Our Building For America's Bravest Program

"Let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan--"   -Abraham Lincoln

the mission

We're proud to help build Smart Homes for our nation's most severely wounded veterans.

​the program

All of our warriors encounter difficulties when they return to civilian life, but these heroes face unimaginable life changes. Help us honor their incredible service to our country with a new Smart Home, customized to ease the day-to-day challenges they now face. Features like retractable cooktops, cabinets and shelving, automated lighting, heating, air-conditioning and window treatments controlled by an iPad, as well as elevators, roll-in bathrooms, front-load washers and dryers, intercom systems and automated doors can help restore their independence in countless ways.

tour a completed smart home

By the end of 2013
we will have begun construction preparations, broken ground, or completed

meet our heroes

• 
  US Army SGT
  Brendan
  Marrocco
  HOME STATUS:
  completed
• 
  USMC Cpl.
  Todd
  Nicely
  HOME STATUS:
  Completed
• 
  USMC Sgt.
  John
  Peck
  HOME STATUS:
  Completed
• 
  USMC Cpl.
  Juan
  Dominguez
  HOME STATUS:
  Completed
• 
  USMC Cpl.
  Todd
  Love
  HOME STATUS:
  Final Design
• 
  US Army SGT
  Adam
  Keys
  HOME STATUS:
  Pre-planning
• 
  USMC Cpl.
  Tyler
  Huffman
  HOME STATUS:
  Completed
• 
  USMC Cpl.
  J.B.
  Kerns
  HOME STATUS:
  Final Design
• 
  US Army SPC
  Bryan
  Dilberian
  HOME STATUS:
  Pre-Planning
• 
  US Air Force TSgt.
  Joe
  Wilkinson
  HOME STATUS:
  Completed
• 
  US Army SPC
  Kyle
  Hockenberry
  HOME STATUS:
  Final Design
• 
  US Army SFC (R)
  Michael
  Schlitz
  HOME STATUS:
  Under Construction
• 
  USMC Sgt.
  Michael
  Nicholson
  HOME STATUS:
  In Design
• 
  US Army MSG
  John Masson
  HOME STATUS:
  TBA
• 
  USMC SSgt.
  Thomas McRae
  HOME STATUS:
  TBA
• 
  USMC Sgt.
  Ben
  Tomlinson
  HOME STATUS:
  TBA
• 
  USMC Cpl.
  Mark
  Litynski
  HOME STATUS:
  TBA
• 
  US Navy EOD2
  Taylor
  Morris
  HOME STATUS:
  TBA
• 
  US Army SSG
  Travis
  Mills
  HOME STATUS:
  TBA
• 
  US Army CPT
  Benjamin
  Harrow
  HOME STATUS:
  TBA
• 
  USMC Cpl.
  Doug
  Vitale
  HOME STATUS:
  TBA
• 
  USMC GySgt.
  Travis
  Green
  HOME STATUS:
  TBA
• 
  US Army SSG
  Matthew
  Lammers
  HOME STATUS:
  TBA
• 
  US Army SGT
  Rusty
  Dunagan
  HOME STATUS:
  Pre-Planning
• 
  USMC Cpl.
  Christian
  Brown
  HOME STATUS:
  TBA

a note from gary

I met Army Specialist Brendan Marrocco in April 2009 few weeks after he arrived at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He was the first wounded warrior to survive losing both arms and both legs in a bombing in Iraq and at the time I met him he was on heavy pain medication and very tired. I spoke to his mother Michelle for most of the visit and she was doing her best to stay strong for Brendan. In the car on my way back from the hospital I got on the phone and called my wounded warrior buddy Bryan Anderson, who had lost three limbs in a bombing, as I thought that Bryan could help this family. Bryan was doing well and I asked him if he would be able to visit Brendan at Walter Reed. He was in Pennsylvania and said he would head down right away. He spent two or three days with Brendan and I think it helped the whole family to see how well Bryan was doing.

The next time I saw Brendan he was doing much better and I was humbled by his spirit and strength of character. This young man had given so much. What could we do for him? Brendan grew up in Staten Island, NY and so when FDNY Commissioner Sal Cassano approached me about building him a custom Smart Home, I jumped at the chance. Sal introduced me to Frank Siller of The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, and Frank and I began planning a concert with my Lt. Dan Band to begin raising the money needed to get the home built. The concert date was set for August 21, 2010. When we were planning that concert we were made aware that a second warrior, Marine Cpl. Todd Nicely, had just arrived at Bethesda Naval Hospital with the same injuries and shortly after that a third quadruple amputee arrived, Marine Cpl. John Peck.

So Frank and I made a commitment to help build all three of these wounded warriors specially designed smart technology homes. The Lt. Dan Band and I performed three concerts to kick off three fundraising campaigns, thus laying the foundation for our partnership to build homes for our severely wounded veterans. I am happy to say that all three of these warriors are now living in their new homes and regarding Brendan, recently a team of surgeons at Johns Hopkins Hospital performed the hospital's first successful bilateral arm transplant, giving two new arms to Brendan. Only six other [U.S. double hand or arm transplant] patients have been successful and Brendan's was the most extensive and complicated. It's incredible to see this young man with two new arms.

In 2012 the Gary Sinise Foundation, in partnership with the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, officially announced the creation of Building for America's Bravest™, a program formed to address the housing needs of several triple and quadruple amputees along with several other severely wounded service members. Ten homes have been completed or are under construction and the Lt. Dan Band performed concerts in each community to rally support and raise funds. In 2013 we are planning 11 more concerts to support several new projects. We can never do enough for those who sacrifice so much in service of our country, but we can always try to do a little bit more. Please support this worthy program to give these great American heroes a specially-designed place to call home.

Thank you and God bless.

A special thank you to our official airline sponsor, American Airlines.