Army veteran gets new handicap-accessible home in Southampton

SOUTHAMPTON, Pa. (WTXF) - An Army Corporal and his wife can officially call a new space "home."

On Saturday morning, the national nonprofit, Homes For Our Troops, donated a home to Corporal Kevin McCloskey and his wife Bridget.

Back in June of 2008, Corporal McCloskey was driving in a convoy with the 506th Infantry Regiment (4th Brigade), 101st Airborne Division, in Logar Province, Afghanistan when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED).

According to Homes For Our Troops, he doesn't remember much of the incident, but has been told he saw a pressure board and swerved to avoid it, taking the majority of the blast to himself.

Corporal McCloskey lost both of his legs and vision in his right eye, received burns all over his body, and a traumatic brain injury.

He says years later when he tried to move into his first home with his wife, it was barely livable.

"Not one of the door frames were accessible for a chair so it was really impossible to get around, to cook, to go to the bathroom, to shower, everything took hours," he says.

With the help of Lansdale Catholic High School raising more than $20,000 and other community support, HFOT built a brand new home on Bristol Road. The McCloskey's will move in mortgage free.

His new home features more than 40 major special adaptations such as widened doorways for wheelchair access, a roll-in shower, and kitchen amenities that include pull-down shelving and lowered countertops

"Just be able to sit and relax and watch a movie and have dinner and not feel I have to do a whole bunch of other things to make that possible, it's just life changing," says Corporal McCloskey. "I just can't believe it's real."

For more information on HFOT and how to donate to other projects, visit their website.