Wounded Marine honored with new home
FUQUAY-VARINA, N.C. (WTVD) -- Gov. Pat McCrory joined the Homebuilders Association of Raleigh-Wake County as part of Operation Coming Home on Thursday to present keys to a new home to a wounded Marine.
Florida natives Cpl. Ryan Wightman and his wife Melissa were surrounded by 150 fellow Camp Lejeune Marines as Gov. McCrory said events like this are an important way to thank our service members--something he himself is passionate about after seeing how his cousin was treated upon returning from Vietnam.
"I committed to them that as governor, I'm not going to let the returning men and women coming home from Afghanistan or Iraq ... we're not going to repeat the very bad welcome home we gave the Vietnam vets --for them we're going to do just the opposite," McCrory said.
Cpl. Wightman lost his leg to an IED blast while rescuing a fallen comrade in Afghanistan in May 2012.
Despite his injury, Wightman said he has no regrets about serving his country.
"I joined the Marine Corps because I wanted to be something bigger than myself and I definitely feel with you guys here and all the people here that I accomplished that," he said.
In addition to being overwhelmed by the thanks and support of the crowd and the house itself, the ceremony also marked a big change considering Wightman just drove down from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington D.C. the day before.
"We went from 600 square-feet late yesterday, to just under 3,000 in one day," Wightman said. "So thank you so much, thanks for coming, I can't tell you what this means to me."
Wightman's home is the ninth home from Operation Coming Home, and the fifth built in Fuquay-Varina.
