[ back ]
Grove City family to pay it forward
(by Kim Lunsford, Staff Writer - June 10, 2010)
 |
| Here, Robert Canine (white shirt) is surrounded by some of the men from his military unit, now home from Iraq and stationed at Fort Riley, Kan. Canine did not know they were coming to see the makings of his new home in Missouri. |
A quiet night of patrolling the northwest streets of Baghdad changed the lives of Army Staff Sgt. Robert Canine and his family forever.
"I went from being the protector and taking care of the household to not being able to take care of myself," Canine said.
Canine was injured May 17, 2009 when an Explosively Formed Projectile (EFP) blasted the front of his vehicle leaving him with injuries so severe that both of his legs required amputation below the knee.
"His body was broken, but his spirit was strong," Lt. Col. John Vermeesch of the 1st Battalion 18th Infantry Regiment said of the man he called a leader, warrior, fighter and survivor.
Staff Sgt. Canine was transported by Blackhawk helicopter to Balad, Iraq before arriving in Landstuhl, Germany where he fell unconscious. Five days later he awoke at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and began his road to recovery.
"I can't really imagine a much lower place in a person's life," said Canine's sister and Grove City resident Jennifer Roose. "He didn't let it keep him down."
After hearing about the wounded soldier, a family friend contacted the Canine family and recommended they submit an application through Homes for Our Troops (HFOT) to be selected to receive a handicap accessible home at no cost.
"It just feels like fate," Roose said.
HFOT is a national, non-profit organization which raises donations of money, building materials and professional labor and coordinates the process of building a home that provides maximum freedom of movement and the ability to live more independently for those soldiers who have returned home with serious disabilities and injuries since September 11.
Canine was honored with a home funded by the Missouri Credit Union which is slated to be completed in June with a key ceremony on June 26. The home is located in Columbia, Mo. close to family and friends.
"I couldn't believe there were people who are willing to even do something like that for me or other veterans." Canine said. "I think it's just amazing that people are willing to do that. It just blows me away. It will allow my wife to not have to take care of me. This house means everything."
Rather than focusing on himself, Canine has worked diligently throughout this year of recovery to raise $100,000 for HFOT in an effort to pay it forward for another veterans in need. He is very close to his goal.
"We are just so very proud of him," Roose said. "For something so tragic in his life he has turned it into something so great for someone else. Even when awful things happen even good things can come out of it with the right mindset and attitude."
"He represents all that is good about the soldiers that represent America's Army," Vermeesch said.
The Roose family of Grove City will be hosting the Homes for Our Troops' Annual Charity Golf Classic at the Pinnacle Golf Club in Grove City on June 22 starting at 11 a.m.
All of the money raised will provide handicap accessible homes for severely wounded United States soldiers. The event includes lunch, driving range access and concludes with a silent auction. Prizes will be given for longest drive, closest to the pin and longest putt. An award will also be granted for the winning team.
For additional information or to donate, contact Jennifer Roose by e-mail at foreourtroops@yahoo.com or by phone at (614) 277-0597.
[ back ]
