Army veteran gets keys to new home after injury

SARASOTA (FOX 13) - Walking through the door of their new home, Rose Sturk said she could finally breath a sigh of relief.

Her husband Robert Sturk enlisted in the Army when he was 18. He served 23 years. He was a U.S Army Master Sergeant when he nearly lost his life in a motorcycle crash at Ft. Bragg in 2007.

After coming out of a month long coma, Robert was never the same. He lost his memory, but his wife stood by his side. For years, she searched for a home, then a friend told her about Building Homes for Heroes.

"He needs a place he can call home," she said. "It is really hard for him to settle inside. This is great. This is gonna change."

Tuesday afternoon, they got the keys to their new home in Sarasota. 

"I never thought, not in a million years, that I would be chosen. We have been looking and looking for a home," Rose said. "Now he can make new memories that he can remember now and forward. We are going to make new memories here."

Building Homes for Heroes said it is important to take care of all veterans, regardless of where they were injured.

"They still served their country every day and wrote a check for their life every day. that they served and their service is no less meaningful than somebody was wounded in theater," said Kim Valdyke of Building Homes for Heroes.

Once they receive a home, they become part of the Building Homes for Heroes family, and are surrounded by a support group for whenever they need it.

"We stay in contact. We bring them to other events. They meet other families. They are still part of us. They can call us any time," said Valdyke.

The group is building homes and friendships that help carry veterans, and their families, through their roughest moments.

"It does wonders. It starts new families and new lives. It's great," Rose said.