Home is where heart is for iraq vet

A National Guard soldier severely wounded in Iraq is getting a new home, thanks to Homes for Our Troops and a lot of helping hands.

By MARIA ELENA BACA, Star Tribune

Last update: August 15, 2008 - 11:11 PM

Every time Sgt. Marcus Kuboy tries to express his gratitude to the volunteers building a house for him, they turn it around on him.

"I try to thank people, thank people, thank people, thank people," said the National Guard medic. "They always revert it back to me, and say, 'No, thank you.'"

As volunteers raked landscaping rock Friday, Kuboy gave tours of his nearly completed Woodbury home. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Rep. John Kline and a retinue of cameras that followed them over an at-grade door sill, through wide hallways to an adapted kitchen and bath, and past an elevator that eventually will go to the basement.

The officials marveled at the spirit of the place:

Kline called the project "the best of the best of America." Klobuchar hoped the volunteers' energy would help Kuboy continue to heal.

Kuboy, a Robbinsdale native, was riding in a Humvee that was struck by an explosive device on the outskirts of Fallujah, Iraq, in March 2007. He walks with a cane and may still need amputation. Still, he's felt all along that he'd be OK regardless of what happened.

"As long as I've got my mind and the core of my body I was going to have some quality of life," he said. "Your body can be broken, but as long as you're winning the fight between your ears you're going to be OK."

The nonprofit Homes for Our Troops is building 30 houses for vets nationwide; Kuboy's is Minnesota's first.

The timeline for completing his home, in the Stonemill Farms area, coincides with the Republican National Convention in St. Paul next month. A similar project is wrapping up in Golden, Colo., near the Democratic National Convention, this month. The projects are meant to highlight the plight of wounded veterans.

While cities sometimes give the projects a break on property or on permit fees, the remaining costs are funded by private and corporate in-kind and monetary donations. The RNC and DNC projects were backed by credit union members nationwide through the Credit Union National Association.

For a few days during the convention, the home will be open to Republican dignitaries. On Sept. 6, Kuboy can move in.

Klobuchar ribbed Kuboy about filling the house with a family, but he countered that these days he's all about being grateful for right now.

Kuboy and others marveled at the stories that have come out of the project: the floor layer who turned out to be the guy who carried Kuboy's stretcher to the medivac helicopter; the tile layer who donated labor when the project coordinator asked him for advice; workers from all trades who put in time after working day jobs, and the volunteers who come in off the streets.

Project coordinator Matt Febbi travels from project to project in an RV. His son, Marine Sgt. Richard Febbi, died in a car accident in 2005 shortly after returning from Iraq. He dedicates his work to Richard's memory.

"Out of every tragedy, something good has to come," said the Marine veteran, who has three Purple Hearts himself. "This is the good."

Maria Elena Baca • 612-673-4409

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