Groundbreaking set for injured Marine's home

A groundbreaking ceremony for the future home of a young Marine who was severely wounded in combat in Iraq will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 25 in Irvington, a spokesman said Friday.

The house for Sgt. Greg Edwards and his family will be built on a lot purchased on Smithfield Road through funds raised by the nonprofit group Homes for Our Troops, spokesman Larry Gill of Semmes said.

Edwards lost both of his legs after stepping on an improvised explosive device Oct. 22, 2006, and suffered wounds to his left hand. The home will be built especially to accommodate his injuries, Gill said.

More than $76,000 has been raised for the project through various events and donations, which can still be made at any of 44 area Regions Bank branches, said Gill, who is spearheading the effort locally.

"Several contractors and suppliers have pledged labor and supplies, and more are needed," Gill said. Anyone who would like to help may e-mail Gill at lgill40@

hotmail.com

"The people of Mobile have really stepped up," Gill said. "This represents a lot of hard work by people in the community to get us to this point."

Homes for Our Troops, based in Taunton, Mass., is working to build houses in 18 states for U.S. service members, who were severely injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.

An official with the group has reported that the houses have an average value of $200,000 to $250,000. Gill said the total amount needed for the Edwards home has not yet been determined.

"I'm very excited," Edwards, 25, said Friday in a phone interview when asked about the upcoming event. He said he has undergone 41 operations for his injuries and was medically retired from the Marine Corps on Dec. 29.

Edwards said he has completed his physical therapy and the last of his surgeries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He will live in his new home with his wife, Christina, 28, and their children, Caitlin, 6, and Paige, 4.

Edwards grew up in Glen Allen, Miss., but his parents, David and Cheryl Edwards, live in the Mobile area, and he said he wanted to make the area his home also.

He said he had planned a career in the Marine Corps before his disabling injuries but now is unsure of which civilian opportunities to pursue. Once he decides, he said, he expects to enroll at the University of South Alabama.

http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/120013292828220.xml&coll=3