U.S. Marine Cpl. Juan Dominguez and Temecula officials welcomed U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Matt Lammers to his new hometown Wednesday morning.
Lammers (right, blue shirt) is an Iraq war veteran from Kansas who was injured in 2007 when the Humvee he was riding in drove over an explosive device.
On Nov. 2, “Forrest Gump” and “Apollo 13″ star Gary Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band are scheduled to play a benefit concert on the steps of City Hall to raise money for the construction of a smart home in Temecula for Lammers, a triple-amputee who received two Purple Hearts.
It will be the second smart home built in the city by Sinise’s foundation and the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a nonprofit formed to honor the memory of a NYFD firefighter killed in the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center.
The first home was donated last year on Sept. 11 to Dominguez, a triple-amputee injured during his service in Afghanistan.
During a press conference at City Hall, Dominguez said Lammers will be right at home in Temecula, a community, that he said, has embraced him and welcomed him with open arms.
“I have little boys wanting to throw my trash for me, help cut my grass,” he said. “I’ve never had that in any place I’ve traveled in the United States, or any country for that matter, be that awesome.”
Mayor Mike Naggar, Mayor Pro Tem Maryann Edwards and Councilman Chuck Washington all took turns at the podium to welcome Lammers and pledge the city’s support for the concert.
“Temecula would love to be the sanctuary where heroes come to live. I think we’ve got a great track record; you can talk to Juan and ask him,” Edwards said.
Tickets for the show, which start at $75, are available at operationmatt.com. There are around 2,500 seats, and some more expensive VIP areas, being made available for the event.
In a brief address, Lammers talked about the challenges he has faced since returning home, a list that includes struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and multiple divorces.
Lammers, an MMA fan who was excited to hear Temecula is the home of Dan Henderson, married his wife, Alicia, in 2011 and they have a blended family of six children.
“My wife and I have moved around quite a bit, we’ve been through quite a lot,” Lammers said.
Lammers, who was born in Korea and adopted by a Kansas family as a baby, said he’s hoping Temecula is a fresh start for the entire family and he’s looking forward to exploring the area on some new blades.
Right now, he is outfitted with low-profile prosthetics that allow him to get around. With the blades, which he could get later this month, Lammers said he’ll be able to compete in the paralympic games and run in the annual Tunnel to Towers race.
“I love exercising and walking. Believe it or not that’s my hobby: physical training,” he said.
