HeroHomes is currently seeking property for our third project, which we anticipate will begin construction in 2018. The recipient of this home will be William Slease III who was an M1A1 tank commander in the Army.
William joined the Army in 1990 following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather (His great-grandfather served in the 14th Pennsylvania Calvary during the Civil War). At the age of 19, William experienced his first combat action during Desert Spring as a M1A1 tank driver serving in 2/34 Armor, The Big Red One, 1st Infantry Division. During his 20+ year military career, William participated in multiple campaigns including Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Kuwait, Bosnia, and Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq. During Operation Enduring Freedom his unit (the 7th Cavalry 3rd Squadron) led the race to Baghdad and received a Presidential Citation in 2003.
During his service, William was fortunate to develop three very strong friendships across a period of 8 years and 4 deployments. Tragically, during his last deployment on route Grizzly (A heavily contested Military Supply Route in Iraq’s Anbar province.) he lost all three of those friends one month after the other with his last friend dying on December 21, 2005.
William was medically retired from the Army on Nov 29th. He was diagnosed with severe PTSD and chronic depression related to the loss of his closest friends in combat as well as traumatic brain injury. Additionally he has had neck and shoulder surgery, and still requires additional shoulder and knee surgery. William suffers from short-term memory loss and has a hard time with crowds.
William has been married to his wife Alice for 17 years and has an amazing daughter, Maggie, who is 4 years old. William, Alice, and Maggie need to find a quiet place to live, away from large crowds but within a caring community, where he can heal.
