**The Impact of Home modifications on Independence**

My experience with Home for Our Troops has been life-changing. One of the most significant ways they've impacted my independence is through home modifications. Before, I would often get stuck in hallways and doorways because they were too narrow to fit my wheelchair. This was extremely frustrating, especially when trying to navigate everyday tasks like using the bathroom or cooking meals. The current house I live in has wide enough hallways that five wheelchairs can easily pass through, providing me with the freedom to move around without restriction.

The adaptability of this house is a game-changer for my daily life. My parents' house, on the other hand, was not designed with accessibility in mind. The bathrooms were particularly challenging, as my wheelchair wouldn't fit through the doorway or in the shower area. As a result, I had to crawl through tight spaces or climb onto the counter to brush my teeth, which made everyday tasks feel like an obstacle course.

In contrast, my new home has been designed with accessibility and inclusivity in mind. The kitchen cabinets are cut out to accommodate my wheelchair, allowing me to easily move around and access the space without worrying about scraping against the walls or drawers. This level of freedom is incredibly empowering, enabling me to engage in activities that I previously couldn't enjoy.

**A New Perspective on Life**

Losing both legs in an IED blast during my third tour overseas was a life-altering experience. It forced me to re-evaluate my priorities and adapt to a new reality. Initially, it was scary to think about leaving the military behind, knowing that I would never be able to walk or engage in many of the activities that were once integral to my identity.

However, as I began to navigate this new world without legs, I discovered that there are still countless ways to experience life and pursue passions. I've taken up adaptive sports like skydiving, scuba diving, and snowboarding, which have become an essential part of my daily routine. The thrill and challenge of these activities have allowed me to push beyond what was previously thought possible.

In addition to physical pursuits, I've also found success in my career as a computer forensic analyst with Homeland Security investigations. This work requires a high level of focus, attention to detail, and analytical thinking – all skills that were honed during my time in the military.

**A Call to Action**

As someone who has experienced the challenges of living without legs, I can attest to the importance of support systems like Home for Our Troops. Their dedication to providing housing modifications and adapting homes to accommodate individuals with disabilities is truly remarkable. By giving veterans like me a safe and accessible place to live, they're enabling us to rebuild our lives and pursue our passions.

For many of us who have served in the military, the transition back into civilian life can be daunting. We face new challenges and obstacles that we never anticipated, from adjusting to prosthetics to navigating everyday tasks without legs. However, with support like Home for Our Troops, we can begin to rebuild and rediscover our sense of purpose.

**The Drive to Succeed**

One of the most surprising aspects of my recovery has been the drive to succeed that I've discovered within myself. As a member of the US military, I was trained to overcome obstacles and push beyond what seemed impossible. Losing both legs only reinforced this mindset, as I learned to adapt and find new ways to engage with the world.

I believe that this drive is rooted in the experiences we have during our time in the military – where we're forced to confront our limitations and develop creative solutions to challenges that seem insurmountable. For me, this has meant discovering a newfound appreciation for life's simple pleasures and finding new ways to enjoy activities that I once took for granted.

In short, losing my legs has made me more proud to be an American and more determined to make the most of every opportunity. It's taught me to see life for what it truly is – a series of challenges to overcome, but also a chance to grow, adapt, and thrive in ways I never thought possible.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enI'm Kevin OK Conor for This Old House for the past several months we have been working with homes for our troops an organization dedicated to providing specially adapted homes to severely injured American veterans over the course of our production we met many servicemen and women across the country and we were Amazed by their strength their humility and their dedication to our country and so to honor the service of those Brave veterans and of all veterans we wanted to share their stories with you hey Justin Hey Kevin how's it going all right nice to meet you nice to meet you this is the home of Justin Gartner a retired Corporal in the United States Marine Corps he served three tours of Duty I joined the Marine Corps back in 2007 I was 17 when I originally signed up and my whole reasoning behind you know joining the Marine Corp is because I one another man protecting my family's freedom and I chose to be with throughout clearance which was to find um IDs pretty much to clear the road for Coalition forces to come by and you know bring supplies and clear the road for you know the Infantry men and everything my job was pretty much um hold out of a Min detector and just sweep it across the ground and you're looking you know that the metal detector only goes three to four feet in front of you and you're just looking for any anomalies in the ground so it's it's a really hard job so let's talk about the day you were injured on a third deployment what happened that day we were going down a a route um that i' had been we had been down plenty of times and the second vehicle in our Convoy one of those on man Vehicles the Husky had gotten blown up so I went back across the road again and start sweeping for a helicopter landing Zone and as I was going towards the field I just stepped off the road and stepped on a 90 and got blown up and what were you aware of when that explosion happened right underneath you I was worried about everybody else tried find my metal detector I was like oh my gosh we got hit and I didn't really realize it until you know I look around and everybody's everybody's still like slowly getting up it all happened so slow and uh right right when I went to go lean up I I thought my legs were like kind of under the sand I didn't realize I got hit until I saw my stomach and you know there was glass protruding on of my stomach and my my arm was pretty much blown off I didn't even I couldn't even see my arm you know within 30 minutes three IEDs went off and within 2 minutes my best friend and I had just kind of blown up and you were evacuated eventually you know they brought us back to the United States um Bethesda Maryland is where all the Marines go and I got thrown right into the ICU what did your life look like to you when you were lying in that bed at Walter Reed I I I I never knew knew I was going to be able to walk again I didn't know anything about Prosthetics or nothing I thought you know I'm stuck in this wheelchair forever and it wasn't until um a triple MPT actually came to visit me in the hospital and I had no idea he was going through physical therapy at the same time Marine when he walked out I was like oh that was really cool it was nice seeing that guy and I and next thing you know they're like he was missing his legs I was like no freaking way there's no way he was walking perfectly fine above the nut just like me and so to see that just kind of set the mood like I'm going to do this I'm going to get through this as fast as I can cuz I want to get back overseas so you're lying in a hospital bed with no legs and your thought is that you want to go back to Afghanistan and continue searching for IEDs to continue to serve I mean my job was the the thing I knew the best in in my life was to find IDs that's what I was good at I mean obviously one found me but you know that's that was my job that's what I knew that's all I knew I could do what it feel like the first time that you stood up I felt like the most powerful guy in the world I felt like I was the the big guy because here I am you know losing my legs overseas and now I'm standing again like I just felt like just so proud and and humble to like get up on on these legs how's it feel today to walk around at 61 seemingly perfectly mobile it feels awesome now I mean I have you know an amazing home that hes troops gave us and it just it just feels great you know being able to to walk again and do all the the things I've done with because of prosthetics Corporal Justin gner was a mind sweeper in the Marine Corps when on his third deployment he stepped on an IED the blast amputated his legs and severely injured his arm and stomach after extensive Rehabilitation at Walter Reed he was fit with prosthetics and released from the hospital when I got to the Marine Corps I um was with my parents for a couple months uh the house just wasn't really adaptive and carpets a lot of big steps and thresholds and I could I get stuck in hallways I couldn't maneuver I'd have to get out my wheelchair and move stuff I would get my hand stuck in the door all the time and doors always slamming on my fingers trying to hold it open for my wheelchair to get through and it was really hard to walk through roll through I mean extremely frustrated so how does that compare to where you're living right now in this house there's a huge difference between my parents house and this house because here I don't get stuck in the hallways because they're wide enough to fit I don't know five wheelchairs through I mean I mean my bathroom instead of getting out of my wheelchair and having to crawl through the bathroom to get to the toilet or climb on top of the bathroom counter to brush my teeth because my wheelchair doesn't fit through now I I can you know pretty much have a party in my bathroom because I mean it's huge and the shower is huge you could probably fit five electrical wheelchairs in there and spin them all in circles and no one would touch each other how important is that level of freedom to you this house has given me the opportunity to carry on my mission in life as far as being independent again cuz when I come home I take off my Prosthetics most of the time and I like to hop in my wheelchair and just relax I can go into my kitchen and not have to worry about scraping up against all my drawers and all the cabinets are cut out and everything so I can just wheel right under when I'm doing my meal prep or something or if I'm cooking I don't have to worry about you know hitting the cabinets and so when there's not like a roll under place you know they have these cabinets designed to where they come out right to you now look at that so everything's nice and low you can get to it from the chair no problem yeah exactly and then everything with you know that's up high no I don't have to worry about climbing up on the counter or you know stand up in my wheelchair I can just bring it right down to my level there's no way I I could carry on my mission with my job and trying to have a family if it wasn't for homes for our troops they've given me my life is how I see it Corporal Justin Gartner was on his third tour overseas when an IED blast cost him both his legs after leaving the hospital he received a home from homes for our troops and was medically discharged from the marines coming out into this civilian life it's very scary cuz not only are you coming out of the military I'm coming out of the military with no legs and that's a very scary thought and so what are you doing now for work I work with Homeland Security investigations as a computer friends ex analyst tracking down pedophiles I I typically have like the 95 job unless I'm doing a search warrant or a knock and talk you know kicking down someone's door or something like that or doing like an uncover operation or some type of sting like that in some respects are you doing a similar job that you were doing in a different uniform most definitely the way I see is like a pedophile or a CH pornographer someone harming kids is a terrorist in this country so you feel like you're still chasing the terrorists yeah you are still chasing the terrorists yeah so you got a stressful job obviously you got a managed that how are you doing that and what are you doing the way that I get through my stress is you know the the Adaptive Sports the marathons the skydiving the scuba diving the snowboarding and on top of that now I'm fighting to be on the the paralympic volleyball team and go to the Olympics in 2016 to Rio it's a long list of things you're doing it's a really long list I mean you know the way I see is since I've I've lost my legs I've done more without them than I ever did with them come on go go up yeah I was in the Marine Corp sweeping for IDs but that's when I had legs job I don't have legs now and I'm you know done 10 marathons I cycled across the United States and skydiving come on come on scuba diving snowboarding these are all things I never did when I had legs come on push push push don't put those down three two one time nice how do you explain that I think it's it's the will and drive of someone in the US military like when there's nothing you can do to hold us or stop us from accomplishing what we want in life I think losing my legs has only made me more proud to be you know an American be proud to be you know part of the Marine Corps it's only made me a better person you know to see life for what it really is you know because when it so much has been taken away from you you just want to make the best of it and you know accomplish as much as you can before you know it gets taken away againI'm Kevin OK Conor for This Old House for the past several months we have been working with homes for our troops an organization dedicated to providing specially adapted homes to severely injured American veterans over the course of our production we met many servicemen and women across the country and we were Amazed by their strength their humility and their dedication to our country and so to honor the service of those Brave veterans and of all veterans we wanted to share their stories with you hey Justin Hey Kevin how's it going all right nice to meet you nice to meet you this is the home of Justin Gartner a retired Corporal in the United States Marine Corps he served three tours of Duty I joined the Marine Corps back in 2007 I was 17 when I originally signed up and my whole reasoning behind you know joining the Marine Corp is because I one another man protecting my family's freedom and I chose to be with throughout clearance which was to find um IDs pretty much to clear the road for Coalition forces to come by and you know bring supplies and clear the road for you know the Infantry men and everything my job was pretty much um hold out of a Min detector and just sweep it across the ground and you're looking you know that the metal detector only goes three to four feet in front of you and you're just looking for any anomalies in the ground so it's it's a really hard job so let's talk about the day you were injured on a third deployment what happened that day we were going down a a route um that i' had been we had been down plenty of times and the second vehicle in our Convoy one of those on man Vehicles the Husky had gotten blown up so I went back across the road again and start sweeping for a helicopter landing Zone and as I was going towards the field I just stepped off the road and stepped on a 90 and got blown up and what were you aware of when that explosion happened right underneath you I was worried about everybody else tried find my metal detector I was like oh my gosh we got hit and I didn't really realize it until you know I look around and everybody's everybody's still like slowly getting up it all happened so slow and uh right right when I went to go lean up I I thought my legs were like kind of under the sand I didn't realize I got hit until I saw my stomach and you know there was glass protruding on of my stomach and my my arm was pretty much blown off I didn't even I couldn't even see my arm you know within 30 minutes three IEDs went off and within 2 minutes my best friend and I had just kind of blown up and you were evacuated eventually you know they brought us back to the United States um Bethesda Maryland is where all the Marines go and I got thrown right into the ICU what did your life look like to you when you were lying in that bed at Walter Reed I I I I never knew knew I was going to be able to walk again I didn't know anything about Prosthetics or nothing I thought you know I'm stuck in this wheelchair forever and it wasn't until um a triple MPT actually came to visit me in the hospital and I had no idea he was going through physical therapy at the same time Marine when he walked out I was like oh that was really cool it was nice seeing that guy and I and next thing you know they're like he was missing his legs I was like no freaking way there's no way he was walking perfectly fine above the nut just like me and so to see that just kind of set the mood like I'm going to do this I'm going to get through this as fast as I can cuz I want to get back overseas so you're lying in a hospital bed with no legs and your thought is that you want to go back to Afghanistan and continue searching for IEDs to continue to serve I mean my job was the the thing I knew the best in in my life was to find IDs that's what I was good at I mean obviously one found me but you know that's that was my job that's what I knew that's all I knew I could do what it feel like the first time that you stood up I felt like the most powerful guy in the world I felt like I was the the big guy because here I am you know losing my legs overseas and now I'm standing again like I just felt like just so proud and and humble to like get up on on these legs how's it feel today to walk around at 61 seemingly perfectly mobile it feels awesome now I mean I have you know an amazing home that hes troops gave us and it just it just feels great you know being able to to walk again and do all the the things I've done with because of prosthetics Corporal Justin gner was a mind sweeper in the Marine Corps when on his third deployment he stepped on an IED the blast amputated his legs and severely injured his arm and stomach after extensive Rehabilitation at Walter Reed he was fit with prosthetics and released from the hospital when I got to the Marine Corps I um was with my parents for a couple months uh the house just wasn't really adaptive and carpets a lot of big steps and thresholds and I could I get stuck in hallways I couldn't maneuver I'd have to get out my wheelchair and move stuff I would get my hand stuck in the door all the time and doors always slamming on my fingers trying to hold it open for my wheelchair to get through and it was really hard to walk through roll through I mean extremely frustrated so how does that compare to where you're living right now in this house there's a huge difference between my parents house and this house because here I don't get stuck in the hallways because they're wide enough to fit I don't know five wheelchairs through I mean I mean my bathroom instead of getting out of my wheelchair and having to crawl through the bathroom to get to the toilet or climb on top of the bathroom counter to brush my teeth because my wheelchair doesn't fit through now I I can you know pretty much have a party in my bathroom because I mean it's huge and the shower is huge you could probably fit five electrical wheelchairs in there and spin them all in circles and no one would touch each other how important is that level of freedom to you this house has given me the opportunity to carry on my mission in life as far as being independent again cuz when I come home I take off my Prosthetics most of the time and I like to hop in my wheelchair and just relax I can go into my kitchen and not have to worry about scraping up against all my drawers and all the cabinets are cut out and everything so I can just wheel right under when I'm doing my meal prep or something or if I'm cooking I don't have to worry about you know hitting the cabinets and so when there's not like a roll under place you know they have these cabinets designed to where they come out right to you now look at that so everything's nice and low you can get to it from the chair no problem yeah exactly and then everything with you know that's up high no I don't have to worry about climbing up on the counter or you know stand up in my wheelchair I can just bring it right down to my level there's no way I I could carry on my mission with my job and trying to have a family if it wasn't for homes for our troops they've given me my life is how I see it Corporal Justin Gartner was on his third tour overseas when an IED blast cost him both his legs after leaving the hospital he received a home from homes for our troops and was medically discharged from the marines coming out into this civilian life it's very scary cuz not only are you coming out of the military I'm coming out of the military with no legs and that's a very scary thought and so what are you doing now for work I work with Homeland Security investigations as a computer friends ex analyst tracking down pedophiles I I typically have like the 95 job unless I'm doing a search warrant or a knock and talk you know kicking down someone's door or something like that or doing like an uncover operation or some type of sting like that in some respects are you doing a similar job that you were doing in a different uniform most definitely the way I see is like a pedophile or a CH pornographer someone harming kids is a terrorist in this country so you feel like you're still chasing the terrorists yeah you are still chasing the terrorists yeah so you got a stressful job obviously you got a managed that how are you doing that and what are you doing the way that I get through my stress is you know the the Adaptive Sports the marathons the skydiving the scuba diving the snowboarding and on top of that now I'm fighting to be on the the paralympic volleyball team and go to the Olympics in 2016 to Rio it's a long list of things you're doing it's a really long list I mean you know the way I see is since I've I've lost my legs I've done more without them than I ever did with them come on go go up yeah I was in the Marine Corp sweeping for IDs but that's when I had legs job I don't have legs now and I'm you know done 10 marathons I cycled across the United States and skydiving come on come on scuba diving snowboarding these are all things I never did when I had legs come on push push push don't put those down three two one time nice how do you explain that I think it's it's the will and drive of someone in the US military like when there's nothing you can do to hold us or stop us from accomplishing what we want in life I think losing my legs has only made me more proud to be you know an American be proud to be you know part of the Marine Corps it's only made me a better person you know to see life for what it really is you know because when it so much has been taken away from you you just want to make the best of it and you know accomplish as much as you can before you know it gets taken away again\n"