Mike McCallum, right, takes a seat on the front steps of his porch after touring his new house in Onalaska on Thursday afternoon.
Carol McCallum gets her grandson, Mike McCallum, a hug as Mike's uncle, John Gordon, looks on while taking a tour of Mike's new home in Onalaska on Thursday afternoon.
Retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Mike McCallum, center, takes a tour of his new house in Onalaska on Thursday afternoon.
Retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Mike McCallum walks outside on the porch of his new house in Onalaska on Thursday afternoon.
John Gordon, helps gather Mike McCallum's crutches while sitting outside McCallum's new house in Onalaska on Thursday afternoon.
Retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Mike McCallum sits outside his new house in Onalaska on Thursday afternoon.
Retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Mike McCallum, center, takes a tour of his new house in Onalaska on Thursday afternoon.
Mike McCallum reacts when he sees the size of his master bedroom as while getting a tour of his new home in Onalaska on Thursday afternoon. McCallum, a wounded retired staff sergeant in the United States Army, was given a house by Chase Bank.
Mike McCallum relishes the moment while standing in one of the two bedrooms of his new home in Onalaska on Thursday afternoon. McCallum, a wounded retired staff sergeant in the United States Army, was given a house by Chase Bank.
Housing: Veteran of War in Iraq Lost Legs Below the Knee in 2011
By Dameon Pesanti
dpesanti@chronline.com
ONALASKA — Late on a sunny Thursday morning, retired U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mike McCallum stood with his family outside of his new home.
McCallum, 30, shifted his crutches to his left hand to reach out with his right as Brent Bruinsma, of Chase Bank, handed him the keys. Then McCallum, with sandy blond hair, tattoos blanketing his arms and two black and silver prosthetic legs sticking out from beneath his shorts, stood in the yard and surveyed the property.
“I don’t even know what to say,” he said before leading his family members onto the porch and into his new home.
Onalaska’s newest resident relocated from Tacoma to a large rambler that sits on 3 acres on a hill above town. It was completely remodeled and donated by Chase Bank through the Military Warriors Foundation.
The foundation helps injured veterans and the families of veterans who were killed in action while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Since its founding in 2007, the organization has helped about 650 veterans and their families find homes around the United States.
“I really wasn’t expecting anything, being able to get a mortgage-free home,” McCallum said. “I didn’t really know there was an Onalaska.”
McCallum was born and raised in Tacoma and joined the Army in 2006. He served as a combat engineer in Baghdad from 2008 to 2009, only to come home and be transferred to a new battalion and shipped to Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, in July 2011.
While on patrol on Dec. 7, 2011, McCallum found himself under small arms and machine gun fire. He and another soldier climbed onto the roof of an abandoned building to get a better view of the area, but when McCallum knelt down, he accidentally triggered a pressure plate that exploded beneath him. As a consequence, his legs were amputated above the knee.
McCallum said he’d been staying with his family since he got out of the military, but having his own home will allow him to take his life in new directions.
He gets around using prosthetic legs, but, due to excessive nerve damage, he often uses a wheelchair to get around.
For that reason, the house has short, thick carpet, which will make it easier for him to get around. The house had some other modifications based on his needs, but he requested they be kept to a minimum.
Bruinsma is a mortgage banking vice president with JPMorgan Chase. The bank is just one of many organizations that gives houses to the program, but it has donated several others in Washington and Oregon to the Military Warriors Support Foundation. Bruinsma said it takes about six months from the time they identify and remodel a house and finally hand the keys over to the recipient .
Now, the foundation will spend the next three years working with McCallum, walking him through a financial and family mentorship program to help him boost his credit score and become debt free.
Despite his physical challenges, McCallum is optimistic about the future. He started skateboarding again, and is looking to start a career as a glassblower.
