ACM, Tim McGraw and Dierks Bentley Party for Operation Homefront
It was a night of high notes for Army Sergeant Mathew Pickar and his wife where they were surprised with a mortgage-free home as part of our
Homes on the Homefront program. And none other than
Tim McGaw and
Dierks Bentley congratulated them on their new home and presented them with a check for $10,000 to get their home set up, as part of the
Academy of Country Music's (ACM) program Lifting Lives. The ACM hosted Party for a Cause Festival leading up to the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards show in Las Vegas, NV.
Learn more about Mathew Pickar:Mathew Pickar grew up in Hoquiam, Wash., with a long line of family members having served their country in the Navy. Mathew knew as a child that he wanted to follow in his family’s footsteps and join the military, but when his uncle joined the Army he learned more about the branch of the service and enlisted after high school graduation.
He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2004 and Iraq in 2006 in infantry, and as a sniper. He performed patrols as a daily operation during those deployments. While in Iraq, Mathew suffered injuries that would lead to his medical retirement in 2007.
Since getting out, Mathew has made great strides in his rehabilitation. He is currently in his final semester at University of Idaho, where he will be graduating with his bachelor’s degree in natural resource management. He and his wife Faith were notified in March of 2013 that they had been matched with a home in Pullman, Wash., not far from their current apartment in Moscow, Idaho. Mathew is hopeful of getting a job at one of the state parks in Washington.
“The new home gives us some certainty in an uncertain time,” said Mathew. “It is a tremendous feeling to know that we will have a safe place to live and take care of my family. We are so thankful for the opportunity to become homeowners.”
Mathew and Faith had originally planned to take their honeymoon in Las Vegas, but were unable to do so for various reasons. This will be their first trip to the city together.