Combat Wounded Army Vet and Wife Accept Keys to Condo Donated by Wells Fargo

A combat wounded Army veteran and his wife, who met when they were in high school in Duarte, got their first look Thursday at a refurbished condo donated by Wells Fargo through the Military Warriors Support Foundation.

Tim and LLamilet Mefferd met with Patch on Dec. 19 inside the 1,500-square-foot home in a gated community in Moreno Valley.

"We just got the keys," Llamilet said. "We don't have any furniture yet. But we love it."

Tim was born in Whittier, raised in Rowland Heights, and he attended high school in Duarte, where he met LLamilet during freshman year.

He entered the Army when he was 17, and he was assigned to Fort Lewis outside Tacoma, Washington.

In March 2010, Army Spc. Mefferd was with 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 117th Infantry Battalion, Alpha Company 3rd Platoon, outside Kandahar in Afghanistan.

"We were going out to set up an OP, an observation post, so we took the vehicles out one night," Mefferd said. "We rolled out, we had a four-vehicle formation, that's four Strykers, one squad per each, four squads per platoon.

"We came up to this spot that looked kind of sketchy, but we decided to go through anyway," Mefferd said. "Our first vehicle went over got through fine. Our vehicle came up and I believe it was on the right side, we detonated a pressure plate IED, five hundred pounds."

The armored vehicle Mefferd was in helped protect him and his squad from the improvised explosive device, but he still sustained injuries.

"I hyper extended my left leg, I got shrapnel into the right side of my body, and a hairline fracture to my skull," he said.

He was hospitalized about a month. He'd sustained no debilitating injuries and he returned to his unit to complete his tour. He returned to the U.S. in July 2010, and he was honorably discharged from the Army in February 2012, with four years service and a Purple Heart.

He and LLamilet have been married three years. He's 23 and she's 21.

Tim currently works for the Veterans Association and he's going to school. He's earned his associate degree in criminal justice, and he has five months to go to get bachelors degree.

Llamilet graduated in October with credentials to become an ultrasound tech, and she's working on obtaining licenses to work. 

Tim says he hopes to work for one of the sheriff's departments in Riverside County, San Bernardino County, or Los Angeles County. He's especially interested in the Moreno Valley Police Department.

The Mefferds are the second military family to occupy a home donated by Wells Fargo in Southern California, said Amy Savicky-Injaian of Wells Fargo.

Nationwide, Wells Fargo has donated more than 100 homes through the Military Warriors Support Foundation in the past three years.

In 2012, Wells Fargo pledged $35 million over three years to support its Military Affairs Program nationwide, Savicky-Injaian said.

"We created our Military Affairs Program to help members of the military, veterans and their families by providing housing, career transition, and customized financial education," Savicky-Injaian said Thursday.

"A majority of the funds, $30 million, is earmarked Real estate owned (REO) property donations and support to qualifying nonprofits that serve military service members and veterans."

Nationwide over the past year, Wells Fargo has donated 66 real estate owned properties to wounded military veterans, Savicky-Injaian said. The bank has also participated in more than 150 military job fairs and launched its Hand on Banking for Military financial education program.

"With the large number of military members transitioning to civilian life over the next few years, we know it's more important now than ever to make sure that transition is a successful one," Savicky-Injaian said. "We are proud of the progress we've made towards our commitment, but we know there is still a lot of work to do. We plan to be there every step of the way."

Click here for more info on Wells Fargo's efforts to support military veterans.

For more about the Military Warriors Support Foundation visit www.militarywarriors.org.