Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I rise this evening to commend Homes for Our Troops, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, for its remarkable service to military men and women who have returned home with serious disabilities and injuries.

Homes for Our Troops was founded in 2004 to assist severely injured service men and women and their families by raising donations of money, building materials and professional labor, and coordinating the process of building a new home or adapting an existing home for handicap accessibility.

Homes for Our Troops has been awarded the Seal of Excellence by Independent Charities of America, and all services provided by the organization are at no cost to the veteran it serves.

This Saturday, I happened to be fortunate enough to witness firsthand the great work of this organization when U.S. Sergeant Edmundson and his family received keys to their new home in New Bern, North Carolina.

Sergeant Edmundson was severely wounded on October 2, 2005 in an IED attack in Iraq. His injuries include shrapnel wounds to his abdomen and right leg, and fractured vertebrae. Sergeant Edmundson has not been able to walk since the explosion, and he still cannot talk. He has worked very hard the past 2 years to regain quality of life, and just recently returned to his family after a 6-month rehabilitation stay in Chicago.

After Sergeant Edmundson was discharged, he and his family relocated to New Bern, North Carolina. Sergeant Edmundson and his family were selected to receive a new home after they encountered John Gonsalves, the president and founder of Homes for Our Troops. Sergeant Edmundson was at a recovery center in Washington, DC, when he met Mr. Gonsalves.

Thousands of dollars in donations from businesses and members of the Craven County community poured in to support the efforts of Homes for Our Troops to build a home for this hero and his family in New Bern, North Carolina.

This Saturday, my heart was touched so deeply as I saw the joy of Sergeant Edmundson, his wife Stephanie, and his little girl, Gracie, as they were welcomed into their home.

This story is only one example of many individuals and groups across this Nation that are doing God's will for our men and women in uniform. I feel humbled to have met Sergeant Edmundson and his family, and all of those who have formed such a caring support system for them. These contributions and acts of service are what truly shows the goodness and the greatness of America.

Madam Speaker, with that, I close by asking God to continue to bless our men and women in uniform and their families, and ask God to continue to bless America.