Sgt Nathan Shumaker

HILLSBORO, MO

Mission Accomplished on Sept. 12, 2020

Inspired by his grandfather’s service in the 101st Airborne Division and his father’s Air Force career, Nathan Shumaker joined the Army shortly after finishing high school.

On May 4, 2010, on his second deployment, Sergeant Shumaker was serving as an artilleryman with Bravo Battery, 3rd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment, attached to the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan, when he was severely injured in a mortar attack, resulting in the loss of his left leg above the knee and damage to his right leg.

Stateside, he was transferred to Walter Reed Medical Center, where he received additional therapy and treatment for Compartment Syndrome, a condition in his right leg that causes pressure within the muscles to build, decreasing blood flow and preventing oxygen from reaching nerve and muscle cells.

Nate and his wife, Missy, are proud parents to three children. Nate earned his master’s degree in social work from St. Louis University and is currently working in that field. In their previous non-adapted, multi-level home, Nate was unable to use his wheelchair and was forced to wear his resulting prosthetic to access the bedrooms and bathroom.

On Sept. 12, 2020, the Shumaker family received HFOT’s 300th specially adapted custom home. The single-level home with a barrier-free environment allows Nate to rest and recover in his wheelchair and enables him to help with daily tasks and caring for their children.

Originally from Missouri, Nate chose to remain in his home state.

Nate and Missy are grateful to HFOT donors and supporters for their forever home. “Amazingly, there are people in the world who are willing to build specially adapted homes for injured Veterans like myself,” he says. “Once you are in this organization, you are in it for life. That’s what family does – they look out for each other.”

related articles:

  • Missouri Life Magazine, Jan. 25, 2020 – On May 4, 2010, Nathan Shumaker was on his second deployment in Afghanistan when an enemy mortar strike hit him and his unit.
  • ABC Eyewitness News 7, Sept. 13, 2020 – An Army Veteran awarded the Purple Heart for injuries he suffered while serving in Afghanistan is settling into a new home this weekend.
  • Good Morning America, Sept. 12, 2020 – An Army Veteran awarded the purple heart for injuries he received while serving in Afghanistan is settling into a new home.
  • KMOV4, Sept. 11, 2020 – A local Veteran and his family saw their new home for the first time on Friday as the nation honored and remembered the victims of 9/11.
  • KDSK, Sept. 11, 2020 – A Veteran who was injured while serving in Afghanistan will move into a new home in Jefferson County this weekend thanks to the work of volunteers and a nonprofit organization.
  • Leader Publications, Sept. 11, 2020 – Retired U.S. Army SGT Nathan Shumaker and his family will celebrate a big milestone this weekend that’s been three years in the making.