Operation Homefront Donates Home To Wounded Marine
Operation Homefront and
Chase were excited to present a home to a wounded Marine and his family today in Orlando, as part of our Homes on the Homefront program. Domenic Delucia and his family have had their share of struggles with Domenic being injured in Iraq several years ago. Now they have a place to call home without the financial pressure that often comes with it.
Domenic was recently featured on a CNN interview with Tim McGraw to tell his story as part of
McGraw's initiative to join us in giving away homes.
The Delucia's story...Growing up in Michigan, Domenic always wanted to be a Marine. Enrolled in ROTC during high school, he was always working hard to reach his goals and fight for his country. Right after graduation, Domenic went straight to the Marine Corps recruitment center and enlisted.
Serving out a term of four years in his home state, this is also the time where he started his family. He and his wife, Christina, soon had two girls and a boy. The pressure was on Domenic to support everyone, but work was hard to come by after leaving the Marines in 2004. Trying every day to make ends meet was difficult, especially when his heart was in the Armed Forces. Domenic re-enlisted with the Marines in 2005, and was immediately deployed to Iraq, only five weeks after his youngest daughter was born.
Once in Iraq, Domenic was assigned to a Personal Security Detachment working out of a Humvee during Operation Steel Curtain. His convoy was vital in protecting high level officials while they were trying to reduce the flow of foreign troops crossing the border and joining the Iraqi insurgency. Roadside bomb explosions were common, and always in the back of Domenic’s mind as he was traversing the terrain. He had already been through a couple close calls, but nothing could compare to the third IED that they set off.
The Humvee was sent thirty feet into the air and came down right on top of his leg. With the front half of the vehicle missing, the scalding hot engine block was pinning Domenic underneath. Hot oil and sand had been blown up into his eyes, and shrapnel had destroyed the left side of his face. Then the vehicle caught fire.
The rest of the convoy was quick to put out the fire and scan the horizon for what they thought for sure was going to be an immediate attack. Luckily the helicopter was fast to the scene and was able to Medevac them out of there. While no one was fatally injured, the road to recovery ahead of Domenic was not going to be easy.
Domenic was promptly shipped out to Germany, and then to Bethesda, MD for medical treatment. He would spend the next two weeks undergoing several surgeries. After having a chunk of his leg removed, his eyes surgically cleaned out, and three titanium plates reconstructing the left side of his face, Domenic was slowly starting to see the light.
It’s a blessing that Domenic was able to survive and be there for his family. The lingering side effects are still there as he is trying to cope with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The last few years have not been easy, but with the help of his family, they are getting stronger one day at a time. Now in Florida, close to his wife’s large family, they can start to rebuild their life with all of the support they need in a new home truly fit for a family of their size and a hero of his stature.