An East Tennessee veteran who lost both his legs while serving in Afghanistan is getting a new home.
U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Casey Jones served as a senior explosive ordinance disposal member, losing both of his legs when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated beneath him in 2013.
Jones spent four years learning how to walk again with prosthetic legs. He now lives in a two-story home in Knoxville, but it's not built to accommodate him.
The Gary Sinise Foundation is stepping in to build him a new home that makes it easier for him to move around, and one that is full of new technology.
"If someone knocks on the door I can just look at the iPad. I don't have to get off the couch and roll to the door, as well as the shower. That's a major thing for us amputees, being able to shower efficiently. That helps quite a bit," Jones said.
Jones said he got to pick the property. He's originally from Indiana, but chose to stay in East Tennessee because he loves the landscape and access to the outdoors.
The home is being funded through the foundation's R.I.S.E. program, which builds specially adapted smart homes for severely wounded veterans. It also helps provide home modifications and mobility devices to wounded, ill and aging veterans.