text: For the next two years, the Hockenberrys discussed the plans with GSF to get their own smart house in Marietta, funded and paid for entirely by Sinise’s organization. The amputee’s long-term hospital stay and eventual discharge from BAMC in 2012, official un-enlistment from the Army—who disapproves their members receiving gifts of a high price—and deciding details for the house like a location to paint colors kept the immediacy of the house in check.
  During that time, Hockenberry lived in Texas with Ashley in a small bunker of an apartment. The non-handicap accessible location was “a challenge” for Hockenberry and Ashley. So when he officially retired from the Army, they moved back to Ohio in a house that attempted to fit the amputee’s living situation. That also was not what he needed it to be, so they still struggled for years after his injuries. The smart house was most definitely an improvement.
  Hockenberry describes the smart house as having “a rustic look.” At six to eight thousand square feet, the two-story house is specifically customized to help the veteran be as independent as possible.
  The floor adjustments and hallways are wider. The doors automatically open and shut, and there are elevators to the different floors. Also included are lower shelves, taller ceilings, a full-length porch in the front, a half-length patio in the back and other special household appliances. All of those improvements, in addition a downstairs “man cave,” Kyle’s favorite room, make the new home a serviceable and fitting lodge for the couple.
  “I’m more than grateful for what they have done,” Hockenberry affectionately says. “It’s almost too much.”