Flatwoods, KY – Joseph Steele, a retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant, and his family received the keys to their mortgage-free home donated by Wells Fargo to the Military Warriors Support Foundation (MWSF) Homes4WoundedHeroes program. After a brief ceremony, the family was welcomed into their home for the first time.
Joseph was born on Fairchild Air Force in Washington state. He was in the middle of the enlistment process during his senior year of high school when the events of September 11 took place. He comes from a long line of warriors, and his family’s military history can be dated back to before the War of 1812. When Joseph enlisted in the Washington Air National Guard in October 2001, it began nearly two decades of honorable military service to our nation. Joseph Steele, now a retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant, is the recipient of the Purple Heart, Combat Action Badge, Army Commendation Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters and many other awards. It was during his deployment to Iraq that he was wounded-in-action when the vehicle he was driving ran over an improvised explosive device that exploded. He is the recipient of the Purple Heart for the wounds he sustained that day. In 2018, after 17 years of continued service across the Washington Air National Guard, United States Army & Louisiana Army National Guard, he retired from the military.
Since 2010, Military Warriors Support Foundation has awarded nearly 900 mortgage-free homes in all 50 states through their Homes4WoundedHeroes and Homes4GoldStars program. Every home recipient is provided with a family and financial mentor starting 3 years from the day they are awarded. The mentor works together with the family to develop a plan for their success, communicate monthly, review budgets, credit reports and savings goals.
Joseph Steele was chosen to receive this life-changing gift after applying to MWSF’s Homes4WoundedHeroes program. The application has a rigorous vetting process to ensure that the veteran chosen to receive a home is the best recipient to participate in the program. MWSF works with the veteran to ensure that the gift of a mortgage-free home assists them in their successful transition out of the military and into their new civilian life.
Since 2012, Wells Fargo has donated more than 400 homes, valued at over $60 million, to veterans in all 50 states, and provided more than 40 payment-free vehicles and financial mentoring, valued at over $1 million, to combat-wounded veterans and Gold Star families in collaboration with local dealerships.
Learn more about this program here: https://militarywarriors.org/homes/