BY KAREN BOSSICK

Matthew Krumwiede lost both legs when he stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device while leading his troops to check on the United States’ Afghan National Army allies.

But today—on Thanksgiving—the retired U.S. Army Sergeant is full of gratitude for the team he works with, the community he lives in and, in particular, a new accessible smart home being built for him by the Gary Sinise Foundation.

“I’m blown away,” he said. “I’ve come to tears wondering why people that I don’t even know are doing this for me. I have so much gratitude.”

Krumwiede grew up in Pocatello playing lacrosse, roller hockey, snowboarding at Pebble Creek and pursuing the tasks necessary to earn his Eagle Scout badge. Upon graduating from high school, he headed to Fort Benning, Ga., (now Fort Moore) to train as an Army infantryman.

“Ever since I was 2, that’s what me and my twin brother, who went to Iraq, wanted to do. We liked the adventure of it, the excitement the camaraderie,” he said.

Krumwiede was leading a squad across the fields in the Kandahar province of Afghanistan in 2012 when the Taliban opened fire, forcing him to scurry to set up a secure position for his team. As he did, he stepped on a bomb, losing both legs above the knee and incurring injuries to one arm, hand and abdomen.

He spent the next three months in the trauma and burn ICUs at Brooke Army Medical Center (now San Antonio Military Medical Center) where he underwent nearly 50 surgeries. His mother stayed at his side for two years as he learned to walk and run again using prosthetic legs.

“At first, I found myself anxious, angry, defeated. I’d lost my sense of purpose. I sat around doing video games, a lot of nothing,” he recounted.

Finally, Krumwiede decided it was up to him to chart a new course—a path depicted on the tattoos on his right arm that include Celtic and Viking symbols, along with the famous line, “I’m the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul,” from William Ernest Henley’s “Invictus.”

He moved back home to Pocatello, where he fixed fence on a ranch near Aberdeen and hauled hay in a semi-truck he drove with hand controls. And, when he decided he needed a change, he manned a fire lookout on the Idaho side of Lolo Pass.

“We got visitors every day, when I just wanted to be alone,” he said. “But then fire shut the road down for a month and I was left alone to just play my harmonica, read and hike on my prosthetic legs. It gave me time to think and process what had happened to me.”

Krumwiede returned to Pocatello where he volunteered with PTSD (Professional Transformation Sports Development), engaging veterans in skiing, mountain biking and climbing. He met a woman who had started a nonprofit for people with disabilities and followed her to Georgia because, he said, that country had sent more soldiers per capita to help the Allies in Afghanistan than any other.

He stayed for a year, then returned to Idaho and began to volunteer with Sun Valley’s Higher Ground. He taught adaptive skiing and worked at the front desk, living out of the back of his truck until he found a duplex to rent.

Meanwhile, his mother Pam discovered the Gary Sinese Foundation, founded by the Tony Award-winning and Oscar-nominated actor who played Lt. Dan Band in “Forrest Gump,” in addition to starring in “Apollo 10,” “Ransom,” “The Green Mile” and “Imposters.”

Krumwiede applied and soon the organization that has built 95 specially adapted homes for severely wounded veterans and first responders, offered to build him a home. He found his dream parcel in Griffin Ranch south of Bellevue, even as he got a fulltime job with Higher Ground as alumni coordinator.

“I wanted to live in a place with a ski resort. I love the Wood River Valley and the tight-knit community here. And I love the staff at Higher Ground, and their mission,” he said.

As alumni coordinator, Krumwiede keeps tabs on a few hundred veterans and first responders who have attended Higher Ground’s snowsports, fly fishing, rafting and other camps to make sure they’re doing okay and encouraging them to be involved in recreation and other opportunities in their communities.

“I talk with them—some just want someone to talk with. I help them write a plan of action and then I see how they’re following up on goals. We also offer a recreation enhancement fund that allows them to buy fishing rods, kayaks, a tent, even gardening classes—anything that gets them outside in the community. So, I want to make sure they’re taking advantage of that.”

Krumwiede also is keeping tabs on the progress of his home. It was designed by his next door neighbor, an architect. His builder—Daniel Fairbanks—lives a block away.

The ADA-certified home sports a cedar wainscot and stone in front. It will be painted grey and brown to blend into the landscape, There’s no step that Krumwiede has to negotiate to get inside the gabled front entry.

Inside, the single-story home has an extra wide hallway to accommodate Krumwiede’s wheelchair, a large master bathroom with bench seating and low kitchen counters. He will be able to control lighting and window shades by keypad.

The home features a great room encompassing the kitchen, dining and living room. The master bedroom and office sit on one side with windows looking out onto Baldy and two more bedrooms and bathroom sit on the other side. It includes a laundry room and three-car garage.

When done, the Foundation will furnish it with new furniture, dishes, towels and food in the cupboards.

“The Foundation has partners like Home Depot that give them a good price on building materials. And I’m just so grateful for the workers who have donated time, the businesses that have donated stuff,” Krumwiede said.

The Foundation held a R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment) fundraising event for Krumwiede in Pocatello. In September, it held a Walls of Honor ceremony marking the halfway point from the groundbreaking in June 2024.

Dozens of people crowded into the home, writing messages of love and support on the studs and beams.

“They’ll be there permanently,” said Krumwiede.

Krumwiede hopes that he can move in in May or June 2025. The public will then be invited to a dedication ceremony.

“It’s causing a little anxiety, as does the building of any new home, but it’s exciting,” he said. “It’ll be such a change to have a home where there are no obstacles. I am just so grateful.”