Jan 13, 2009 5:58 pm US/Mountain
One Iraq Vet Pays It Forward to Another
Written for the Web by CBS4 Special Projects Producer Libby Smith
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) ―
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Carla Best now spends most of her time at her home. But getting around isn't easy because her house is not handicapped accessible.
CBS
In a small Aurora home, Carla Best is trying to adjust to life after the war in Iraq. She was a staff sergeant in the Army stationed near the Baghdad airport. Her vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device and she ended up surrounded by Iraqis.
"At that time was when there were a lot of threats that they were trying to kidnap females," Best told CBS4.
She escaped from the Iraqis but lost her leg in the blast. Best spent 2 years in a military hospital. When she came home to Colorado, she found the horrors of war came with her.
"If I'm driving in a vehicle, I'm waiting for something to blow up underneath me," Best added.
Now she spends most of her time at her home. But getting around isn't easy; her house is not handicapped accessible.
"To know that I would be able to go take a shower without someone worrying that I'm going to fall or not; or to go up and down the stairs without them walking behind me making sure I'm okay (would be great)," explained Best.
These are seemingly simple requests from a woman who tries hard not to ask for help. Now another Iraqi vet wants to offer help without Best having to ask.
No one knows the adjustment to life after the war in Iraq better than Matt and Tracy Keil. Just 6 weeks after they got married, Matt was shot in the neck while deployed in Baghdad.
He returned to his wife and a huge homecoming. The Colorado community came together to build the Keils a new house that's handicapped accessible. And when they needed some extra money to put the finishing touches on the house, a viewer asked CBS4 to pay it forward with a $1,000 check.
"We have this wonderful house, we've had so much community support, physically and emotionally," said Tracy Keil.
Now the couple wants to share the kindness. Matt and Tracy Keil asked CBS4 to pay it forward with $1,000 to Carla Best to pay for some improvements to her home. She'll get her dilapidated deck fixed and improve her bathroom to make her home more comfortable for her new life.
"I can't describe… I never expected this in a million years. I can't believe the Keils are doing this for me," Best said after hearing about the offer.
And yet the Keils can't think of anyone to which they'd rather lend a helping hand.
"She's always in the forefront of my mind to help because she never asks for help," Matt Keil told CBS4.
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