Mechanicsville veteran blinded in Iraq receives custom-built home

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. — A Mechanicsville veteran who was blinded and severely injured when shrapnel from an IED lodged in his skull during his second deployment to Iraq is receiving a specially adapted, mortgage-free custom home from a national nonprofit — built and landscaped by the community.

Roughly 140 people gathered in Spotsylvania on Saturday to help landscape the new home for Staff Sgt. Brian Pearce, one of the final steps before Homes for Our Troops officially hands him the keys. The Massachusetts-based nonprofit builds and donates specially adapted custom homes for severely injured post-9/11 veterans to help them rebuild their lives.

Pearce was on his second deployment to Iraq when an improvised explosive device blast struck his vehicle. A piece of shrapnel penetrated his helmet and skull, lodging in his right occipital lobe, causing him to lose consciousness. He was airlifted to a military hospital in Balad, where he underwent emergency craniectomy surgery for a brain hemorrhage.

After returning to the US, Pearce spent six weeks in the ICU at Walter Reed Military Hospital. His injuries resulted in blindness, severe traumatic brain injury with balance impairment, migraines, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The specially adapted custom home features an open floor plan, single-level, barrier-free design that will allow Pearce to navigate safely from room to room. The home is intended to give Pearce and his family more freedom and independence, allowing them to participate more often in community activities.