On Tuesday morning the city of Marietta rallied together during a parade in honor of local veteran Kyle Hockenberry, who lost both legs and an arm a year ago in Afghanistan.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation and actor Gary Sinise have partnered to throw a fundraising concert this August with the funds going towards building Kyle a “smart house”.
The City and Foundation held a parade and press conference to promote the concert.
House Representative Andy Thompson spoke with WMOA News on Kyle’s sacrifice. “You feel very humbled by this because, I’m somebody that’s in public service but when you do this kind of public service, where your life is on the line, it’s a far cry from just the basic stuff we do to serve in office.”
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is in memory of Steven Siller, a New York firefighter who gave his life on 9/11. We spoke with his brother, Frank Siller. “I know that if Steven was alive, he would be doing everything he could possibly do to help our men and women coming back from overseas, especially the ones that are most severely wounded.”
Kyle’s father, Chet Hockenberry, expressed his gratitude to the community.
“For myself, my family, and Kyle, it’s just been overwhelming and humbling to see this much support from day one to now – it’s great to see people from the community and across the country step up to help others in their time of need.”
During the press conference People’s Bank kick started fundraising with a $10,000 donation to Tunnel to Towers, which will go towards building Kyle’s house.
The fundraiser concert, featuring Gary Sinise’s Lieutenant Dan Band, is August 16th at the Dyson Baudo Recreational Center on the Marietta College campus. Tickets are currently on sale at all People’s News locations.