It’s hard for those of us who haven’t served to imagine what it’s like to be wounded in battle and return home to the tough situation of recovery and re-acclimation.

At just 32 years old, Marine Jonathon Blank found out precisely what that was like when he returned stateside after being injured by an IED while conducting a reconnaissance mission in Afghanistan.

Joining the Marines in 2006, his first deployment was to Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2010, he decided to extend his enlistment and was sent to Afghanistan.

The blast from the IED that detonated on his mission there not only severed both of his legs but left him with insomnia, migraines, and chronic pain after shrapnel got lodged in his head and arms.

“The world is not meant for people with disabilities,” he said. “It’s just a hard truth and that’s something that I’ve dealt with every day since I was injured.”

But Blank’s story came to the attention of actor Gary Sinise’s charitable foundation which helps veterans, first responders, and their families build resources and community. In this case, the building was quite literal. The Gary Sinise Foundation raised money to build the injured veteran a custom home in the Wasatch Mountains region in Utah via its R.I.S.E. program.

You may remember Gary Sinise from his role in the beloved film Forrest Gump, where he played an injured Vietnam veteran named Lt. Dan who struggled to cope with life after war.

When Blank got the news that the foundation was going to build him a home, he was overwhelmed, as were his colleagues.

“It’s such an incredible gift,” he told KSL News. “Even some of those tough guys, when they found out about this, they got pretty emotional about it.”

(Note: You can click here to donate to the project.)

The foundation has already built 60 homes for wounded veterans and a lot of research has gone into making them efficient, technologically advanced, and – most importantly – liveable for those with disabilities.

“We really have to be thinking about how they are going to access each of the levels of the house,” said a representative from Jorgenson Builders, which constructs homes for the foundation.

Blank’s new home will be energy-efficient, have remote-controlled fixtures, and voice-activated technology so his mobility issues won’t make everyday tasks difficult.

Blank’s girlfriend Brittney Harris said that while the Marine has adapted to his situation, never giving up, and even remained physically active, life will be much better with a little assistance.

“He’s dragging, hauling all his stuff up and down the stairs all the time,” she said. “Nothing slows him down, but just to imagine cupboards that he can pull down and reach rather than having to jump up there — it’s going to be such a huge difference for him.”

Luckily, the homeowner has been welcomed to play a role in the planning of his new home.

“Honestly, I didn’t really know that I would be so involved with the planning and the layout of the building,” he said.

It just goes to show that projects like this are about gratitude and dignity – something more injured veterans deserve.

Be sure to scroll down below to learn about the amazing Blank family and Jonathon’s injury.

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Source: Gary Sinise Foundation, KSL.com News, @jonathanblank0321 via Instagram