Tim McGraw Gives Home to Wounded Warrior
Tim McGraw,
Chase and Operation Homefront were excited to present a home to a wounded warrior and his family at
McGraw's concert in Dallas this weekend, as part of our
Homes on the Homefront program. Army Sgt. Ralph Harroff and his family have lived at one of our
Operation Homefront Villages since last August to help them transition back to civilian life. Now they will have a home to call their own in the Dallas suburb of Royse City.
(Pictured left to right are: Janet Ware, Vice President of Military and Veterans Affairs at Chase, Tim McGraw, Army Sgt. Ralph Harroff, and Amy Palmer, Chief Operating Officer, Operation Homefront.)The Harroff's story...When Army Sgt. Ralph Harroff was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009, he was in charge of the safety and security of a brigade command sergeant major. It was a tough job with long hours. After 36 hours awake and on the job, Ralph lost his footing as he stepped off of a helicopter. As he reached out to catch himself, his gear crashed down upon him and tore the ligaments in his right wrist.
In that moment, his ability to perform the duties of a frontline soldier was gone. He was no longer able to carry or fire his weapon.
Upon evacuation, doctors also discovered Ralph was suffering from a hernia. In the operating room, doctors were forced to sever two nerves in his right hip, causing excruciating, long-term pain.
Afterwards, Ralph often found himself bedridden. The pain was severe and limited his mobility. Doctors have operated six times since his original procedure, but have not been able to relieve the pain.
With Ralph unable to complete simple, daily tasks, his pregnant wife, Lorie, took on additional duties. The stress of the added responsibilities of caring for Ralph and for their son, Kieran, began to strain the family. Operation Homefront gave the family a place to rest and find the additional help they need.
Since August of 2011, the family has lived in a rent-free apartment at the Operation Homefront Village in San Antonio while doctors at the San Antonio Military Medical center continued to repair the damage in his hips. Ralph has begun working towards his bachelor’s degree to prepare for a life outside of the military. This home will help ease their financial burden and give them a fresh start in a place to call home.