January 9, 2026 • 9 mins
(Ret.) Brigadier Gen. Tom Landwermeyer & Veteran Army Sergeant First Class Aaron Cornelius say Homes For Our Troops is set to build a new adapted home for a local severely injured veteran.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Back now here on the Ryan Gorman Show. It two
very special guests this morning. We're joined by Homes for
Our Troops president and CEO, retired Brigadier General Tom Landermeyer
and veteran Army Sergeant First Class Aaron Cornelius. You can
learn more about Homes for Our Troops and support their
work at HFOTUSA dot org. Homes for Our Troops just
(00:24):
completed and donated their four hundred and twenty eighth home.
They've built forty six homes across the state. In general.
You're doing a community kickoff rally tomorrow near Brandon. First
of all, tell us about the work your organization does,
and then tomorrow's event.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Sure be glad to you, Ryan, Thanks for having us
on here. It really helps us a lot with awareness.
So we're at a national charity. We're located in Taunton, Massachusetts,
been around since two thousand and four, in our twenty
second year now. Our mission is to build especially adapted
custom homes across the country and then we donate them
to the most severely injured post on leaving veterans to
enable them to rebuild their lives. You mentioned Since our inception,
(01:01):
we've built four hundred and twenty at homes. That's across
forty six states. We've got another sixty four projects underway,
one hundred in the application process, and still another eighteen
hundred these severely injured veterans that need our homes. What
we've got coming up this weekend is a community to
kick off about the time we pour the slab for
the home. We do this and it's to introduce the
veteran to the community and the community to the veteran,
(01:23):
because one of the unique things about us is our
veterans choose.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Where they want to live.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
We go out find land, they approve the land, we
buy it, and then we hire a customer home builder
an area and build them a home from the ground up.
So this stick off tomorrow Saturday morning. It starts promptly
at ten am and it's at the Newsom High School
in Lithia starting at ten am, and we will welcome
our veteran. Good patriotic escort with the Patriot Guard, writers,
(01:50):
local law enforcement, Fire Department, bring the veteran in. We'll
have a few remarks, a couple of elective officials, some
other folks. I'll say a few things in our veterans
to say a few things and then we'll have lunch.
A great time for the community to come out and
show their support for one of our severely injured veterans
that lay down the line force.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
And you can also show your support and learn more
about this fantastic organization at h FOTUSA dot org. And
General Lanermeyer tell us about the impact these homes have
had on veterans who have received them. I'm sure this
is just a life changing event.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
It absolutely is life changing. The challenges these guys and
gals have when they come back is a regular house,
be it a two story with stairs and narrow doorways, hallways, carpet,
those kinds of things. All those things are the enemies
wheelchairs and guys in prosthetics, blind veterans, which are veteran
(02:51):
that we're celebrating tomorrow, Aaron is And it all results
revolves around safety and accessibility. The homes just aren't safe.
A lot of them are very very dangerous in areas,
especially in the bathroom where they can slip and fallm
We've had veterans reinjure themselves, We've had spouses caregivers injure
(03:12):
themselves and they can't get to everywhere in the home,
they don't have full access, so they tend to wall
themselves off to a certain part of the home that
they can actually access and move around in. They may
or may not be able to use a wheelchair if
they're using one, and so they really feel like they're
not a contributing member of their family. They're not a
full dad or husband, spouse. They're not engaged in the
(03:34):
community because normal day to day things.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Take up so much time for them to do.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
After moving into one of our homes though that have
more than forty special adaptations designed to restore that freeman
independence that they sacrifice for us, a couple things won
the employment rate of our veterans more than doubles after
moving in the employment rate of spouses caregivers more than triples. Wow,
these veterans are really big into paying it forward local community.
(04:01):
Before moving in, our veterans only about twenty one percent
of them have the time to get out and volunteer
in those local communities where they're now living. After moving in,
that goes up to eighty two percent. So tremendous life
changing impact of these homes.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Can you give us an example of something you know,
really cool? That you've put into one of these homes
to help a veteran with their specific accommodation that they needed.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Sure, they all have wider doorways, they all have the
wide hallways. They can access anywhere in the home. If
they're in a wheelchair, they can do a three sixty
anywhere inside the home. They've got to roll in shower
a lot of these guys, and guys will tell you
that the last they don't even remember the last time
they were able to shower by themselves. As your listeners
(04:44):
could imagine, if you go into your own shower right now,
is there a lip on it?
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Yeah? Walk in?
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Well, you guys have problems. Is there a pub that
you got to stand in to take a shower? And
that challenges that This one they can just roll right in.
For our blind veterans, we do a lot of voice
acting controls on different appliances and things like that lights
fans so that they don't have to find switches. They
can just talk to their home and haven't turned on.
(05:10):
We'll also put in for Aaron a lot of tear
rail guiding all around the home.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
And the walls.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
That makes it easier for him to move around the home.
And know where he's at. So we work really hard
with general adaptations in this four bed, river, two bath,
twenty eight hundred square foot home. But we also get
with each of these veterans and see which things we
might have to make just tweaks to really make it
a personalized special home for them.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
That's incredible.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
We're joined by Homes for our Troops President and CEO,
retired Brigadier General Tom Landramyer and veteran Army Sargeant first
Class Aaron Cornelius. Can learn more about all the work
this organization does and support their work at HFOTUSA dot org.
Sergeant Carnelius, thank you so much for taking a few
minutes to come on with us as well. Tell us
(05:58):
about your backstory and then what it means for you
to be able to receive this home from Homes for
our Troops.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Thanks for having me, Well it just shortened sweet really.
You know, I had children early and I wanted to
do something to help them, so I decided to join
the military. Eighteen years I was able to serve on
my third tour in Iraq.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
I was an opportunity sergeant.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
I enjoyed a ID that was buried underneath me, which
rendered me blind immediately and part of my left part
of my skull was blown off.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Traumatic brain injury. But they got on. You know, I'm
still here, I'm still functioning.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
I'm still pushing forward if I come home to try
to recover. And my wife had some complications since she
passed away when I got home, so it was a
few blows left and right and whatnot. I was guided
towards the homes for our troops and said, hey, you
know you need this, man need this to help yourself,
(07:01):
to help because everybody knows I try to help all
the time, other veterans, anybody who needs help.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
That's just who I am.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
But I found that with this home, learning about it
and stuff. I mean, it's it's gonna be a hard transition,
you know, because I'm moving from my own little safe
zone even though it's safe in a sense but not
and learning about this home to start over being trying
to be independent, that all the different things for safety,
(07:30):
you know, safety features on the stove that it won't
turn on unless I put a pot on there to
try to cook. You know, I just think this is
going to be huge for me to continue to my
independence and so I can worry that's about that, because
that's taken care of, and I can move forward and
(07:52):
do more of what I want to do, you know,
and get out and be a part of the community
and be a part of life and not thinking I'm
not capable anymore.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
And the fact that this home is going to be
built right here in Florida near your family, that must
be fantastic as well.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
Homes for our troops.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
President and CEO, retired Brigadier General Tom land Vermyer and
Veteran Army Sergeant first Class Aaron Cornelius with us. You
can learn more about the work this great organization does
and support that work at HFOTUSA dot org and of
course that community kickoff rally. Information on that is on
the website as well. General land Vermyer Sergeant Cornelius want
(08:35):
to thank you for your service to this country. Sergeant Cornelius,
we're so glad that you're receiving this home, and General
land Vermier, we really appreciate the work your organization is
doing for our veterans.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Well, thank you, thanks for.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Having us, and hope everybody listening can come out tomorrow
to a I'm over lose some high school and participate.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
We'd love to see him.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Absolutely, it's going to be a great event.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Thanks again.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Go Ryan Gorman Show Live to nine every weekday morning
on news radio WFLA.
Back now here on the Ryan Gorman Show. It two
very special guests this morning. We're joined by Homes for
Our Troops president and CEO, retired Brigadier General Tom Landermeyer
and veteran Army Sergeant First Class Aaron Cornelius. You can
learn more about Homes for Our Troops and support their
work at HFOTUSA dot org. Homes for Our Troops just
(00:24):
completed and donated their four hundred and twenty eighth home.
They've built forty six homes across the state. In general.
You're doing a community kickoff rally tomorrow near Brandon. First
of all, tell us about the work your organization does,
and then tomorrow's event.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Sure be glad to you, Ryan, Thanks for having us
on here. It really helps us a lot with awareness.
So we're at a national charity. We're located in Taunton, Massachusetts,
been around since two thousand and four, in our twenty
second year now. Our mission is to build especially adapted
custom homes across the country and then we donate them
to the most severely injured post on leaving veterans to
enable them to rebuild their lives. You mentioned Since our inception,
(01:01):
we've built four hundred and twenty at homes. That's across
forty six states. We've got another sixty four projects underway,
one hundred in the application process, and still another eighteen
hundred these severely injured veterans that need our homes. What
we've got coming up this weekend is a community to
kick off about the time we pour the slab for
the home. We do this and it's to introduce the
veteran to the community and the community to the veteran,
(01:23):
because one of the unique things about us is our
veterans choose.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Where they want to live.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
We go out find land, they approve the land, we
buy it, and then we hire a customer home builder
an area and build them a home from the ground up.
So this stick off tomorrow Saturday morning. It starts promptly
at ten am and it's at the Newsom High School
in Lithia starting at ten am, and we will welcome
our veteran. Good patriotic escort with the Patriot Guard, writers,
(01:50):
local law enforcement, Fire Department, bring the veteran in. We'll
have a few remarks, a couple of elective officials, some
other folks. I'll say a few things in our veterans
to say a few things and then we'll have lunch.
A great time for the community to come out and
show their support for one of our severely injured veterans
that lay down the line force.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
And you can also show your support and learn more
about this fantastic organization at h FOTUSA dot org. And
General Lanermeyer tell us about the impact these homes have
had on veterans who have received them. I'm sure this
is just a life changing event.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
It absolutely is life changing. The challenges these guys and
gals have when they come back is a regular house,
be it a two story with stairs and narrow doorways, hallways, carpet,
those kinds of things. All those things are the enemies
wheelchairs and guys in prosthetics, blind veterans, which are veteran
(02:51):
that we're celebrating tomorrow, Aaron is And it all results
revolves around safety and accessibility. The homes just aren't safe.
A lot of them are very very dangerous in areas,
especially in the bathroom where they can slip and fallm
We've had veterans reinjure themselves, We've had spouses caregivers injure
(03:12):
themselves and they can't get to everywhere in the home,
they don't have full access, so they tend to wall
themselves off to a certain part of the home that
they can actually access and move around in. They may
or may not be able to use a wheelchair if
they're using one, and so they really feel like they're
not a contributing member of their family. They're not a
full dad or husband, spouse. They're not engaged in the
(03:34):
community because normal day to day things.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Take up so much time for them to do.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
After moving into one of our homes though that have
more than forty special adaptations designed to restore that freeman
independence that they sacrifice for us, a couple things won
the employment rate of our veterans more than doubles after
moving in the employment rate of spouses caregivers more than triples. Wow,
these veterans are really big into paying it forward local community.
(04:01):
Before moving in, our veterans only about twenty one percent
of them have the time to get out and volunteer
in those local communities where they're now living. After moving in,
that goes up to eighty two percent. So tremendous life
changing impact of these homes.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Can you give us an example of something you know,
really cool? That you've put into one of these homes
to help a veteran with their specific accommodation that they needed.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Sure, they all have wider doorways, they all have the
wide hallways. They can access anywhere in the home. If
they're in a wheelchair, they can do a three sixty
anywhere inside the home. They've got to roll in shower
a lot of these guys, and guys will tell you
that the last they don't even remember the last time
they were able to shower by themselves. As your listeners
(04:44):
could imagine, if you go into your own shower right now,
is there a lip on it?
Speaker 3 (04:48):
Yeah? Walk in?
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Well, you guys have problems. Is there a pub that
you got to stand in to take a shower? And
that challenges that This one they can just roll right in.
For our blind veterans, we do a lot of voice
acting controls on different appliances and things like that lights
fans so that they don't have to find switches. They
can just talk to their home and haven't turned on.
(05:10):
We'll also put in for Aaron a lot of tear
rail guiding all around the home.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
And the walls.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
That makes it easier for him to move around the home.
And know where he's at. So we work really hard
with general adaptations in this four bed, river, two bath,
twenty eight hundred square foot home. But we also get
with each of these veterans and see which things we
might have to make just tweaks to really make it
a personalized special home for them.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
That's incredible.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
We're joined by Homes for our Troops President and CEO,
retired Brigadier General Tom Landramyer and veteran Army Sargeant first
Class Aaron Cornelius. Can learn more about all the work
this organization does and support their work at HFOTUSA dot org.
Sergeant Carnelius, thank you so much for taking a few
minutes to come on with us as well. Tell us
(05:58):
about your backstory and then what it means for you
to be able to receive this home from Homes for
our Troops.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
Thanks for having me, Well it just shortened sweet really.
You know, I had children early and I wanted to
do something to help them, so I decided to join
the military. Eighteen years I was able to serve on
my third tour in Iraq.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
I was an opportunity sergeant.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
I enjoyed a ID that was buried underneath me, which
rendered me blind immediately and part of my left part
of my skull was blown off.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Traumatic brain injury. But they got on. You know, I'm
still here, I'm still functioning.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
I'm still pushing forward if I come home to try
to recover. And my wife had some complications since she
passed away when I got home, so it was a
few blows left and right and whatnot. I was guided
towards the homes for our troops and said, hey, you
know you need this, man need this to help yourself,
(07:01):
to help because everybody knows I try to help all
the time, other veterans, anybody who needs help.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
That's just who I am.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
But I found that with this home, learning about it
and stuff. I mean, it's it's gonna be a hard transition,
you know, because I'm moving from my own little safe
zone even though it's safe in a sense but not
and learning about this home to start over being trying
to be independent, that all the different things for safety,
(07:30):
you know, safety features on the stove that it won't
turn on unless I put a pot on there to
try to cook. You know, I just think this is
going to be huge for me to continue to my
independence and so I can worry that's about that, because
that's taken care of, and I can move forward and
(07:52):
do more of what I want to do, you know,
and get out and be a part of the community
and be a part of life and not thinking I'm
not capable anymore.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
And the fact that this home is going to be
built right here in Florida near your family, that must
be fantastic as well.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
Homes for our troops.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
President and CEO, retired Brigadier General Tom land Vermyer and
Veteran Army Sergeant first Class Aaron Cornelius with us. You
can learn more about the work this great organization does
and support that work at HFOTUSA dot org and of
course that community kickoff rally. Information on that is on
the website as well. General land Vermyer Sergeant Cornelius want
(08:35):
to thank you for your service to this country. Sergeant Cornelius,
we're so glad that you're receiving this home, and General
land Vermier, we really appreciate the work your organization is
doing for our veterans.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Well, thank you, thanks for.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Having us, and hope everybody listening can come out tomorrow
to a I'm over lose some high school and participate.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
We'd love to see him.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Absolutely, it's going to be a great event.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Thanks again.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Go Ryan Gorman Show Live to nine every weekday morning
on news radio WFLA.
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