Volunteers gather at the Trost's home where they have been renovating the soldier's barn
Volunteers gather at the Trost's home where they have been renovating the soldier's barn
An East Tennessee soldier wounded in Afghanistan will return to his Blount County home this week, where friends and volunteers have a few surprises in store.
Master Sergeant Michael Trost, 49, was shot six times while his unite was helping build a school in Afghanistan in February. He sustained bullet wounds to his hand, hip, and right leg.
He has been recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland and plans to return to his home in Maryville Thursday evening.
Before his deployment, friends say Trost enjoyed renovating a barn on his farm property.
They realized it would be difficult for him to continue with his new injuries. Friends at New Hope Blount County Children's Advocacy Center, where Trost's wife Stephanie serves as a board member, decided to take action.
"The board decided we needed to step in and do something to help them for their arrival home," said one project organizer, Lane Steele.
The group reached out to local businesses for support, and quickly found it.
"The response has been overwhelming. We have received multiple donations of items that we need," Steele said.
With volunteers and donations from Anderson Lumber, Ed's Odds and Ends Tennessee, Cherokee, Millwright, & Mechanical and many others, the group has worked to continue renovations on the barn.
Steele says another company, Harrison APAC, also volunteered to pave the Trost's gravel driveway.
"They paved, asphalted a part of it, simply so that Mike could get out of his car when he came in and he would have a place to practice walking during his therapy time," she said.
Other volunteers have maintained the farm, where the Trosts keep horses and chickens.
Steels says it was important to friends to prepare for a proper homecoming.
"I am most looking forward to seeing Mike and Stephanie's faces for the first time tomorrow night," she said.
"[This] shows them how valuable they are to everyone."
Steele says the group has plans for a community build to finish the barn project, which is scheduled for June 9th.
Anyone interested in donating to help efforts can contribute to the "Michael Trost Fund," through local SunTrust bank branches.