May 6, 2025
Between 2000 and 2019, the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center reported nearly 414,000 service members worldwide sustained a traumatic brain injury. In the same period, estimates suggest that between 9% and 28% of service members suffered a TBI.
More than 1,300 American service members suffered a full or partial amputation of an arm or leg due to injuries sustained in Iraq or Afghanistan between 2001 and 2010.
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. John Folsom is worried about the combat-wounded soldiers who live with their parents. At some point, these parents will be unable to care for their wounded son or daughter due to their age. Young veterans will need assistance with daily living activities. They will need help cooking meals and getting dressed. They will require assistance with things that people take for granted.
Enter Dunham House, a first-of-its-kind, transformational initiative for combat-wounded veterans in need of long-term residential-centered care for their wounds. Dunham House will be located on 8.5 acres within a scenic 40-acre site in north Omaha, Nebraska, which allows for multi-phase construction. The complex will include housing and amenities to accommodate 30 veterans in a neighborhood center that is approximately 27,000 square feet.
“Combat-wounded veterans who come to Dunham House will experience a sense of comradery and bonding,” Folsom said during Tuesday’s groundbreaking ceremony. “This will be better for their mental health than an assisted care facility. Dunham House is a place to recognize service and sacrifice.”
Lund-Ross Constructors is the general contractor. Lund-Ross, which was founded in Omaha in 1987, constructs projects across the Midwest in the multi-family, educational, religious, not-for-profit, and public sectors.
“Dunham House is more than a building. It’s a place for quality of life,” Lund-Ross Vice President Rob Stargel said. “Lund-Ross is honored to partner with Dunham House to create a special place for those who have gone to serve our country and have come back severely wounded.”
Dunham House is an initiative and project development with Omaha-based nonprofit Wounded Warriors Family Support. It will be part of the Wounded Warriors Family Support programming and operational scope. Donors can help build Dunham House for $25 a month. A commitment to donate $25 monthly builds 1 square foot.
“That may not seem like much, but if 12,000 Americans join in a single, dedicated purpose, Dunham House will become a beautiful and sustainable care residence for America’s most worthy combat-wounded veterans,” Folsom said.
Dunham House will provide combat-wounded veterans with top-level care and a supportive community where they can live with dignity and independence. Dunham House includes housing and amenities to accommodate 30 veterans in Omaha, Nebraska. Dunham House is an initiative and project development with Omaha-based nonprofit Wounded Warriors Family Support. For more information about Dunham House, visit dunhamhouse.org.
Wounded Warriors Family Support is an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide support to the families of those who have been wounded, injured, or killed during combat operations. This organization is run by combat veterans for combat veterans. Rated a four-star nonprofit by Charity Navigator, Wounded Warriors Family Support aids veterans and their families in healing the wounds that medicine cannot.
