A Marine veteran stood in front of a crowd of fellow veterans, home builders and generous onlookers on Tuesday morning. Though his emotions stayed shaded by a pair of sunglasses, a trembling can be heard in his voice.

“All I can say is to never end the fight. I’ll be there right next to you, anytime you need it,” he said.

The Marine, Cpl. Ryan Garza, had just been given a home in the Sterling Ranch neighborhood of unincorporated Douglas County. He is one of 100 veterans to receive a newly built house from the Helping a Hero organization’s 100 Homes Challenge. Garza’s new house is the first built by the organization in Colorado.

Helping a Hero was assisted by Lennar Corp. and Sterling Ranch in the building of the home and Bass Pro Shops in the funding of the program. Bass Pro Shops founder, Johnny Morris, pledged 25% of the cost of all 100 homes throughout the country.

“When Ryan walks through that door, he’s going to know that this is a bear hug from America,” said Meredith Iler, founder of the Helping a Hero organization.

Garza joined the Marines in 2008. Following his first deployment, Garza volunteered to stay for back-to-back tours in Afghanistan as a sweep team leader, helping identify and remove improvised explosive devices (IED) on roads for other military vehicles.

He then volunteered for a fourth tour. During that deployment, Garza experienced daily fire fights. His truck hit an IED during his final mission, taking his right leg and giving him brain damage. He then spent 13 months in the Naval Medical Center going through intense rehab and retired in Nov. 2012.

Oct. 3, the day the home was given to him, marks his Alive Day — the day he survived the attack. When Jason Nazarenus, division president of Lennar Colorado, heard the significance of the date, he intensified employees’ efforts to make sure the home was finished in time. The construction team built the house within four months, led by military veteran foremen that jumped at the opportunity.

“When I was in Afghanistan, we would marvel at these Marines,” District Attorney John Kellner said. “They would look around at ground and find these IEDs and make the ground safer for all of us. Cpl. Garza and people like him are the reason that so many other Marines, sailors and airmen came home whole.”

Garza — a resident of San Antonio, Texas — chose the Denver region as his new home due to his love for outdoor adventures and the mountains. Helping a Hero worked to build a home that can accommodate his disability and will continue to renovate the house for him in the future.

When Garza chose Colorado, Sterling Ranch had already been awaiting the opportunity, having previously reached out to Helping a Hero to become involved.

“What makes a community is having heroes in it,” Sterling Ranch President Brock Smethills said. “Adding Cpl. Garza is a huge win for our community. Having a hero of that caliber here is an honor.”

Garza looks to continue his dedication to service by furthering his career in public speaking. He shared the story of one of his best friends, another veteran, taking his life one day before Garza’s Alive Day in 2016.

“Even though I thought about suicide and wanted it to end, there was something that kept me going,” Garza said.

“For a long time, I couldn’t even smile. But once I started smiling, I realized God wasn’t trying to pick on me. He put me through the worst of the worst because he knew I’d make it.”

Garza plans on continuing to share his story to those who need help. He spoke of the seventh-year anniversary of his friend passing away Monday.

“I was able to know that I’m going to survive for him and I’m going to survive for those who think that they can’t make it,” he said. “I’m living proof that it can be done.”

Now Garza has a place of peace to continue his life and mission in Colorado.