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Work begins on new home for senior airman

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas — Senior Airman Colton Read’s dream of owning a home is one step closer to becoming a reality.

Read and his wife, Jessica, broke ground on their 1.17-acre lot during a short ceremony Dec. 17 in the heart of Texas Hill Country.

Read, 22, lost his legs after routine surgery to remove his gallbladder went horribly wrong.

The Reads were chosen to receive their new house by Operation Finally Home, a nonprofit that builds houses for wounded and disabled troops, veterans and families of fallen service members. The Reads’ custom-built home will be in the exclusive Vintage Oaks at the Vineyard community here, about 30 miles northeast of San Antonio.

“You all have changed our lives,” Jessica Read said. “This used to be my biggest worry. We had nothing, and I used to lie in bed at night and worry. You all have taken that weight off my shoulders, and I don’t know how to say thank you because thank you is insufficient.”

Work on the Reads’ house officially began Dec. 20. When finished, it will be 2,974 square feet with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a two-car garage.

The home, built by Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes, will be completely wheelchair accessible.

“This is an exciting day to get this started,” Jimmy Jacobs, founder and chief executive officer of Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes, said during the groundbreaking ceremony. “We hope you have many years of enjoyment out of this house.”

Jacobs said he hopes to have the house completed in 120 days.

The Reads are living on Fort Sam Houston, the San Antonio-area Army base, while Colton Read waits for his medical evaluation board.

Dan Vargas, executive director of Operation Finally Home, said the building will represent so much more than just a house for the Reads.

“What we’re trying to do is give people like the Reads their lives back,” he said. “No matter what happens, they’ll always have a home.”

Colton Read said he never expected such a generous gift.

“With so many ‘nos’ out there, it was really nice of you all to say ‘yes’ to us,” he said. “I’m going to own a house by 23, and I can go to school, and I can give back.”