RINGGOLD, Ga. -- On what was just a concrete slab nine days earlier now stood a four-gabled dream house. The smell of sawdust still hung in the air as scores of friends, family and volunteers assembled around a small stage at the foot of the sloping front lawn as Sgt. Jason Smith and his wife, Lauren, were handed the keys to their brand-new home Saturday morning.
Then Jason, Lauren and their 5-month-old daughter, Lyla, led a group of family members up the flag-lined driveway to tour their fully furnished house, which they hadn't been inside since the third day of construction.
Jason picked Lauren up in his arms and carried her across the threshold into the expansive open living room and kitchen. They moved excitedly from Lyla's pink-and-white room, complete with a tree growth chart stenciled on the wall, to their large master bedroom, to Jason's specially designed shower and bathroom. Lauren still couldn't believe the house was for them.
"My heart's beating out of my chest," she said.
Jason looked up at the high wooden ceiling in awe, shaking his head.
"It's unreal," he said. "Words can't describe it."
Smith, an Army veteran who lost both legs after stepping on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2012, was chosen by Kentucky-based philanthropist Mike Fitzpatrick and Chattanooga-based nonprofit Steps 2 Hope to receive a brand new home in Ringgold free of charge.
Before the keys were handed over, Steps 2 Hope founder and executive director Mark Wilson thanked all of the people who came together to make the project a reality. Over the eight-day build, more than a thousand volunteers from 12 states pitched in to build the Smiths their home.
"It's the community coming together to do whatever it is they can do for a soldier who gives us everything," Wilson said.
Fitzpatrick, a retired firefighter who lives in Kentucky, tapped into his network and brought in 50 firefighters from New York, Louisiana, Kentucky and Alabama. One of them was Mark Hand, from Albertville, Ala., who had such a good time meeting everyone and working for a such a worthy cause that he said building the house wasn't even the hard part.
"Leaving here Thursday was the hardest thing I had to do," he said.
Fitzpatrick, who joked that the house wouldn't be christened until there was "beer in the fridge," said the nationwide effort that saw this project realized epitomized what this country is all about.
"It's America," he said.
Sgt. Andrew Smith, no relation to Jason and Lauren, was there with his wife, Tori. Andrew, who also lost both legs while serving in Afghanistan, was the first recipient of a Steps 2 Hope house, built just three miles from Jason's. Andrew met Jason a year ago, and the two became friends.
"We've bonded over our similar experiences," Andrew said. "It'll be awesome having him so close."
Moved by the outpouring of support during their home-build two years ago, Andrew and Tori started their own nonprofit, the Honoring the Sacrifice Foundation, dedicated to assisting veterans and their families. They presented Jason and Lauren with a $15,000 check and an orange zero-turn lawnmower.
"Jason, I want to thank you for your sacrifice, brother," Andrew said.
Later on, the crowd thinned out. Lyla was fast asleep, and a few family, friends and well-wishers remained. In a few short hours, the fanfare would be over, and the Smiths would be settling into their first night in their new home -- one very large step closer to the normal they've been looking for.
Contact Will Healey at whealey@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731.