After receiving the keys to a new home in Bridgeland in late August, wounded war veteran Capt. Daniel Moran, USMC (Ret.), and his family were treated to another surprise in November, courtesy of the Boy Scouts of America.
The Boy Scouts are teaming up with HelpingaHero.org to partially landscape several homes awarded through the HelpingaHero.org Home Program. Local Scouts from the Sam Houston Area Council transformed Moran’s back patio with a variety of plants and shrubs on Nov. 10, the 234th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Marine Corps and the day before Veteran’s Day.
“We are thrilled to enrich the lives of today’s veterans in this meaningful way through the HelpingaHero.org project,” said Tom Varnell, Scout executive with the Sam Houston Area Council.
The Morans’ new home, provided through the HelpingaHero.org program, was built by Perry Homes on a homesite donated by Bridgeland, an 11,400-acre development of General Growth Properties in Cypress that was named Master Planned Community of the Year in 2008 by the National Association of Home Builders. This is the seventh of eight homes Perry has built at a substantial discount for the HelpingaHero.org Home Program. Houston Rotary District 5890 also was actively involved in raising money for the project, which was funded by The Strake Foundation, Rex and Marilyn King and the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.
A Life Scout, Moran is a Purple Heart recipient who joined the Marines in 2004. While on his second tour of duty in Ramadi, Iraq, he sustained a concussion from the explosion of a homemade bomb. Despite his injury, he urged his doctors to let him return to his platoon. Less than two weeks later, another improvised explosive device killed three of his Marines and wounded Moran, who sustained third-degree burns over 50 percent of his body. The blast also seared the inside of his lungs. Moran spent two and a half years in a burn unit at Brooke Army Medical Center (BMAC) in San Antonio recovering from his injuries and has undergone more than 30 surgeries.
Perry Homes designed a 3,300-square-foot home with special accommodations for Moran’s physical condition. An important consideration was to have enhanced temperature control measures such as tinted windows and a high-efficiency air conditioning and heating system, since Moran’s body is longer able to regulate his internal temperature. A separate system exclusively serves Moran’s office and bedroom, so those spaces can be kept at 68 degrees, while the remainder of the home can be adjusted to warmer temperatures. Plus, sophisticated air filtration helps protect Moran’s damaged lungs and vulnerable immune system. The now landscaped extended covered back patio allows him to spend time outdoors with his children without exposure to direct sunlight.
The Moran’s home is one of four local Boy Scout troops will landscape. The Bridgeland home was built in honor of the Boy Scouts, recognizing Moran’s long-time dedication to the organization and his rank as Life Scout. Hundreds of Boy Scouts and military personnel participated in the late August ceremony.
“It is fitting that this home was built in honor of the Boy Scouts of America,” said Meredith Iler, national chairman of HelpingaHero.org. “Daniel is an American patriot who loves his country deeply. We are pleased to honor someone who served valiantly and who continues to reach out to other wounded heroes and assist them in their journey to recovery.”
For more information on the HelpingaHero.org Home Program, visit www.helpingahero.org and for more on Scouting, visit www.samhoustonbsa.org.
Photo Information
Moran/Boy Scouts Wounded war veteran Capt. Daniel Moran, USMC (Ret.), chats with members of Boy Scout Pack 1179 while they work on a landscaping project at his home in Bridgeland. Moran was a recipient of the HelpingaHero.org Home Program, receiving keys to a new home in late August. The Scouts are adding to that gift by beautifying the back patio and yard with a variety of plants and shrubs.
About Bridgeland
The Bridgeland community is a development of General Growth Properties, Inc., the second-largest U.S.-based publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) in the nation. As owner of Bridgeland and majority owner of The Woodlands, General Growth Properties is one of the largest master-planned community developers in the Houston area.
About Helping a Hero
HelpingaHero.org is a 501(c)(3) organization committed to building specially adapted homes for our severely wounded heroes injured in the War on Terror. This home is the tenth home awarded through the HelpaHero.org program and is the seventh home built in partnership with Perry Homes.
