"It's a game changer for sure."

Staff Sgt. Eric Myers was serving in the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan in 2012 when he stepped on an improvised explosive device and lost both of his legs.  He came home to his family in Linden, North Carolina, confined to a wheelchair. "The home we live in now," he said, "I can't go to half the house, "since upstairs was off limits. This month, all that changed.

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A special home was built for Myers and his family by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a New York-based organization which has built more than 50 so-called "smart homes" for disabled veterans. Myers is the third North Carolina veteran to receive one of their homes.

The Myers family was escorted to the home by veterans, firefighters and police. The road outside the home was lined with American flags. Local emergency personnel and soldiers from the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg also attended. One inside his new house, Myers was at a loss for words. The one-floor home features a bathroom and kitchen designed to accommodate a wheelchair; appliances that can be raised or lowered, and window blinds that are controlled remotely. "I still don't believe it, to be honest with you," he said. "I can go to 100% of this home and do whatever I want. It's a game changer for sure."