Jerral Hancock was serving as a specialist with the Army's 1st Cavalry Division when his tank outside Baghdad hit a roadside bomb. As the story in the LA Times says, "Shrapnel wedged into his spine, paralyzing him from the chest down. Flames 'cooked off' his left arm, the one with the Los Angeles Dodgers tattoo, and it would have to be amputated at the shoulder." After his return to the States, Hancock moved into a mobile home and tried to navigate his new life in a wheelchair. When some students at Lancaster High School heard about the paralyzed vet in their community, they crowdfunded over $350,000 in cash and built Hancock a new house, along with some help from the Gary Sinise Foundation.

Possible Preaching Angle:

What a great story of seeing a need and doing all you can fill that need.

Source:

Haily Branson-Potts, “Inspired by paralyzed Army vet, Lancaster students build him a new home,” The Los Angeles Times (7-11-15)