GARY SINISE FOUNDATION AND NORTH AMERICAN VAN LINES MOVE WOUNDED U.S. ARMY SERGEANT TO CUSTOM-BUILT SMART HOME
After a year-long tour of duty in Iraq, on January 5, 2006, just six days before he was scheduled to return home, then-retired U.S. Army First Sergeant John Borders was participating in a routine convoy when his Humvee was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED), critically injuring him. Within minutes, air support arrived and transported staff sergeant Borders to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. He was quickly transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Maryland and was scheduled for surgeries every other day for several months, receiving over 55 surgeries in all. The extent of his injuries required him to go through limb salvage with his left leg and have his right leg amputated below the knee.
Borders returned to active duty three years after his severe injury and served over 27 years in the army, 12 of which he served as a handicapable individual. He deployed a total of five times, completing his last tour in Afghanistan with his new leg. In January 2018, he retired as a first sergeant, a title he aimed to achieve his whole career.
The R.I.S.E. program was created by the Gary Sinise Foundation in 2012 to help restore independence and empower severely wounded U.S. Veterans and first responders by building smart homes specially designed to meet their unique needs. These 100% mortgage-free homes help ease daily challenges and provide servicemen and women a safe haven where they can reclaim their independence.
North American and its agent family support the Gary Sinise Foundation R.I.S.E. program by providing transportation and storage (when needed) of new furnishings and the recipient's personal belongings to their new home. St. Louis-based Cord Moving & Storage provided new furniture transport for this move, and Florida-based First Class Moving Systems transported the Border Family's personal belongings.
“Sergeant Borders is a hero and our nation is grateful for his service and sacrifice. North American Van Lines is honored to be part of the Borders’ family’s move to their new, custom-built home that will provide them with a safe, supportive environment in which they will build the next chapter of their lives together,” said Kevin Murphy, Vice President and General Manager of North American Van Lines. “North American Van Lines is proud to be the official moving provider of Gary Sinise’s R.I.S.E. program since 2014. Together, we have helped move 73 of our nation’s heroes home and look forward to continuing to welcome home our defenders and their loved ones.”
North American Van Lines has proudly supported our service members since its founding in 1933 and is honored to continue to provide high-quality moving services to the U.S. military and their families through the Global Household Goods Contract (GHC).
To support the Gary Sinise Foundation, please visit:
About the Gary Sinise Foundation
The Gary Sinise Foundation was established under the philanthropic direction of award-winning actor and humanitarian Gary Sinise, a 40-year advocate of our nation's defenders. The foundation's mission is to serve our country by honoring our defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need. As our Founder and Chairman Gary Sinise always says, "While we can never do enough for our defenders and their loved ones, we can always do a little more." That spirit of service is the bedrock of all of the Foundation's programs. Learn more at
GarySiniseFoundation.org.
