PROJECT SHUMAKER

MEET OUR VETERAN: SGT NATHAN SHUMAKER

Sergeant Shumaker deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 with Bravo Battery, 3rd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment, 18th Fires Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division. He loved doing his job as an artilleryman with his comrades.

On May 4, 2010, the career he enjoyed so much came to an end. During a fire mission, an enemy mortar round struck SGT Shumaker and his unit in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. The attack resulted in the loss of his left leg and damage to the right leg. He developed Compartment Syndrome in his right leg, which is a condition that causes pressure within the muscles to build, decreasing blood flow and preventing nourishment and oxygen from reaching nerve and muscle cells.

Now medically retired, Nathan enjoys spending time outside with his wife Missy and their two children. He earned his bachelor’s degree from St. Louis University and is now working on his master’s in social work.

Though Nathan has made significant progress in his recovery, living in non-accessible housing has been a challenge. He is unable to use his wheelchair in his current home because it is two levels, resulting in him wearing his prosthetic all day. Missy often worries about him in the bathroom because he must jump in the shower and balance on one leg, risking further injury. Receiving a specially adapted custom single-level Homes For Our Troops home with an accessible bathroom will ease these challenges for Nathan, and allow him to help Missy more with daily tasks and caring for their children.