TAMPA —
For Mike Nicholson, a Marine sergeant who lost three limbs in Afghanistan, the long journey home to Tampa is almost over.
The latest step for Nicholson, who graduated from Plant High School and worshipped at Christ the King Catholic Church, came Wednesday, during a press conference at Heroes Plaza, where actor Gary Sinise announced a series of concerts to raise money to buy “smart” homes for Nicholson and 11 other severely wounded combat veterans.
The concert series, featuring Sinise’s Lt. Dan Band, named after the character he played in the movie “Forest Gump,” will begin May 10 at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park.
“It’s great to see all this support,” said Nicholson, still recuperating at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. “I’m doing great and hope to be heading back down to Tampa in March.”
Sinise said it is important to take care of wounded troops like Nicholson because “there are 300 million people in this country, and less than 1 percent wear a uniform and defend the country. That is quite an imbalance.”
The Gary Sinise Foundation and the Tunnel to Towers Foundation combined to create Building for America’s Bravest, an organization dedicated to raising money to build “smart” homes, each costing more than a half-million dollars, for the most severely wounded.
For information or to contribute to Nicholson’s home, go to supportmikenicholson.com.