Operation Tyler, the local campaign to build a home for a severely wounded Mid-Missouri veteran and his family, has now officially gone from the fundraising and planning stage to the construction phase.
On Friday, about 200 people attended the groundbreaking for the 3,000-square-foot home for Marine Cpl. Tyler Huffman and his family.
Huffman, a Fulton native, was injured in December 2010 while serving in Afghanistan. His injuries from the sniper bullet have left him paralyzed.
When he returned home to Fulton after the injury, he said Friday, he was uncertain what the future held for him, wife Marisa, and son, Matthew.
"When I got home, I didn't know where we were going to live, what we were going to do," Huffman said to the crowd. "You all have really helped us out, there are no words for what you have done for us."