KYLE, Texas — A deserving veteran now has a new place to live with his family in Central Texas.
On Monday, Cpl. Sebastian Gallegos got the keys to his fully adapted, accessible home in Kyle.
He served in the Marine Corps and was wounded in Afghanistan by an IED. He lost his arm and still struggles with arthritis, nerve damage and shrapnel wounds.
A charity called Helping a Hero helped build a brand new home for him.
Gallegos is married with one son and has another baby on the way. On Monday, he said he was grateful to get a home that will be a little easier to get around.
"I know how much expenses go into it, and that I don't have to work so hard to spend more time with my son and spend more time fighting the VA to get prosthetics. I'm not going to take that investment lightly," Gallegos said.
The four-bedroom home features blinds that can be adjusted with one arm, a specially designed shower, safety features and even a device in his bathroom that helps him put on his prosthetic arm.
"I would tear up things because I push in really hard," Gallegos said. "So in the bedroom, Lennar actually built a metal platform for pushing my arm in because of all the issues I have had, tearing up walls and dry wall."
Gallegos was born in San Antonio and graduated high school from San Juan. He joined the Marine Corps right after high school and was sent to Camp Pendleton, California, for infantry training.
He was first deployed in 2008 as part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, training and collaborating with various allied countries in the Pacific Asia region, including the ROK (South Korean) Marines, Australian Defense Forces, Philippine Marines and the Thai Marines deploying from ships out of Okinawa, Japan.
Gallegos deployed to Sangin, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in 2010 as a rifle team leader with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, Havoc Darkhorse.
Following his years-long recovery from his injuries in Afghanistan, he retired in 2015.
Gallegos received several decorations including a Purple Heart and the Navy Commendation.