It’s an unfortunate reality of life that the old maxim, "bad things happen to good people," is often true. Still, more unusual is the fact that after those bad things happen, great things – even extraordinary things – sometimes show up for those good people. Take Retired Marine Corporal Chad Ohmer, his wife, Renae, and their two daughters, 13-year-old Emma and 6-year-old Amelia.
On April 25, 2025, the Ohmer family received the keys to a new, mortgage-free, forever home. It was an amazing act of compassion and expression of gratitude for Chad’s service and sacrifice, thanks to the Gary Sinise Foundation and many others who fell in line to join the mission.
In 2012, Chad was serving his second deployment in Afghanistan when an incident occurred, severely injuring his left foot and right thigh, and damaging other parts of his body. Multiple surgeries and a long recovery followed at Walter Reed Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. But pain and recurring infections were constant. In 2021, doctors amputated his left leg below the knee, and Chad was fitted for a prosthetic leg.
By that time, Chad and Renae were the parents of two girls, living on the West Side in a house that became increasingly problematic for Chad. Although his prosthetic leg or using crutches gave him some mobility, walking remained painful. He also had a wheelchair, but the house’s narrow hallways, doorways, and carpet made it difficult or impossible to navigate many spaces.
While recovering in Walter Reed Hospital, Chad and Renae formed strong friendships with several wounded warriors and their families whose lives had been transformed by the Gary Sinise Foundation. An organization launched by the same Gary Sinise who came onto everyone’s radar as Vietnam veteran Lt. Dan Taylor in the 1994 film classic, Forrest Gump.
Sinise started his foundation in 2011 to help wounded veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need by establishing a broad spectrum of services and programs to support their physical and mental health.
For the most severely injured who qualify, the foundation’s R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment) program builds mortgage-free homes. Not any cookie-cutter variety, mind you, but a customized house based on collaboration with the family, a local builder, an architect, and many others.
In 2021, Chad and Renae submitted their application, hoping they might be considered. It would be two years before they heard, but in August 2023, Sinise himself called to share the good news. His foundation was going to build them a house.
“There were plenty of tears from us both,” Renae remembers.
R.I.S.E. Director Pete Franzen made the first of seven visits to the Ohmers. “I visited their existing home to see for myself what challenges Chad had, and what was important to all of them.”
Perhaps the most critical part of the entire project was finding the right local builder. “The builder has to be a person of integrity who builds a quality product that they stand behind long-term,” Pete says.
As it turned out, choosing the right builder wasn’t difficult. “After the first visit with John and Ben Hill of John Hill Construction, I knew we’d found our quality builder,” Pete says.
“We had never done a project like this before for a veteran,” Ben says, referring to all the special accommodations the house needed. “It means everything to be able to help someone who has given so much.”
Which is why so many who were involved with creating the Ohmers’ new home gave of their time, expertise, and materials as well. JHC project manager Bill Bryant was there every step of the way, making sure things ran smoothly.
Chad and Renae worked with the Foundation and a local realtor to find the building site near Maineville, a 4-acre flat site that included woods. Gary Sinise Foundation paid for the land, too.
Pete, JHC folks, and others from Gary Sinise Foundation spent a lot of time with the Ohmers, making sure that everything Chad and his family needed (and many things they wanted) would be incorporated into the design.
Because the houses R.I.S.E. builds for wounded warriors have no basements, it was important to Chad that the house have a safe room where the family could shelter during a severe thunderstorm or tornado.
“We gave them a master closet that is everyday functional, but because it’s a solid concrete block room reinforced with rebar, it’s as safe a place you could hope to be,” Ben says.
Getting the kitchen right was extremely important to Chad’s independence. “I’m the cook,” he says, smiling. And that had been a problem in their previous home as it became more difficult for him to maneuver.
Now Chad can roll under the sink, the stovetop, be at eye level with the oven and microwave, and easily move things onto lower counters. Perhaps the coolest features are the cabinets that have pulldown shelves so contents can be easily reached.
The house took about nine months to build. Talk to anyone involved and emotions rise to the surface. No topic brings them more quickly than what may be the home’s most special feature: the Honor Wall. It’s part of every house that Gary Sinise Foundation builds.
On October 15, 2024, all the walls in the house had been framed, but not yet covered with drywall. Renae explains. “We invited family, friends, and anyone who had worked on the house or supplied materials … they had the opportunity to hang mementos and write messages of thanks, love, and encouragement.”
Chad continues, “Two of the guys didn’t make it the day I was injured, and their dog tags are behind that wall.”
It’s a powerful gesture, just out of sight, but forever there as a reminder of service and sacrifice.
“We tell families to think of it as a great big hug from Gary and the American people,” Pete adds. And one we’re all so grateful to give.