In June of 2013, Kirstie Ennis was in the middle of her second tour in Afghanistan for the U.S. Marines. As an aerial gunner in a helicopter, she’d spent plenty of time hovering above the mountainous country. But on this particular day, her world came tumbling down when the helicopter she was in crashed to the Earth.
Ennis survived. But barely. Her jaw was shatterd, her spine fractured. She broke her nose and severely fractured her leg, which would later have to be amputated. Fourty-four surgeries later and she’s made a huge recovery. She’s climbed Kilamanjaro and become a pretty decent snowboarder (she’ll try and compete in the 2018 Paralympics in South Korea), not to mention being featured in ESPN‘s Body Issue. And she’s been looking for a place to lay down roots.
This week, she got that wish when Building Homes for Heroes, which was created in 2001, finished the build on her morgtage-free home in Glenwood Springs, Colorado–in the Roaring Fork Valley just down the highway from Aspen. “Everything that makes me me is here,” she told the local newspaper. “Fly fishing, hunting, mountaineering, snowboarding, I have everything I love to do within 30 miles of me. Not many people are that lucky.”
Kirstie Ennis, being welcomed home to her new home. Photo: Post Independent
This week marks the first time she won’t be living out of a suitcase in years. The home is single-level and custom built of Ennis’s needs. BHH has built 127 homes for veterans since it’s inceptioin.
Follow Ennis on social media. The woman is super-inspiring and continues to push to help her fellow wounded Marines.
Find out more about Building Homes for Heroes, here.
