Gary Sinise Foundation dedicated its 100th mortgage-free, specially adapted smart home to Army veteran Joe Bowser (Image Credit: Gary Sinise Foundation )
That changed in November 2025, when the Gary Sinise Foundation dedicated its 100th mortgage-free, specially adapted smart home to him. The milestone home was built around Bowser’s mobility needs, giving him and his wife, Michele, a safer and more accessible place to live, according to the Gary Sinise Foundation’s own 2025 year-end campaign page. His previous house in West Virginia was built in 1839 and had narrow hallways and doorways that were difficult to navigate in a wheelchair.
The approximately 2,991-square-foot, three-bedroom, single-storey ranch near Fort Campbell was built so that Bowser could move throughout the home without having to deal with stairs, according to PEOPLE.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Sinise said Bowser repeatedly suggested that another veteran should receive the opportunity instead. Sinise told PEOPLE that Bowser was among those veterans who did not necessarily believe their injuries were severe enough to warrant a specially built home. For nearly two decades, wounded Army veteran Joe Bowser had turned down an offer that could have made everyday life much easier for him. The milestone marked a major moment in the foundation’s work to provide specially adapted homes for severely wounded veterans. The offer of a specially adapted home did not immediately appeal to Bowser. In fact, he spent years turning it down. The Gary Sinise Foundation had considered Bowser for its R.I.S.E. programme, which provides custom-built homes for wounded veterans. Eventually, however, Bowser agreed. The decision came as the limitations of his existing home became harder to ignore. The second floor had also become increasingly challenging and unsafe for Bowser. He sometimes uses a wheelchair when he cannot use his prosthetic leg, making the layout of the old house particularly difficult. The new Tennessee house was designed with those everyday challenges in mind. The design includes five-foot-wide hallways, lower cabinets that can be reached from a wheelchair and an accessible shower fitted with a heated bench. These may seem like small details, but for someone navigating a home with a prosthetic leg or wheelchair, they can change how easily everyday activities are managed.
The idea behind the foundation’s specially adapted homes is not simply to provide a veteran with a house. The homes are designed around the individual needs of the person who will live there, with accessibility and independence built into the design. For Bowser, that means being able to move around his home more easily and safely.