Home donated to WNY native hurt in war

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WIVB) - He survived a serious head injury while serving in Iraq. Now some volunteers in North Carolina want to ease the stress on a Marine from Niagara County.

SSG Vincent Gizzarelli grew up in Cambria and graduated from Starpoint Central. He was forced into retirement because of his war injuries. But volunteers are making that retirement easier for him and his family by building them a mortgage-free home in Jacksonville, N.C.

When they first set eyes on their new home, SSG Vincent Gizzarelli and his wife couldn't believe it.

"My first thought when I walked through the door after I saw the house, I actually looked back to make sure she hadn't passed out," he said.

On his second tour in Iraq Gizzarelli was severely wounded, with brain injuries and shrapnel wounds. And he still deals with post traumatic stress disorder. But he's extremely modest, even questioning whether he and Jamie deserve the home donated to his family.

"There are a lot of people I know, they've lost limbs," he said. "They've lost in my opinion, a lot more than I ever will. And I personally feel that they are far more deserving of this home than I will ever be."

The house comes from Operation Finally Home, a program providing custom-made homes to wounded and disabled veterans. The new home provides stability and a worry-free environment for the family.

"They're the kind of family that would rather do for someone else than for themselves. I'm honored to be a part of this," says Nicole Robinson of Log Homes of America.

"If anybody in our country deserves to have a home, it's our men and women in uniform. They fight for our American dream," says Daniel Vargas of Operation Finally Home.

The furnishings inside the $400,000 home were donated. The home will be mortgage free.

"We're going to take this opportunity and capitalize on it, you know, to do more for my family," Gizzarelli said. "We'll have that breathing space we need to take care of what we need to as a couple, and just grow as a family, and we have a place to do it now."

Vincent and Jamie have five kids including three foster children with disabilities they adopted. The home gives them a chance to raise them a great environment.

The ribbon-cutting for the Gizzarellis' new home was Saturday. And his family here in Western New York has let News 4 know how happy they are.