Quadriplegic veteran will get special home in Chesterfield

Persian Gulf War veteran James W. Moore, a Bronze Star recipient, had just finished his three-year tour of duty when his life was irrevocably changed.

Three days after returning to base in Germany from Iraq in 1991, an automobile accident severely injured the first lieutenant's spine, leaving him a quadriplegic.

This week, a longtime dream was realized when Moore, 44, saw the start of a new home for him and his mother, Dessie, who serves as his caretaker.

The Disabled Veterans Committee on Housing -- a nonprofit organization that helped find the 1-acre property, then planned and financed the project -- held a groundbreaking Thursday for the home on Dry Creek Road in western Chesterfield County.

Asked what the house meant to him, Moore offered a one-word response: "Life."

Moore and his mother now live in nearby Brandermill, in a home where he has limited mobility. Moore designed his future home with the help of Woodford-based R.L. Seely Homes, brought on to the project by the veterans housing committee.

"The idea came out of my brain," said Moore, adding that he had been envisioning the floor plan for five years. "They did an outstanding job."

Equipped with electronic doors, easily accessible rooms and a hydraulic lift system throughout, the one-story home will be built specifically to meet Moore's needs.

"It will just be a better quality of life for me, and nice to be able to get around my own house without banging into things," he said with a laugh.

The Department of Veterans Affairs will provide an environmental control unit allowing Moore to control the lights, the television and access the Internet with the voice-controlled device.

Through its One-Stop-Shop program, the veterans housing committee is making his dream of freedom a reality, having already secured $80,000 in grant money from Veterans Affairs and Paralyzed Veterans of America for the $360,000 project. The organization will collect donations and raise other money throughout the construction process to reduce the mortgage.

"We're very aggressive and we make sure the deal holds together," said Richard L. Seely, executive director for the organization, noting that working through the red tape on a disabled veteran's home is a cumbersome process. "It's a labor of love for us."

Moore's home will be the first built by the organization in central Virginia.

Moore earned his Bronze Star as a tank platoon leader with the Army's 3rd Armored Division, engaging the Republican Guard in one of the war's first ground battles.

"Given the circumstances, he has a wonderful attitude," Dessie said. "He has good days and bad days. Before he could deal with the war, he had to deal with the injuries. He's just now beginning a little bit to deal with the war experiences."

About 25 people, including two local high schools' color guards, came out for the groundbreaking ceremony.

"This is nice," Moore said. "A bit overwhelming, but really nice."

The home is expected to be complete in four months.

"It will mean everything to see him in a place that he can easily get around," Dessie said. "It's just going to be wonderful."

Contact Wesley P. Hester at (804) 649-6976 or .