NEW ORLEANS — “Everything is far beyond what I expected it to be. I am just so happy,” Retired Army SGT Ryan Major said.
On April 27th Ryan Major was handed the keys to his new home. A home that won’t cost Ryan a thing, thanks to A Soldier’s Journey Home. This house was built in 21 days by 80 volunteers from 15 different states and furnished by local businesses.
Everything in the home was donated, from the food in the pantry to the blankets on the bed.
“It’s just perfect for someone in my situation being a disabled person. This entire house is accessible, and this is the first time in, since my injury that I have had that,” Ryan Major said.
In his new home, Ryan can grab a cup from the cabinets without any help. He can get into his bed in a matter of seconds. Simple tasks we take for granted. For Ryan, there are no simple tasks. He sits in a wheelchair, missing both of his legs and parts of his hands. The result of one fateful morning while on a mission in Iraq.
“About two blocks from the objective, I stepped on an IED. And, um, I remember being hit and my body being lifted over a 6ft high residential wall,” Ryan said.
On November 10, 2006, Ryan was just 19 years old serving his country as a US Army Infantryman in Ramadi, Iraq. Ryan’s unit used a vehicle to smash through that wall before rushing him to Camp Ramadi. He awoke over a month later at Walter Reed Medical Center in Arlington Virginia two days after Christmas.
“I woke up and I didn’t have, I didn’t have my legs, um I lost several fingers on my hands. I uh was a mess. Not knowing what my steps were going to be. I was just lost,” Ryan said.
Ryan endured over 80 surgeries, serious infections, and months of intensive care. The forever home he thought he found within the military was now gone.
“That was probably the most difficult because I am set on one goal being a lifer in the military because I loved, I loved being in the military with my unit and then having that taken away from me,” Ryan said.
It was in Physical therapy at Walter Reed that Ryan would have his eyes opened to a new idea of what life could look like, even within the constraints of his wheelchair. He tried kayaking, scuba diving, skydiving, rock climbing, then came rugby.
“I felt at home being around other vets like me. With the same mindset and the same goals and just the comradery that I had been missing for all of those years,” Ryan said.
Ryan had found a new purpose for living. Still, there were obstacles, daily reminders of the day that changed his life forever.
“Every time I talk about it, it brings back, um, brings back memories of better times. Times when I had legs. And um it’s just hard to talk about sometimes,” Ryan said.
Ryan has come so far on the journey to reclaim his life.
Only to be stuck squeezing through the narrow hallway of a 600-square-foot apartment on the second floor.
For nearly 18 years Ryan has not lived in a single home that’s accommodated his injuries. He’s never been able to wheel right into his front door or fit into his shower, but with this home built by A Soldier's Journey Home -- this changes everything.
“To have a community that takes the time out of their schedule to help out another person, another veteran it just means so much to me that people care, and I love the community I love the team and this community is my new team,” Ryan said.
Waking up after his injury, Ryan says he was lost, now, you’ll find him at a new address, in a house made just for him, complete with Army green on the walls and built with love, making it more than just a house. Ryan is home.
“I am so happy right now. I can’t. I can’t even really describe my emotions right now because they are all over the place. I am happy I am sad I am grateful. I got my home!” Ryan said
A Soldier’s Journey Home started 18 years ago by supporting a variety of disaster relief construction projects and has now devoted nearly a decade to building mortgage-free homes specially adapted for veterans with disabilities. ASJH is a 100% volunteer-driven 501(c)(3) comprised primarily of current and retired firefighters and veterans.
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