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TOOELE — A fighter jet mechanic who suffered a brain tumor from chemical exposure during his military service received a life-changing gift Wednesday in the form of a new smart home.
But it wasn't the tour of the new house that made retired Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jesse Clark emotional — it was the community showing up for him.
"It made me cry," he said to a group of reporters filling out the living room of the new place. "And I don't cry that easy."
Clark, who has used a wheelchair since brain surgery left him partially blind and paralyzed, was driven down 200 South in a grand procession, rolling under a giant American flag draped from the ladder of a fire truck, carried along by a river of motorcyclists, police officers, a fire truck — the works.
In his new driveway, Clark was greeted by beauty pageant queens with pinwheels, military working dogs with tails wagging, smiling Patriot Guard Riders in black leather, local government officials, Veterans of Foreign Wars members hoisting flags, and Home Depot employees in orange smocks.
In Clark's over 20 years of service, he worked as a crew chief on the F-16 fighter plane, among many other duties. He joined in 1985, right out of high school, and was stationed at Hill Air Force Base for the first 4½ years of his over two decadeslong career.
"When he first heard where he was being sent to, he goes, 'What country is that in?'" said Clark's wife, Rebecca, joking with attendees of the dedication ceremony. Their family fell in love with Utah and requested to return in the last years of Clark's service.
Jesse Clark served in Operation Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. He earned four Joint Meritorious Medals for his bravery in combat. It was during the Gulf War that Clark said he was exposed to the dangerous chemicals given off when the Iraqi army under Saddam Hussein burned Kuwaiti oil wells.
"I had a seizure," Jesse Clark said. "I woke up in the emergency room. I asked, 'Why is it so bright? My house doesn't have lights like these.'" Scans revealed he had a large brain tumor.
In early 2012, the tumor was removed, but Jesse Clark spent several days in a coma, months in the hospital and years in a rehab care center. He was left "paralyzed on the left side of his body, legally blind, wheelchair bound and prone to memory loss," according to a release from the organization that built his new house, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Rebecca Clark said one day she saw a commercial for the foundation and reached out. "We were all very skeptical. Over the past 10 years of trying to get anything to help us, it never panned out. Nobody was willing to help," she said.
But representatives from the organization responded to their request, offering to build a new, mortgage-free home. "We have never been happier to be proven wrong," Jesse Clark said.
In their current apartment, the Clarks' children had to use a wheelchair dolly to get Jesse Clark up and down the stairs to go anywhere. "The doors were always too narrow, the bedrooms were too small, and we would sometimes have to move furniture so he could join us in the living room," said Rebecca Clark.
It was all jokes, however, for the veteran during the new home tour, clearly uplifted by the new amenities. "This house is smarter than me," he said. The entire residence is connected to the internet, allowing the family to control lights, temperature and more from their phones. Every area has clearance for wheelchair access.
"I won't be in this chair all the time, and I won't be in bed all the time. I'll be able to get up and get out, spend time with my family," Jesse Clark said.
Small details in every room revealed how much care went into the design of this home, one of 200 planned for this year by the foundation. Lower cabinets, touch-activated faucets, handles instead of knobs, benches in the shower, a bidet for the toilet, a stove with adjustable height — the list goes on and on.
"It gives him back his dignity and sense of normalcy that we feared was lost," said Rebecca Clark.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was formed out of the borough of Staten Island in New York to support first responders and the military in memory of those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Jack Kielty, a former lieutenant for the New York Fire Department and member of the board, presented the Clarks with a plaque containing steel from the rubble of the towers.
"Many of my friends were never found, so this is all we have to remember them," Kielty said, adding that he considers the steel sacred and the organization "has decided to give it to the most deserving of heroes."
"Sergeant Jesse Clark, you are one of those heroes," Kielty said.
In attendance for the home dedication were project partners, along with Tooele Mayor Debbie Winn, Rep. Celeste Maloy, Tooele councilmembers, and other elected officials.
"While we are here, while we are able, let us do good," said Kielty. The organization has built three homes for veterans in Utah including the Clarks' and an estimated 1,200 homes given to first responders, veterans, or their next-of-kin.
