Disabled veteran welcomed to Menifee custom-built home

Disabled veteran Carlos Gomez addresses the crowd outside his new home. In the background are Menifee Mayor Bill Zimmerman and City Council member Lesa Sobek. Menifee 24/7 photos by Doug Spoon

Menifee residents and local veterans gathered on Saturday to welcome a disabled veteran into his new custom-built home.

Homes for Our Troops, a Boston-based non-profit, purchased a lot on Mira Street and built the home to specifications suitable for Army SPC Carlos Gomez. Escorted to the residence by a parade of Sheriff's Department and Fire Department vehicles and veterans on motorcycles, Gomez spoke to a large crowd outside the home before the ribbon cutting.

Gomez was serving in an infantry unit in Afghanistan when his vehicle drove over an improvised explosive device. He lost his right leg, suffered severe back injuries resulting in the fusion of his spine, and endured several other injuries that nearly took his life. Previously a resident of Anaheim, the single father of two boys applied to the Homes for Our Troops program and, when accepted, chose Menifee as his new home.

Gomez was welcomed to the area by Menifee Mayor Bill Zimmerman and City Council member Lesa Sobek. Bill Ivey, executive director of Homes for Our Troops, was also in attendance at the ceremony outside Gomez's new home.

Bill Ivey, whose Homes for Our Troops has built many homes for disabled veterans in California, addresses the crowd.

Carlos Gomez sits with his sons and a painting of a sergeant who died during the explosion.

A veteran salutes during the singing of the National Anthem at Saturday's ceremony.

Here is a brief video of the sights and sounds of Carlos Gomez's escort to his new home on Saturday: