Army veteran from St. Charles to receive custom-built home from Gary Sinise Foundation

A U.S. Army veteran from St. Charles was honored by the Gary Sinise Foundation on July 14 with a celebration at the construction site of his family’s new custom-built home.

The three-bedroom, three-bathroom home off Burr Road is still under construction. Community members were invited to attend the Walls of Honor ceremony.

The under-construction home of Retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Patrick Scrogin, who was critically wounded in a helicopter crash while deployed in Iraq in March 2007, in St. Charles. The Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence, Supporting Empowerment) Program is building the home along with in-kind donations from various national partners, sub-contractors, and the American public. (Sandy Bressner – sbressner@shawmedia.com)

At the ceremony, guests were invited to write a note somewhere on the walls for Patrick Scrogin in permanent marker. Shortly after the markers were passed out, handwritten messages in different colored ink were scattered around the home’s boards and framework.

The exposed areas soon will be covered up, but the idea behind the gesture is that the words of gratitude and support will forever be a part of the Scrogins’ new home.

Gwendolyn Reynders, 4, whose father, Travis, is the project coordinator for the Gary Sinise Foundation, draws an American flag on the floor inside the under-construction home of Retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Patrick Scrogin, who was critically wounded in a helicopter crash while deployed in Iraq in March 2007. The Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence, Supporting Empowerment) Program is building the home along with in-kind donations from various national partners, sub-contractors, and the American public. (Sandy Bressner – sbressner@shawmedia.com)

Scrogin, a helicopter pilot who was severely wounded in the line of duty in Iraq, lost a leg because of his injuries.

The Gary Sinise Foundation is building the St. Charles home through the Restoring Independence, Supporting Empowerment (RISE) program.

“This is an act of kindness that you’re only going to find in this country,” Scrogin said. “It’s life-changing.”

RISE 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, which was established in 2011 by actor and musician Gary Sinise.

Through RISE, the foundation builds and dedicates the homes to the recipients and their families mortgage-free. The program is funded by monetary and in-kind donations from national partners, local subcontractors and the public.

Scrogin originally is from Missouri, but he and his wife, Alexa, have lived in St. Charles since January 2022. He enlisted in the Army after the attacks on 9/11 and was called into active duty in 2002. On March 1, 2007, during his second deployment in Iraq, he was wounded in a helicopter crash during a mission over Kirkuk.

Retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Patrick Scrogin, who was critically wounded in a helicopter crash while deployed in Iraq in March 2007, speaks inside his under-construction home in St. Charles on Friday, July 14, 2023. The Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence, Supporting Empowerment) Program is building the home along with in-kind donations from various national partners, sub-contractors, and the American public. (Sandy Bressner – sbressner@shawmedia.com)

Though critically injured, Scrogin managed to pilot 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 with an unhindered gait on a prosthetic leg and has worked as an air traffic controller since 2009.

Scrogin said his wife submitted the application for the RISE program without telling him and he was in disbelief when he got a call from Sinise telling him he was going to get a new home.

“Gary Sinise started this foundation from his heart because he loves this country as much as I do,” Scrogin said. “He’s a patriot and this means everything to me.”

A note from actor and humanitarian Gary Sinise inside the under-construction home of Retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Patrick Scrogin, who was critically wounded in a helicopter crash while deployed in Iraq in March 2007. The Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence, Supporting Empowerment) Program is building the home along with in-kind donations from various national partners, sub-contractors, and the American public. (Sandy Bressner – sbressner@shawmedia.com)

Scrogin said he, his children and his wife, who is expecting another child, are “incredibly excited” to move into their new home.

Andy Jahnsen is the project manager for the construction of the Scrogins’ new home. He said the homes that RISE builds are designed with accessibility in mind and are tailored to each family’s needs.

RISE homes are equipped with smart features that allow the owner to control the lights, locks, garage door, electronics and HVAC with apps on their phone.

“Ideally, they will be able to do anything in their home with the touch of a button,” Jahnsen said. “Really, it’s about giving them a little bit of independence and security so they don’t have to worry about what’s going on at home.”

Retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Patrick Scrogin, who was critically wounded in a helicopter crash while deployed in Iraq in March 2007, his wife, Alexa, and daughter, Kaylee, 13, enter their under-construction home in St. Charles on Friday, July 14, 2023. The Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence, Supporting Empowerment) Program is building the home along with in-kind donations from various national partners, sub-contractors, and the American public. (Sandy Bressner – sbressner@shawmedia.com)

Jahnsen said RISE believes that small, thoughtful design changes such as wider doors and hallways, French door ovens and roll-under sinks and cook tops can be “game-changers” for the recipients.

RISE completed its first home in 2014 and finished the 83rd home in May. Jahnsen said he is hoping to finish five more, including the Scrogin’s home, by the end of the year.