Firms helping wounded Army vet get new home
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A wounded Army combat veteran from Fort Jackson is getting a mortgage-free home.
Spokesman Billy Quarles of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina says several firms have worked together to present Monday a Columbia home to former Army 1st Sgt. Peter Lara, who retired recently from Fort Jackson.
Lara suffered gunshot wounds during a firefight in Iraq in 2005 that required more than 40 surgeries.
He came to Fort Jackson to work as a basic training company first sergeant as he worked on his recovery.
Quarles says GMAC Mortgage is providing the home. The South Carolina firms PGBA and Instil Health Insurance Co., which are part of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, provided $20,000 to cover the costs of transferring the house to Lara.
