Building a home for an American hero

WORTHINGTON, Mass. (WWLP) - Army Sgt. Peter Rooney and his wife Suzanne looked on gratefully as members of the organization Homes for Our Troops went about their mission of building the Rooneys’ new home in Worthington which will have all of the necessary handicapped accessible features. Sgt. Rooney, a Pittsfield native, lost both his legs above the knees from a roadside bomb blast in Iraq.

Sgt. Rooney told 22News how he and his wife felt about what's being done for them..

“The best words to describe it were shocked, there's an organization like this really went beyond the normal realm of compassion or charity and really took care of the individual.”

The all-volunteer force were working hard to finish Sgt. Rooney's new home as quickly as they could.

Jeffrey May of South Deerfield put it best when he told 22News what motivated him to join the volunteer work force.

“I'm building a house for Peter Rooney. I figure it's the least I can do for him. He spent time in Iraq and lost his legs while I was home.”

The building brigade challenged itself to a tight schedule. If all goes well, they'll be completing their labor of love before the end of the month.