Heroes for Heroes

There is more to Memorial Day than flipping burgers, sipping a cold brew, or picnicking with friends and family. To some, like me and my four sons, it is a dark reminder of who is missing from the table, and the high-flying colors and clown-laden parades are too much to bear. Becoming a Gold Star family member, or one who's lost a loved one due to a military-connected death, is all too real for many in our beloved military community.

I'll never forget the knock on the door. It was late on a summer night in Massachusetts where I am from, and my four sons and I had been driving all day from North Carolina where we were stationed. They all slept as I tiptoed to the door half asleep. "Who is it?" I asked quietly. I opened the door and saw an Army uniform framed in the darkness. "We regret to inform you," he began.

There are days I wish I never asked who was at the door. It was the National Guard telling me that my husband, Sgt. Roger L. Adams, Jr. and three others were killed in action when the Humvee he was in ran over an improvised explosive device (IED). They were in Iraq. That was June 29, 2009, and I'm still numb.

Years later, the boys and I were in a tough spot. Leaving my oldest son behind, my three other sons and I moved back to Massachusetts because we thought it was the right thing to do and quite frankly, I was flailing, looking for something to fill the void. We missed NC though, so after a few years in MA, we wanted to come back home. The problem was, it was 2020 and COVID was wreaking havoc on our world. The housing market was impenetrable, and I was out of funds to relocate so my sons and I would all be together. I was trapped and my world felt so dark and lonely.

"Reach out to Tunnel to Towers," my Uncle Lee, a retired Marine said to me.

"They won't be able to help me," I kept telling him. Uncle Lee is persistent, so I caved and filled out an application.

Tunnel to Towers (T2T) is an organization that wants to make sure we always remember, and never forget. For decades, T2T has been gifting mortgage free homes to survivors of fallen military, first responders, and catastrophically injured veterans and first responders to honor their beloved and heroic brother, Stephen Siller.

All at once, I saw our future, and it was bright. They worked tirelessly in the difficult market to find us a house. I felt loved and safe in their care, and after a few months, we found our house, and this was all because of the Siller family.

Stephen tragically died while trying to save lives on September 11, 2001. While others were escaping the area, Stephen bravely went straight towards the danger zone. He "went on foot through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the Twin Towers, where he gave up his life while saving others." His family, including his brother, Frank, decided they needed to keep their bother's memory alive by helping others, so they created the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, and they operate with selflessness and a whole lot of heart.

A home is a safe place to remember a loved one, yes, but also somewhere to learn to live a different life, to be at peace. Without the worry of paying a mortgage, survivors are free to mourn as they wish, and to continue in this world when the time comes for them to begin their new lives without the ones they love. T2T offers mortgage-free homes to ensure the survivor has one less worry, and because of their generosity and their gracious donors, they are able to make it happen. Ninety-five percent of T2T's donations go directly to the program. They provide mortgage free homes, which also includes paying off the existing mortgages of survivors. The chairman and CEO of the company, Frank Siller, in an uncompensated volunteer of the organization.

They gave us more than a house; they gave us hope and freedom to thrive. Because of them, one son graduated from college; another was accepted to the University of North Carolina in Wilmington and just made the Dean's list; my youngest son will graduate high school one semester early next year and my oldest is happy to have us home. We have holidays together, special occasions, and regular Sunday dinners. I graduated from college as well and am now teaching at a local college and running my own business creating content for really cool people. None of this would be possible without Tunnel To Towers. Not one bit.

Besides the Gold Star Family Home Program, Tunnel to Towers has other programs as well: They have the Fallen First Responder Home Program that pays off the mortgages of fallen law enforcement officers and firefighters who leave behind young children; the Veteran Homelessness Program; the Tunnel to Towers 9/11 Institute where they work with educators to provide information about the September 11th attacks; and the Smart Home Program where they build mortgage-free homes for our nation's catastrophically injured service members and first responders; the homes offer an easier way to live using Smart home technology, having wider hallways, automatic doors, and more!

Tunnel to Towers offers mortgage free homes to people, yes, but they also offer love, security, and hope. They have a special St. Francis of Assisi saying which they live by, "While we have time, let us do good". May we all be mindful of those words while we live our daily lives and remember to always do good. And on the Memorial Day, may we remember the ones our nation has lost while they were fighting to keep us free, our nation's heroes.  

**Teresa Forester Adams, a Gold Star widow, is an instructor at Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville, NC and she owns and operates Maescribes where she writes and edits content for her clients.