Grateful for his service, the Bank of America gave disabled Army veteran Anthony Shepler a $250 gift card Monday to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family in their renovated Las Vegas home.
The bank, along with nonprofit organizations HomeStrong USA, the National Community Stabilization Trust and One Hero at a Time, donated the home in March.
The gift card, with some flowers and other goodies, surprised Shepler and his wife, Jodi, who just last week buried Sheplers father, a Marine veteran.
I cant express my gratitude enough to everyone who has helped, said Shepler, 44, a former Army corporal with nearly 19 years of service including deployments to Kosovo and the Middle East. Theyve done it selflessly, and they did it for a stranger.
Bank of America Market Executive Al Welch, who presented the gift card to the Sheplers, said, Were just humbled and honored to recognize his service to our country.
He said the bank and its partners accomplished two goals by donating a foreclosed house to a veteran in need.
First and foremost its serving military veterans and their families, he said. Its also revitalizing our neighborhoods.
The house on Broward Lane in southwest Las Vegas is one of 1,600 the Bank of America has been involved in donating to veterans nationwide.
Welch said Bank of America is also dedicated to hiring veterans. Some 5,000 have been hired in the past four years, bringing to 8,000 the number of veterans working for the company.
Our plan is to make that 10,000 in the next couple years, he said.
Shepler joined the Army in 1987 and served as a combat engineer stationed in Germany. He was deployed twice to the Middle East, first at the onset of the Persian Gulf War and later as the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was brewing for Operation Iraqi Freedom. He also served as a reservist and communications specialist.
During the Kosovo conflict in the late 1990s, he was saddened by the sight of starving children wearing T-shirts in the winter.
We were there to help but couldnt do anything.
Shepler was honorably discharged in 2005. He is a 100 percent disabled veteran who suffers from heart problems and post-traumatic stress disorder.
