U.S. Army Capt. Bobby Withers, family will receive specially adapted house

WINTER GARDEN — Another wounded American military veteran will receive a West Orange house specially crafted for injured soldiers.

This latest recipient will be Army Capt. Bobby Withers, who, with his family, will move into the house now under construction at 1026 E. Fullers Cross Road in Winter Garden.

Homes for Our Troops, the national nonprofit founded in 2004 in charge of constructing this house, hosted an on-site groundbreaking ceremony May 9, where Withers, family members, Homes for Our Troops representatives and local officials turned dirt to begin the process.

Many spoke from different perspectives on Withers and the Homes for Our Troops process, starting with his mother, Julie Withers.

“This was not some knee-jerk reaction to 9/11, joining the military,” Julie Withers said. “When Bobby was probably about old enough to walk, he pestered me for a toy rifle for quite a while. I started noticing that he would sleep with that rifle, and I remember standing there, thinking, ‘Either he’s very insecure and feels he needs to protect something or maybe he’ll go into the military one day.’”

Bobby Withers continued to sleep with that rifle, and on Independence Day each year, he received firecrackers and a bag of Army men and tanks, Julie Withers said.

“He’d put a firecracker inside the tank, light it and throw it over the deck,” she said. “This was every single Fourth of July, and I didn’t think a whole lot of it. I remember walking up the deck one day, and he’s scrambling through the bag, and he said, ‘Mom, I’m out of tanks.’ I said, ‘What’s that right there?’ And he looked at me with those big, blue eyes, probably 9 years old, and said, ‘Mom, that’s one of ours.’ I knew from then, he’s definitely going into the military.”

From there, Bobby Withers joined the ROTC, ultimately referring to his deployment as a metaphorical personal Super Bowl, she said.

Col. Patrick Beer, dean of students and commandant of cadets at Georgia Military College, inherited Bobby Withers from there.

“He graduated from Georgia Military College 13 years ago,” Beer said of Bobby Withers. “He stands out because most people would be known as Cadet Withers… He was always ‘Bobby Withers,’ as if it was one word.”

Beer attributed this to Bobby Withers lighting up rooms with enthusiasm and his patriotism.

Bobby Withers graduated as a second lieutenant in 2003 and made an impression by exemplifying the values of duty, honor and country, Beer said.

A BAD DAY

Bobby Withers ultimately became platoon leader of the Personal Security Detachment for the Commander of Task Force Morgan on his third volunteer deployment. His platoon was responsible for the Parwan province in Afghanistan.

Foreign fighters launched an attack before dawn May 19, 2010, in the largest attack on an Air Force base in 40 years, according to reports.

“On May 19, 2010, Bobby Withers was having a bad day,” said Larry Gill, Homes for Our Troops veteran liaison.

Suicide bombers in Army uniforms tried to infiltrate the base with explosive vests, AK-47s and grenades.

With Special Forces support, Bobby Withers led soldiers in eliminating a set of attackers. While he was securing the perimeter and moving to contact remaining attackers, he stepped on a mine that launched him 10 feet and severed parts of his legs. Allies provided medical attention and safe transport while limiting blood loss to save his life.

During recovery, Bobby Withers endured several skin grafts and the amputation of his right leg below his knee. He still needs further surgery to remove hundreds of shrapnel bits and has severe pain in his back and legs.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Staff Sgt. Joe Beimfohr, who received a Homes for Our Troops product May 11, 2013, mentioned how he would always bump into things with his wheelchair in other places he had lived.

“Every time I’d back up, I’d hit a wall or I’d go through a doorway and scratch it up,” Beimfohr said. “Trying to get into a kitchen with a power wheelchair, as you can imagine, is a nightmare, trying to turn around and move around.”

But since he moved into his new home in Wesley Chapel two years ago, Beimfohr has not had any of these problems, and he has enjoyed wide spaces throughout his house to make life more manageable. He also spoke about friendships forged through Homes for Our Troops.

“The people you meet during this process are going to become friends — they’re going to become lifelong friends,” he said. “I think the coolest part about it is, when you move into your house, all of your neighbors are going to know who you are: They’re going to know your story; they’re going to know why you’re injured.”

They might also know of Bobby Withers’ ambitions to volunteer with local food pantries, The Mission Continues and Team Rubicon, as well as spend more time with his two daughters.

Bobby Withers thanked his family, friends and Homes for Our Troops for love, support and guidance.

“The peace of mind that comes with knowing that I’ll be coming home to a specially adapted home is phenomenal,” he said. “This is my forever home. I’m always going to live in Winter Garden, and to know that, of all the things to worry about, coming home to a house that’s safe and comfortable and going to be accessible is never going to be one of them. I couldn’t be here without y’all.”

For more information, visit hfotusa.org.

Contact Zak Kerr at [email protected].