Foundation pays off mortgage on Wilmington-area homes of fallen heroes

Cheryl M. Whitaker, Wilmington StarNews
·2 min read

On Veterans Day, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced it is paying off the mortgages on the homes of 35 Gold Star families across the country -- including one in New Hanover County.

The homes are in 18 different states, stretching across the country and will help families of fallen service members from nearly every branch of military service. In North Carolina, seven families received this gift.

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U.S. Army Sergeant Roger Leeroy Adams Jr.
U.S. Army Sergeant Roger Leeroy Adams Jr.

U.S. Army Sgt. Roger Leeroy Adams Jr., of the 120th Combined Arms Battalion, North Carolina National Guard of Jacksonville, was killed in the line of duty on June 29, 2009, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq.

Adams, who spent 13 years as an active-duty Marine prior to enlisting in the North Carolina Army National Guard in March 2006, served during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was an emergency medical technician Volunteer Firefighter with the Half Moon Fire Department and was firefighter 1 and 2 certified.

U.S. Army Sergeant Roger Leeroy Adams Jr. and his wife Teresa with their four sons.
U.S. Army Sergeant Roger Leeroy Adams Jr. and his wife Teresa with their four sons.

Adams is survived by his wife, Teresa, of Wilmington, and four sons, Tyler, Samuel, Maxwell and Baylee.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has provided the Adams family with a Gold Star Home.

U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant William “Billy” Joseph Kundrat
U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant William “Billy” Joseph Kundrat

U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. William Joseph Kundrat died in the line of duty on July 10, 2017, when the C-130 aircraft he was on crashed in Lefbre County, Mississippi. All 16 members on board died in the aviation accident.

Kundrat was enroute to his 10th deployment during the time of the incident. He joined the Marine Corps on July 30, 2002, and was promoted to staff sergeant on Jan. 1, 2011.

U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant William “Billy” Joseph Kundrat
U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant William “Billy” Joseph Kundrat

Kundrat is survived by his wife, Ashley, of Holly Ridge, and son, Ethan J., and daughter, Aleah F.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation will pay off the mortgage held on the Kundrat family home as part of its Veterans Day initiative.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington-area families mortgages paid off by Tunnel to Towers