Tunnel to Towers Foundation Honors the Memory of Fallen Servicemembers by Delivering Mortgage-Free Homes to 25 Gold Star Families this Memorial Day

Staten Island, NY, May 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — This Memorial Day, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation underscores its commitment to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country by providing 25 mortgage-free homes to the families they left behind. 

For Frank Siller, Tunnel to Towers Chairman and CEO, easing this financial burden is the least we can do for those who laid down their lives for our country and our freedom.  

“This Memorial Day, Tunnel to Towers honors the memory of those who volunteered to serve our great nation and did not make it home. Ensuring the families they left behind will always have a place to gather and celebrate their fallen hero is a tangible way to express America’s gratitude and deliver a clear message that their loved one’s sacrifice has not and will not be forgotten,” said Siller. 

The Tunnel to Towers Gold Star Family Home Program honors the legacy of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country by paying off the mortgage or providing the surviving spouses and young children with mortgage-free homes.

Some of the families who received mortgage-free homes this Memorial Day are:

• Air Force Master Sergeant Chrystal Stuckey
• Air Force Senior Airman Bradley Smith
• Air Force Senior Airman Charles Wood
• Army Staff Sergeant  Ryan O’Hara
• Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves
• Army Staff Sergeant  Nino Livaudais
• Army Sergeant Anthony Pagano
• Army Sergeant First Class Travis Tikka
• Army Specialist Robert Kirsopp
• Army Staff Sergeant Michael Nelson
• Army First Lieutenant Dustin Vincent
• Navy Chief Petty Officer Mattias Fiser
• Navy & Army Sergeant Gregory Ponci
• Navy Chief Petty Officer Derrick Demery
• Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Jeffrey Marquard
• USMC Gunnery Sergeant (EOD) John Fry
• USMC Lieutenant Colonel Leonard Troxel
• USMC Lieutenant Colonel Michael “Scott” Flurry
• Minnesota National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charles Nord 

Minnesota National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charles Nord lost his life on December 5, 2019, when his Blackhawk helicopter crashed during a maintenance test.

He left behind his wife, Kaley, who was pregnant with their son, and their two-year-old daughter. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has ensured that the home CW2 Nord wanted his family to be in will be theirs forever. 

“I am excited to be able to support and raise my children knowing that their father will never be forgotten…To be able to remain in the house that Charles worked countless hours on to finish for our family is priceless,” said Kaley. 

Army Sergeant First Class Travis Tikka enlisted in the Army after high school in 1984. He served his country for 22 years, deploying to the Middle East, Somalia, and Panama. He retired in 2006 and pursued a second career with the Social Security Administration.

He was diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma due to burn pit exposure during his deployments and passed on November 18, 2023. He is survived by his wife, Sara, and their children, Madyson and Mason. Tunnel to Towers paid off the mortgage on the family’s home. 

“Tunnel to Towers has relieved a huge financial burden… Instead of focusing and worrying about finances, I can now focus on what is best for my family emotionally,” said Sara Tikka,  SFC Tikka’s wife. “We now have a future that looks a lot less scary. This organization will be with me and my children as we live our lives to the fullest, as Travis had wanted.”

Join Tunnel to Towers’ mission to honor the sacrifices made by fallen servicemembers this Memorial Day by providing mortgage-free homes for Gold Star families by going to T2T.org and donating $11 a month.

About the Tunnel to Towers Foundation

Born from the tragedy of 9/11, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation carries out its mission to “do good” by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and building specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. Tunnel to Towers is also committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and helping America to Never Forget September 11, 2001. Visit t2t.org to learn more.

Follow Tunnel to Towers on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

Attachments

• United States Army Sergeant Travis Daniel Tikka
• Minnesota National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charles Nord

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