LI veteran injured in Afghanistan gets key to mortgage-free home

Three-and-a-half years after Marine Cpl. Kevin Vaughan returned to his North Merrick neighborhood after suffering severe injuries in Afghanistan, he truly came home.

On Saturday, Vaughan, 26, received keys to a house the Valley Stream-based nonprofit Building Homes for Heroes constructed for him, blocks from where he was raised.

"Four years ago, a huge door closed for me when I was injured . . . ," Vaughan said. "This opens 1,000 doors."

Doctors amputated Vaughan's left leg below the knee and reconstructed his right one with rods and screws after he was injured when an improvised explosive device exploded in September 2011. He said he received a Purple Heart for his injuries.

Vaughan said he could never have afforded a 2,450-square-foot Cape Cod-style home on Long Island. He said a mortgage-free house will allow him to focus more on family, friends, travel and hobbies. "I can do anything," he said.

Vaughan said the outpouring of community support "shows people care, that you're not alone. It's very comforting."

Andy Pujol, the nonprofit's founder and president, said it's often crucial for injured veterans to live near their support network. A free home reduces stress and allows them to concentrate on rebuilding their lives, Pujol said.

Vaughan's home is the most recent of nearly 100 homes the group has built since Pujol created the nonprofit in 2006.

There are three other new-home inaugurations nationwide that Pujol will attend in the coming days in honor of Veterans Day on Wednesday.

There will be events throughout Long Island next week to honor veterans. On Saturday, about 200 veterans from World War II to the Iraq War were honored at a ceremony in Islandia that mayor and Vietnam veteran Allan Dorman said is a way "to recognize our veterans' sacrifice."

And Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City) presented commemorative medals to Vietnam veterans at a ceremony in Old Bethpage.

With Sarah Armaghan