THIS OLD HOUSE® Features a New Home for a Wounded Iraq War Veteran

CONCORD, Mass., April 13, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As television's first home improvement series, THIS OLD HOUSE began its broadcast in 1979 featuring expert home renovation for national audiences. Thirty-five years later, the beloved cast of experts (general contractor Tom Silva, master carpenter Norm Abram, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Roger Cook, and host Kevin O'Connor) bring viewers a special project—not an old house, but a brand new home for a wounded Iraq war veteran overseen by the non-profit organization Homes for Our Troops. Three special episodes of THIS OLD HOUSE will be featured as a part of PBS "Stories of Service", a multi-platform initiative that unites powerful stories and conversations around our military veterans.

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Since September 11^th 2001, over 1,700 US military veterans have returned home from the frontlines with a range of life-threatening injuries. The national non-profit Homes for Our Troops has been building specially adapted homes– mortgage-free – for these deserving veterans since 2004. Starting May 14 (check your local listings), THIS OLD HOUSE highlights the important work of Homes for Our Troops as they build a new home for SSG Matthew DeWitt and his family in Hopkinton, NH. Also in this series, Kevin O'Connor will travel to Florida to talk with other Homes for Our Troops veterans/home recipients to learn how their new customized homes have impacted their lives. 

On his first deployment to Iraq in 2003, Matt DeWitt sustained serious injuries in an RPG attack that resulted in the partial amputation of both of his arms. Today, his family looks forward to their new home where keyless entry, raised countertops, accessible storage, touchless faucets and raised garden beds will make life easier as Matt and his wife Cat raise their two sons and pursue shared passions for cycling and gardening. Tom, Norm, Richard, Roger and Kevin will walk viewers through some of these essential modifications designed to meet this veteran's specific needs, and participate in some of the key home-build and landscaping projects.

THIS OLD HOUSE Productions General Manager Chris Wolfe says "It has been a privilege for our team to work side by side with Homes for Our Troops and to be able to honor the service of these veterans by sharing this important story on air and online, all through PBS "Stories of Service."

Viewers can check www.thisoldhouse.com/tvschedule for local listings to tune in, can browse a list of shows and films featured as a part of PBS's Stories of Service here: www.pbs.org/veterans/stories-of-service/stream-tv/ and join the conversation on social media using #TOH4TROOPS and #ServiceStoriesPBS. 

Visit www.thisoldhouse.com to access exclusive behind-the-scenes special features, such as a photo gallery, project overview, and products and services information. Become a fan of THIS OLD HOUSE on Facebook or follow the show on Twitter @ThisOldHouse

THIS OLD HOUSE is produced by THIS OLD HOUSE Productions, Inc., for THIS OLD HOUSE Ventures, Inc., and is presented on PBS by WGBH Boston. THIS OLD HOUSE is the No. 1 multimedia home enthusiast brand, offering trusted information and expert advice through award-winning television, a highly regarded magazine and an information-driven Web site. THIS OLD HOUSE Ventures, Inc., is owned by Time Inc.

WGBH Boston is America's preeminent public broadcasting producer—PBS's leading source of content for television and the Web (prime-time, children's, and lifestyle programs) and a major supplier of programs heard nationally on public radio and online. For more information, visit www.wgbh.org.

Homes for Our Troops (HFOT) is a privately funded 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization building specially adapted, mortgage-free homes nationwide for the most severely injured Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of these Veterans have sustained injuries including multiple limb amputations, partial or full paralysis, and/or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).  These homes restore some of the freedom and independence our Veterans sacrificed while defending our country, and enable them to focus on their family, recovery, and rebuilding their lives. Since its founding in 2004, over 90 cents out of every $1 (dollar) donated to HFOT has gone directly to Veterans in its program. HFOT builds these homes where the Veteran chooses to live, and continues its relationship with the Veterans after home delivery to assist them with rebuilding their lives.

About PBS Stories of Service
As America's storyteller, PBS is bringing together multi-platform content and powerful conversations around U.S. military veterans under the banner of Stories of Service. The national programming content features compelling stories of those who have served and provides a deeper understanding of our nation's military history. Through public television on air and on PBS.org, PBS member stations will create their own local content and provide community resources for returning veterans and their families. The initiative will educate the civilian population about our military history and highlight the contributions from the veteran community. The Stories of Service initiative was announced in May 2014 along with a community engagement campaign for select PBS member stations and their local veterans and funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), called Veterans Coming Home. The PBS programing under Stories of Service, many with funding support from CPB, includes, in 2014: COMING BACK WITH WES MOORE (May 13); NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT (May 25); DEATH AND THE CIVIL WAR: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE (May 26); D-DAY 360 (May 27); NOVA "D-Day's Sunken Secrets" (May 28); CRAFT IN AMERICA "Service" (November 2); MAKERS "Women in War" (November 4); in 2015: THE DRAFT (April 27); LAST DAYS IN VIETNAM (April 28); HOMEFRONT (May 25); THIS OLD HOUSE HOMES FOR OUR TROOPS (various episodes from May 14-30); ON TWO FRONTS, LATINOS & VIETNAM (Fall 2015); and in 2017, Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's THE VIETNAM WAR (w.t.)

SOURCE WGBH-TV/THIS OLD HOUSE

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