Apple Valley Builder Completes Renovations of Wounded Soldier's Home

After starting the project last summer, Apple Valley's and other volunteers have finished renovations to the Minneapolis residence of an injured soldier, who will now have better access and use of his home.

The recipients of the renovations, sponsored by the Builder’s Association of the Twin Cities Foundation, were U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Wesley Cureton and his wife, Susan. Wesley has 23 years of military service, and was awarded two Purple Hearts and several other honors.

During Wesley Cureton's second tour with Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, a mortar shell exploded on the other side of a door as he tried to retrieve wounded soldiers in his unit, Susan told Apple Valley Patch in an August interview. The door hit his face, crushing it. He suffered permanent blindness and neurological damage. His face was reconstructed and his jaw had to be wired shut.

Due to his injuries, Wesley is unable to control his body temperature, so going outdoors is difficult, Susan said.

“It’s the least we could do, considering the sacrifices Wesley and his family made for our country,” said James Madsen, owner of James Barton Design-Build, in a press release.

The summer renovations include a remodeled lower level of the home, and this fall/winter, workers renovated the kitchen, created an addition and covered deck and installed a fence in the back yard.

, the renovation plans for the house and James Barton Design-Build's work on the project.