Staten Island, NY - May 25, 2020 - (The Ponder News) -- This Memorial Day, the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, named after a fallen 9/11 FDNY firefighter, announced it will be providing mortgage-free homes to three Gold Star families - the families of U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Matthew J. West, U.S. Army Specialist Christopher Michael Harris, and U.S. Army Staff Sergeant William S. Jackson II.
SSG West, 36, was killed in action in Afghanistan on August 30, 2010, when his vehicle was hit by an IED. He joined the Army in June of 2004, and was on his third deployment at the time of his death.
SSG West left behind his wife, Carolyn, and their three children, Tyler, Joseph, and Annaliese.
“Not only will the Gold Star Family Home Program allow me to give them [the children] a home, but it will also help me to secure their education and future with less stress, and allow us to continue to make more happy family memories,” said Carolyn West.
SPC Harris, 25, was killed in action in Afghanistan on August 2, 2017. He was just one month into his first deployment when a vehicle packed with explosives detonated near his convoy, taking his life.
SPC Harris left behind his pregnant wife, Britt, who was expecting their first child. She welcomed their daughter, Christian Michelle, in March 2018.
“She’s my whole world,” Britt said of Christian Michelle. “The Gold Star Family Home Program will allow me to set aside a proper savings account for my daughter.”
SSG Jackson, known to his friends and family as Jack, was killed on Veterans Day 2006 when an IED detonated near his vehicle in Ramadi, Iraq. The 29-year-old first served in the U.S. Marines for four years, from 1998-2002, before joining the Army.
SSG Jackson is survived by his wife, Katie, and their four children, Zachariah, Levi, Samuel, and Hannah. All four children were younger than six when their father was killed.
“Since Jack’s death, we have felt like we have been in survival mode in many ways. Receiving a home would take the edge off of the feeling of shouldering a heavy burden alone. It would bring such a sense of relief,” Katie said.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Gold Star Family Home Program honors the legacy of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country by providing the surviving spouses and young children with mortgage-free homes.
“SSG West, SPC Harris, and SSG Jackson put their lives on the line in service of our country, and tragically, they did not make it home to their families. This Memorial Day, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation wants the West, Harris, and Jackson families to know that their sacrifices are remembered. We hope the knowledge that they will never have to make another mortgage payment again will provide Carolyn, Britt, Katie, and their children with some peace of mind as they continue to grieve,” said Foundation Chairman and CEO Frank Siller.
You can help Tunnel to Towers provide mortgage-free homes to Gold Star families by donating $11 per month at tunnel2towers.org.
SSG West, 36, was killed in action in Afghanistan on August 30, 2010, when his vehicle was hit by an IED. He joined the Army in June of 2004, and was on his third deployment at the time of his death.
SSG West left behind his wife, Carolyn, and their three children, Tyler, Joseph, and Annaliese.
“Not only will the Gold Star Family Home Program allow me to give them [the children] a home, but it will also help me to secure their education and future with less stress, and allow us to continue to make more happy family memories,” said Carolyn West.
SPC Harris, 25, was killed in action in Afghanistan on August 2, 2017. He was just one month into his first deployment when a vehicle packed with explosives detonated near his convoy, taking his life.
SPC Harris left behind his pregnant wife, Britt, who was expecting their first child. She welcomed their daughter, Christian Michelle, in March 2018.
“She’s my whole world,” Britt said of Christian Michelle. “The Gold Star Family Home Program will allow me to set aside a proper savings account for my daughter.”
SSG Jackson, known to his friends and family as Jack, was killed on Veterans Day 2006 when an IED detonated near his vehicle in Ramadi, Iraq. The 29-year-old first served in the U.S. Marines for four years, from 1998-2002, before joining the Army.
SSG Jackson is survived by his wife, Katie, and their four children, Zachariah, Levi, Samuel, and Hannah. All four children were younger than six when their father was killed.
“Since Jack’s death, we have felt like we have been in survival mode in many ways. Receiving a home would take the edge off of the feeling of shouldering a heavy burden alone. It would bring such a sense of relief,” Katie said.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s Gold Star Family Home Program honors the legacy of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country by providing the surviving spouses and young children with mortgage-free homes.
“SSG West, SPC Harris, and SSG Jackson put their lives on the line in service of our country, and tragically, they did not make it home to their families. This Memorial Day, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation wants the West, Harris, and Jackson families to know that their sacrifices are remembered. We hope the knowledge that they will never have to make another mortgage payment again will provide Carolyn, Britt, Katie, and their children with some peace of mind as they continue to grieve,” said Foundation Chairman and CEO Frank Siller.
You can help Tunnel to Towers provide mortgage-free homes to Gold Star families by donating $11 per month at tunnel2towers.org.
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