'Forever grateful': Wounded veteran who lost leg in combat gets free Orlando home

ORLANDO, Fla. - After months of work by professional builders and volunteers, former US Army Sgt. James Klingensmith officially got the keys to a free Orlando home Saturday morning, after some help from a nationwide charity group, Homes for Our Troops. 

"Forever grateful," Klingensmith said. "Not only do I have a home, it's a beautiful home."

Klingensmith was leading his troops in Afghanistan in 2009 when a rocket-propelled grenade exploded near his vehicle. He lost a leg in the blast. 

"Luckily, we were able to push through, it was a near-ambush," Klingensmith said. "We were able to push through the killzone Had a medevac helicopter pick me up within about 20 minutes of injury. Blackhawks swooped in and got me right out."

Homes for Our Troops builds and donates free homes to wounded warriors like Klingensmith. Gen. Tom Landwermeyer (Ret.), Homes for Our Troops CEO, said that the houses are customized for their special needs. 

"It really restores the freedom and independence back to James that he sacrificed for all of us," he said. 

Klingensmith’s new home features more than 40 special adaptations like wider doorways for wheelchair access, a roll-in shower, and kitchen amenities like pull-down shelving and lowered countertops. One of the home's special features is that there are no thresholds between the different rooms of the house, so someone in a wheelchair could go straight from the bedroom to the bathroom and into the shower without any trouble.

Back in November, more than 130 volunteers gathered there, to finish the landscaping on the house. Landwermeyer said it was the least we could do for our injured heroes. 

"So they all raised their right hand, volunteered to serve, and went downrange. In a blink of an eye, their lives and family's lives changed forever. It is the duty of the citizens of our country to take care of our veterans," he said. 

Homes for Our Troops currently has 77 other projects underway, nationwide. They've so far built 372 homes for wounded veterans. Any seriously wounded post-9/11 veterans are eligible for one of these homes.

"They're one of the good ones," said Klingensmith. "They've got nothing but the best for you in mind, for what they do."