Volunteers turn out to add landscaping to two Homes for Our Troops homes in Ramona

About 200 volunteers pitched in Saturday to add landscaping to two new homes in Ramona that will soon house two injured veterans and their families.

The homes on Kathriner Place for Army Sgt. Joshua Hooker and Marine Sgt. Kaleb Weakley are being provided by Homes for Our Troops (HFOT). The national nonprofit organization builds and donates specially adapted custom homes nationwide to severely injured post-9/11 veterans to help them rebuild their lives.

The homes come with more than 40 adaptations including lower countertops and roll-under sinks. One of the finishing touches is to add plants and trees in the yards before HFOT hosts a Key Ceremony to hand over the keys and ownership to the veterans.

Hooker and Weakley expect to get their keys on Jan. 21.

People of all ages showed up to participate in Volunteer Day for a variety of reasons.

Colleen McFee of Pacific Beach and Allison Johnson of Sorrento Valley said they heard about the event through their work at DRS Daylight Solutions, a laser technology company. McFee said they wanted to support troops coming back from the battlefield who have to make adjustments.

Ramona resident Mike Brlan said his buddy made friends with Weakley and he thought it would be a good project to support.

Several Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) students at Ramona High School said they thought it would be a good idea to help plant trees and flowers to support disabled veterans.

Hooker joined the Army in 2003 right after high school, also because he wanted to serve in Iraq. He enlisted as a cavalry scout with the 101st^t Airborne Division, and first deployed to Iraq in 2005.

On April 29, 2006, Sgt. Hooker was on patrol in Baghdad when he was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED). He sustained severe damage to both legs in the blast, resulting in the eventual amputation of his left leg. Now medically retired, Hooker and his wife, Tiana, are busy raising their three children, daughters BellaRose, 2, and Namaya, 7; and son, Matthias, 13.

Weakley, on his second combat tour in February 2012, was a field artillery cannoneer on a routine patrol with the 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines in southern Helmand Province, Afghanistan when he was hit by enemy fire in the left leg and right arm.

Once back in the United States, Weakley underwent more than 20 surgeries on his leg and arm over two years. It is possible he may need to amputate his left leg in the future. While recovering at Balboa Naval Medical Center, Weakley met his wife, Sydney. Now medically retired, Weakley and his wife are raising their two children, son, Killian, 19 months old, and daughter, Scarlet, 7.

Hooker learned about the HFOT home ownership opportunity through another veteran who had received a home.

He said he felt honored and somewhat overwhelmed by the “Volunteer Day” landscaping activities. The volunteers put in hundreds of plants and more than 6,000 square feet of sod at the two Ramona homes.

“It’s a huge blessing,” Hooker said. “I fell welcomed into the community.”

Hooker said he knew only a handful of the volunteers and appreciated everyone’s support. Now he and his family are looking forward to living in a new home that promises to reduce their stress and increase his mobility, he said.

“Having a mortgage-free home and a handicapped-accessible home is going to be a relief,” he said. “I know that I’m going to function inside the home without any barriers.”

Weakley said he was amazed at the community support during Volunteer Day.

“The Ramona community just enveloped Josh and I and our families and made us feel like we’re a part of their family,” Weakley said.

Weakley said he found the Ramona lots on Kathriner Place. After he was accepted into the HFOT program, he suggested the location to the organization for his future home. He said his wife, Sydney, is from San Diego and he is from Virginia so they compromised between a city and country location, which was Ramona.

“We will be moving in in January and we couldn’t be happier,” Weakley said. “It will be a turning point for our family. This means having financial stability and having our own home.”