LA MARQUE, Texas (August 10, 2018) -- Operation FINALLY HOME along with City of La Marque, Lennar and Greater Houston Builders Association, surprised U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Matthew Uran and his wife, Jennifer, with the news they are receiving a custom-built, mortgage-free home in the Delany Cove community of La Marque, Texas the morning of Friday, August 10, 2018.
Matthew and Jennifer thought they were visiting Texas for a preliminary interview with Operation FINALLY HOME. Little did they know an elaborate surprise had been planned for them. As they traveled from the airport, Operation FINALLY HOME officials made a quick stop at Gulf Greyhound Park where the Patriot Guard Riders and La Marque Police Department were waiting to give them a patriotic escort to their homesite. When they arrived on location the Urans were greeted by a festive celebration and surprised with the news.
Along with La Marque Mayor Bobby Hocking, La Marque Councilman Robert Michetich, La Marque City Manager Carol Buttler, Congressman Randy Weber, District Director Jed Webb, Fay Picard on behalf of Representative Greg Bonnen were in attendance. Hitchcock ISD Superintendent Carla Vickroy attended with the high school band, cheerleaders and football players. Members of the City of La Marque administrative staff, La Marque Police Department, La Marque Fire Department and La Marque Public Services and community leaders welcomed the Urans, as well.
La Marque Mayor Bobby Hocking spoke at the event, welcoming Uran and thanking him for his service. Hocking is credited with spearheading this effort, which stemmed from a $50,000 donation to the City of La Marque in 2017. Mayor Hocking asked that the funds be used to provide a home to a disabled veteran. From there, a partnership between City of La Marque, Lennar at Delany Cove and Greater Houston Builders Association was forged.
“We are honored to welcome this American Hero to La Marque,” said Hocking. “What started as a dream in my spirit has become a reality for this family. We owe Chief Warrant Officer Uran an eternal debt of gratitude for his service to our country!”
City of La Marque would like to extend special thanks to Six Brothers Concrete Pumping, Carnes Funeral Home, A&A Machine and Fabrication, Bigass Crawfish Bash Foundation and Texas City – La Marque Chamber of Commerce for their contributions to this special event.
U.S. Army CW3 Matthew Uran
U.S. Army CW3 Matthew Uran humbly served his country for more than 13 years before he was honorably discharged in 2007.
Matthew was inspired to join the Military after visiting his cousin in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He enlisted, quickly excelled at his work and was promoted twice before being accepted to the Warrant Officer Flight Program after just four years of service.
In January of 2005, Matthew and his buddy set out to practice team tactics. While at 400-feet in the air at a speed of 150 mph, Matthew experienced a visual illusion, similar to a mirage. A fellow pilot died in the crash and Matthew was critically injured. He suffered a severe TBI, which will never improve, his back was fractured as was his pelvis. His open skull fracture led to brain hemorrhage. In addition, he suffered from amnesia for seven months due to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and still has little memory of the accident.
Matthew still lives with TBI among several other conditions such as weakness on the right side of his body, headaches and difficulty breathing. He uses Legos® to help regain some of his fine motor skills and also enjoys riding horses with his wife, Jennifer.
He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon and several others.
###
About City of La Marque | La Marque, Texas, is strategically positioned 15 miles southeast of Houston and serves as a southern anchor for the economically strong Houston-Galveston region. La Marque is the second-fastest-growing city in the County with an estimated population of 16,000, an area of 14.25 square miles and boasting 14.3 miles of I-45 frontage—more than any other city in Galveston County. Citizens enjoy easy, breezy coastal living, abundant housing options and the security of a hurricane protection levee system. La Marque is a sportsman’s paradise and offers access to world-class medical, travel and entertainment options. Citizens and visitors enjoy Bayou Fest, an early fall concert series and BBQ Cook Off offering free family fun; Magical Winter Lights, a 52-day holiday lantern festival; and Crawfish Bash, an annual crawfish cook off that earned a Guinness World Record in 2017. For business, La Marque offers prime I-45 frontage, creative incentives, an abundance of commercial property, a budding downtown revitalization and build-to-suit opportunities. La Marque is the Gateway to the Gulf and the Hub of the Mainland. Discover the possibilities at www.cityoflamarque.org.
About Operation FINALLY HOME | Based in New Braunfels, Texas, Operation FINALLY HOME was established in 2005 as a nonpartisan/nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. The mission of Operation FINALLY HOME is to provide homes and home modifications to America’s military Heroes and the widows of the fallen who have sacrificed so much to defend our freedoms and values. Operation FINALLY HOME partners with corporate sponsors, builder associations, builders, remodelers, developers, individual contributors, and volunteers to help these Heroes and their families by addressing one of their most pressing needs – a place to call home. For more information about Operation FINALLY HOME, visit OperationFINALLYHOME.org, follow @OpFINALLYHOME on Twitter and find us on Facebook.
About Lennar Homes | Lennar Corporation, founded in 1954, is one of the nation's leading builders of quality homes for all generations. The Company builds affordable, move-up and active adult homes primarily under the Lennar brand name. Lennar's Financial Services segment provides mortgage financing, title insurance and closing services for both buyers of the Company's homes and others. Lennar's Rialto segment is a vertically integrated asset management platform focused on investing throughout the commercial real estate capital structure. Lennar's Multifamily segment is a nationwide developer of high-quality multifamily rental properties. For more information, visit www.lennar.com.
About Greater Houston Builders Association | The Greater Houston Builders Association, chartered in 1941, is a trade organization whose members are involved in the development, homebuilding and remodeling industries in 11 counties in the Houston area. The association currently has over 1700 member companies, is the 4th largest builders association in the country and the largest in Texas. GHBA is the voice of Houston’s residential construction industry, serving their members and the community through education and advocating professionalism and quality housing. The association also interacts with the government, community and general public to enhance the business climate for its members and to provide quality obtainable housing to the community it serves. The association is also active in community outreach and charitable events.