St. Charles Army vet receives new home from Gary Sinise Foundation

A St. Charles veteran who gave almost everything to protect his country was honored by community members and the Gary Sinise Foundation with the gift of a custom built home for his family in gratitude for the sacrifices he has made.

U.S. Army Chief Warrant 2 Officer Patrick Scrogin was severely wounded in a helicopter crash during his second tour in Iraq. The crash took his left leg and left him in critical condition. After medically retiring from the Army in 2008 and a long and arduous road to recovery, Scrogin remains as patriotic as ever and exudes unwavering pride for his country.

“The most humbling thing I have ever witnessed” was how Scrogin described the feeling of receiving his new home and seeing the support his family received from the community. He told those in attendance that he would spend the rest of his life paying it forward.

On Jan. 18, the Gary Sinise Foundation held a dedication ceremony and Scrogin was presented with the “keys” to his new home in St. Charles – a tablet that not only unlocks the front door, but controls dozens of features inside the smart home.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 10

Retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Patrick Scrogin, along with wife Alexa (left) and children Kaylee, Paige and Wyatt photographed in the family’s newly constructed, specially adapted smart home in St. Charles on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. The mortgage-free home was made possible by the Gary Sinise Foundation. (Sandy Bressner)

Scrogin originally is from Missouri and grew up in a military family flying airplanes with his father, who owned a crop-dusting business. After the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Scrogin quit his job dusting fields and enlisted in the Army, which called him to active duty in 2002.

On March 1, 2007, during his second deployment in Iraq, he was wounded in a helicopter crash while piloting a mission over Kirkuk. Though critically injured, Scrogin piloted the helicopter to safety, saving the lives of himself and his co-pilot. Scrogin suffered nine fractured vertebrae, a crushed pelvis and lost his left leg above the knee.

After almost 60 surgeries, Scrogin now walks on a prosthetic leg and works as an air traffic control supervisor at Chicago Terminal Radar Approach Control in Elgin.

Scrogin and his family moved to St. Charles in 2022. He and his wife, Alexa, were married that fall and had their firstborn, Wyatt, in August last year. Scrogin has three more children – daughters Paige and Kaylee and a son, Terence Steele, who is a professional football player for the Dallas Cowboys.

Alexa submitted the application for the RISE program unbeknownst to Patrick and he was in disbelief when he got the call from Gary Sinise telling him he was going to receive a new home.

The Gary Sinise Foundation built the St. Charles home through the Restoring Independence, Supporting Empowerment (RISE) program, which provides specially adapted smart homes to veterans who have been wounded in the line of duty. It is one of multiple programs provided by the GSF, established in 2011 by actor and musician Sinise.

Through RISE, the foundation builds homes made custom to the recipients’ needs and dedicates them to veterans and their families mortgage-free. The homes are intended to ease the daily challenges faced by wounded veterans. The program is funded by monetary and in-kind donations from national partners, local subcontractors and the public.

The three-bedroom, three-bathroom home off Burr Road features one-level living with an open floor plan, is fully customized to be accessible for Scrogin and is equipped with smart technology.

The Scrogins’ new home has taller counters and a soaking tub to alleviate stress on Scrogins’ back, wider hallways and doorways and smart features and appliances that can be controlled through a tablet or by voice commands.

A video clip of Sinise was played at the ceremony in which he said it has been his privilege to play a part in the effort to restore Scrogins’ independence and he hopes the home will act as a daily reminder of the country’s gratitude for his service and sacrifice.

“I’m thrilled that you are finally here today, about to begin this next chapter of your life. I look forward to a time in the future when I can come visit, take a tour of your new home and personally thank you for all you’ve sacrificed on behalf of this nation,” Sinise said. “On behalf of everyone in the Gary Sinise Foundation, welcome home, Pat. Enjoy this wonderful day and may God bless you always and may God bless the United States of America you have so faithfully served.”

Scrogin spoke to the crowd at the ceremony, thanking his family, Gary Sinise, the foundation and all the donors and saying how humbling his experience with the RISE foundation has been.

“First of all, I have to thank Gary. As selfless as that man is and to do what he’s done is the most humbling thing that I have ever witnessed and I think we can all learn something from that. To all the donors and everybody that has been involved in this, that have given their time, thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Scrogin said. “It means so much to me and I promise you I will spend the rest of my life paying this forward however I can do it.”

Scrogin said one thing Sinise and he have in common is they don’t do what they do for recognition. They do it because they love this country.

“You know that saying, ‘Heroes don’t always wear capes’ ... patriots don’t always wear uniforms,” Scrogin said. “Everybody in this room is a patriot and I really thank you. This embodies what I went and fought for this country for.”

Scrogin also thanked his family, who he said was his motivation to get out of the hospital bed and work to make his life and theirs better.

“There’s going to be many memories made on this property,” Scrogin said. “The thing I am most grateful for is that I know that if something happens to me tomorrow, my family is taken care of and that is a huge weight off my chest.”

The Scrogins began moving into the home shortly after the ceremony.

RISE completed its first home in 2014. The Scrogins’ new home in St. Charles marks the 90th home Rise has dedicated to wounded veterans.

Hidden under the drywall, the foundation of Scrogin’s new home is covered in words of support written in permanent markers by community members during a ceremony held by the foundation in July 2023.