'Warriors Wish' program helps southern Indiana veteran get new riding mower

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A nationwide initiative called the Warrior's Wish program recently helped a southern Indiana veteran get his wish for a new riding mower.

Justin Singleton says he loves mowing the grass, because it's his escape time, according to a news release. However, his 20 years in the Marine Corps left him with pain in his hips, back, and knees. Those challenges, combined with an aging mower with bad suspension, turned his passion for mowing into a chore.

"The riding mower I have now is several years old and is starting to show its age and wear as its owner has," Singleton shared. “The tires and shocks give me quite a beating, and while I enjoy cutting the grass, the damage it does to my body, mainly my back and legs, had started to take a very real and deep physical and mental toll on me," Singleton said.

So the Hope For The Warriors and its Warrior’s Wish program decided to change that. They gave him a new Ferris lawn mower worth more than $7,000. Andersons' Sales & Service in Crestwood, Kentucky, donated it, along with a $250 military discount and a $250 gift card to Singleton.

Singleton says he will enjoy being able to use the new mower, which will provide a smooth, comfortable ride for the weekly chore.

“At Hope For The Warriors we know that our warriors don’t always come home the same as when they’ve left for war,” said Robin Kelleher, co-founder and CEO of Hope For The Warriors. “We are thankful for anything we can do to help restore some joy and normalcy for veterans and their entire family.”

Singleton spent seven months in Iraq as a Platoon Commander, working with his troops to clear out the last pockets of insurgency and training Iraqi police to eventually self-police in his area of operation. While in Iraq, Singleton’s platoon sergeant’s military vehicle struck an improvised explosive device, injuring the sergeant and three other Marines. Less than eight hours later, Singleton was leading the convoy back to base when it was attacked by a remotely detonated “tank killer” IED, killing one and burning or severely wounding two other Marines.

“In less than eight hours, I sent seven Marines back home, one of them being a fatality,” said Singleton shared. “With little more than 10 hours to debrief, eat, crash, refit, rearm and suit back up, we were back out dropping off snipers and continuing the mission.

Singleton said he and his Marines spent the rest of the deployment clearing the area, taking small arms fire, mortar attacks and finding countless IEDs and bomb-making materials.

“No one left there unchanged," Singleton said.

Singleton deployed one more time before retiring in 2015, after assignments at the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab and lastly as the Operations Officer of the Nashville Military Entrance Processing Station.

Now, he works as a project manager in multi-family housing construction. Singleton has a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and Master’s in Business Administration. He also recently received a service dog to help him.

“The more time passed that I was out of the Corps, the worse my PTSD symptoms got, until my wife finally convinced me that I needed to get help. I have joined numerous veterans’ groups and started doing more events with veterans and my family," Singleton said.

Since 2006, Hope For The Warriors has provided almost $2.5 million in grants, assisting with 251 wishes.