife. Matt says, “This is the house we’re going to grow old in. This is where we are going to raise our family.” Matt and Tracy plan on trying vitro fertilization or adopting a child with disabilities.

The Keli family has a really touching story. I am very surprised that that there aren’t as many organizations for disabled veterans. I would like to see people giving back to others who fought for their freedom. A question to ask is what funds the disabled veterans get when they come back to the states. I loved the article and thought it was inspirational to people who knew nothing about U.S. veterans. This article was inspirational and can touch the heart of many lives.