Injured Army veteran battling leukemia gifted mortgage-free home in Richmond Hill

RICHMOND HILL, Ga. (WTOC) - A retired Army veteran who suffered severe injuries during his military service and is now battling leukemia received a life-changing surprise Wednesday afternoon: a brand-new, mortgage-free home in Richmond Hill.

Retired Army Chief Warrant Officer Steve Smith and his wife, Jenifer, were welcomed into their custom, three-bedroom home in the Del Webb Savannah at Heartwood community during an emotional ceremony surrounded by community leaders, veterans and family.

“It’s like you literally go out, get a lottery card, and you’re like, ‘I won,’” Smith said.

Service and life-altering injuries

Smith enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1990, dedicating 13 years of service before being medically and honorably discharged in 2003.

While deployed to Kuwait that same year, Smith was performing a high-altitude night parachute jump when his chute became entangled and partially collapsed. Unable to deploy his reserve chute in time, he plummeted roughly 200 feet to the ground in a semi-assisted fall.

The impact fractured bones across his back, shoulders, collarbone, femur, pelvis and right arm, leaving him with permanent paralysis in his hand. He also lives with a traumatic brain injury, PTSD, hearing and vision loss, tinnitus and ongoing mobility complications. Smith has since been diagnosed with leukemia.

“To be injured in the way I was, it was a mental blow, because you feel like you can no longer be who you were,” Smith said.

For years, the couple faced mounting questions about the future.

“It’s surreal, you dream, you think, ‘What’s gonna happen?’” Jenifer Smith said.

Built for accessibility and family

The home was gifted through a partnership between national nonprofit Building Homes for Heroes and PulteGroup’s Built to Honor program.

The house was constructed with specialized accommodations for Smith’s physical recovery, featuring zero-entry doorways, a roll-in shower and full main-level living spaces.

PulteGroup Coastal Carolinas Division President Matthew Raines said crews wanted to ensure the home was completely stress-free from day one.

“We’re gonna provide them a fully furnished house, move-in ready, with things in the pantry,” Raines said, noting the home includes “the amazing things that they put throughout this house to make your life wonderful, easier, happier.”

During the ceremony, U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter presented Smith with an American flag that previously flew above the U.S. House of Representatives.

“A community that cares about each other, and that’s why we’re here today,” Carter said. “We’re here to welcome home Steve and Jenifer Smith, a true American hero.”

For the Smiths, Richmond Hill offers not just physical stability, but proximity to loved ones. The home splits the distance between family living in Virginia and Florida.

“Being able to go an hour and a half to go see them, that means everything to me, it really does,” Smith said.