Disabled war veteran and family gifted a mortgage-free home by a veterans' service organization

US Marine soldiers are always there to sacrifice their lives for the safety of their nation. This time, the Gary Sinise Foundation is doing something worth appreciating for the war veterans who are left disabled post-combat and have been released for their duties. People might popularly know Gary Sinise as Lt. Dan Taylor in "Forrest Gump." In the film, the actor played the role of a war veteran who lost both of his legs in the line of duty. For almost 40 years, the actor has been advocating on behalf of America's service members, per his foundation's website.

One such Marine Corps veteran, Jose Armenta, and his family were gifted a firsthand look at their new 2,900-square-foot home which is still under construction, per CBS8. The new home for the Armenta family is getting built in the Bonita region of California and it is reportedly going to be mortgage-free. "What I like is that the house is big and wide, and the roof is high," said 9-year-old Dean, Jose's son. "Everything changes a lot in life and that’s what’s going to happen to us."

"Just two months ago, this was a dirt lot, that’s amazing," said retired Corporal Armenta. His 6-year-old daughter also wrote a special message on the wall of the under-construction house. "I write, ‘I love my room,' because my room is going to look so pretty," said little Bella. The whole custom of writing on the walls is called "Walls of Honor." It is an event where friends and family get together to pen down their good wishes and messages of hope and encouragement on the panels and walls before it gets covered with paint and drywall installations.

"Bella, you shine so bright," said Bella while reading one of the messages written on a wooden stud in her room, per the outlet. Armenta joined the Marine Corps back in 2007 where he became a canine handler taking the bomb-sniffing dogs to duty. 4 years later, when he was deployed in Afghanistan, he stepped on a pressure plate full of homemade explosives while he was out on a security patrol. He survived his injuries and woke up five days later to find both of his legs gone from above the knees.

"I didn’t plan on getting injured in the military, right, but life doesn’t care about your plans, so you make the best of what life throws at you," said Armenta. Thankfully, the Gary Sinise Foundation is building Armenta and his family a smart home that will make everything easily accessible around the house for a double amputee like him. "It’s an opportunity to be able to give him hallways that are extra-large, big kitchen, lowered so with his prosthetics, he can move around quickly if he needs to," Gib Bosworth said who works with the foundation. "The bathroom is very large, he’s got a bench in the shower."

The Gary Sinise Foundation has been building homes across the country for veterans and first responders since 2011 in various parts of America. According to WJCL, the foundation has previously constructed a home for retired U.S. army sergeant first class, Ryan Davis and his family among many others. Davis suffered life-changing injuries while on deployment in Afghanistan, receiving a specially adapted smart home from the foundation.