Marine veteran settles into Wesley Chapel home on 9/11 anniversary

Christopher Lawrence watched the Twin Towers fall on a classroom television in Milwaukee when he was 14. Three years later, he enlisted in the Marine Corps.

A Life Reshaped By The Sept. 11 Attacks

Sept. 11, 2026, marks the 25th anniversary of the attacks that reshaped his life. Lawrence now lives in Wesley Chapel with his wife and two daughters in a mortgage-free, wheelchair-accessible home built and donated by Homes for Our Troops.

Tampa Bay 28 reported Lawrence's story on Sept. 11. Lawrence enlisted over his family's objections, shipped to boot camp at 18 in 2005 and deployed to Iraq. On April 13, 2007, a bomb detonated beneath a bridge during a routine patrol, launching him into the air.

Roadside Bomb In Iraq Led To Amputation

He spent nearly two weeks in a coma at Bethesda Hospital. Months of recovery followed. At 21, he chose to have his leg amputated.

"I had to make the decision for them to amputate. I actually told them to take them both ... they were able to save one and took the other," Lawrence told Tampa Bay 28.

Nonprofit Built A Custom Home For Veteran

The Wesley Chapel home was built specifically for Lawrence by Homes for Our Troops, a nonprofit that constructs specially adapted houses for severely injured post-9/11 veterans at no cost to the recipient. Each home includes more than 40 accessibility features, including wider doorways, roll-under counters and automatic entry systems, according to Builder magazine. The homes exceed Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

Lawrence uses a wheelchair inside the house because of wear on his remaining knee. The adapted layout lets him move through every room without assistance.

Group Has Built More Than 50 Florida Homes

The nonprofit has built more than 50 homes in Florida. Its website lists 444 completed nationwide and 67 more underway. In June 2026, the organization donated its 50th Florida home to Army Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Cornelius in Lithia and announced plans to build two more homes in Pasco County. Nearly 90 cents of every dollar the nonprofit spends goes directly to veteran program services, according to its website.