The push celebrates the service and sacrifice of our military members this Veterans Day
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting America’s first responders, military veterans, and their families, has announced it has provided mortgage-free homes to 25 Gold Star Families in 16 states across the country in honor of Veterans Day 2025.
The Tunnel to Towers Gold Star Family Home Program honors the legacy of those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country by providing a mortgage-free home to surviving spouses with young children.
This Veterans Day, the Foundation is supporting the families of:
- Air Force Maj. Eric Spendlove
- Air Force 1st Lt. Felipe Alejandro "Alex" Sanchez
- Air Force Lt. Colonel Briana Singleton
- Army SSG Lloyd Perryman Sr.
- Army SFC Jamal Salaam
- Army Spc. Steven Waldron
- Army Sgt. John Brown Jr.
- Army Sgt. Jack Stillman
- Army Sgt. Major Michael Adams
- Army Sgt. Sean Ahern
- Army Capt. Alan Elliott
- Army Pvt. E-2 Thomas Brennan
- Army Sgt. Zachary Hisken
- Army Sgt. Douglas Bull
- Army CSM Steven Adams
- Army Sgt. Joshua Strickland
- Navy PO3 Eugene M. Hourican
- USMC Col. Mario Carazo
- USMC Capt. Miguel Nava
- USMC Maj. Tobin Lewis
- USMC LCpl. Michael Smith Jr.
Thirteen of the Gold Star families receiving homes this Veterans Day lost their loved ones to service-related illnesses, underscoring the continued risks our Veterans face even after leaving the service.
The Stories Behind the Homes Supported by Tunnel to Towers
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Briana Singleton
Lt. Col. Briana Singleton was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force in 2000. She dedicated over 20 years of her life to service resulting in a military career honored with several awards, including the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Air Force Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster: testaments to her exceptional leadership and dedication.
She met her husband Joe at a potluck event for Company Grade Officers (CGOs). The couple married and had two sons.
On May 22, 2022, Singleton passed away from a cancer diagnosis connected to her military service.
This Veterans Day, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation honors her sacrifice by paying off the mortgage on the family’s Yorktown home.
“It is difficult to describe the sense of relief and gratitude I feel knowing that we have a stable home, free from the burden of a mortgage,” Joe Singleton said. “Being a veteran myself, Veterans Day is already a special reminder of sacrifice and courage, but to see Briana’s legacy honored in this way will add another level to its meaning.”
Army PV2 Thomas Brennan
Army PV2 Thomas Brennan lost his life to Multiple Myeloma connected to his military service. Tunnel to Towers Foundation has paid off the mortgage on his family’s Sylvania home.
“Having this financial burden lifted is life-changing. To know I have this beautiful home where we raised our kids together, forever, is the greatest gift.” said Thomas' wife Whitney Brennan. “Tunnel to Towers has given us time to breathe, heal, and figure out what life looks like without Tom.”
Brennan served two years, including deployment to Germany during the Gulf War, and was recognized with several honors, including the Army Achievement Medal, Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, and the Overseas Service Ribbon. He was honorably discharged from active duty because of a knee injury.
Army Sgt. Sean Ahern
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation paid the home mortgage Army Sgt. Sean Ahern’s Gold Star family. Ahern was a beloved veteran and Endicott Police Officer from Skaneateles who passed away on March 8, 2024, from a service-related lung disease. He was survived by his wife, Lindsay Ahern, and their four children.
“Lifting this financial burden means my children and I get to keep our home. We can look at the corner where our Christmas tree usually is, and remember the holiday mornings we spent with Sean,” Lindsay Ahern said.
“We can sit down at our dinner table, where we all once sat as a family, and remember what it was like to share stories about our days with the man that we loved the most.
“We can see our memories in every hallway, every chair, every room, and now we will never have to say goodbye to the place where we made them.”
A Central New York native and lifelong public servant, Sgt. Ahern enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2000, inspired by the legacy of his father, a Vietnam veteran, and his grandfather, a Navy veteran. He served as an intelligence officer, deploying to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Afghanistan.
After leaving the military in 2005, Ahern continued his commitment to service as a police officer with the Endicott Police Department, where he served his community for nearly 20 years.
“Veterans Day is a time to honor those who selflessly served, knowing the risks they would face,” said Frank Siller, Chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. “The loss of so many heroes to service-connected illnesses is a stark reminder that the risks our military members face continue long after their deployments end.
“We are proud to honor their legacy by ensuring these families will always have a place to call home free from the burden of a mortgage.”
Join the Tunnel to Towers Foundation on its mission to provide mortgage-free homes to Gold Star families across the country by donating just $11 per month at T2T.org.
Born from the tragedy of 9/11, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation carries out its mission to “do good,” by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders.
Tunnel to Towers is also committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and helping America Never Forget Sept. 11, 2001.
You can read more about the tremendous organization here.
Visit Tunnel to Towers on:
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