The Tunnel to Towers Foundation marked Veterans Day Wednesday by announcing mortgage payoffs for 30 families of fallen military heroes across the country, helping ensure their loved ones have a permanent place to call home.
The families span 22 states and represent nearly every branch of the U.S. military, according to the foundation, which provides mortgage-free homes to surviving spouses and children of service members and first responders who died in the line of duty or from service-related illnesses.
Tunnel to Towers Foundation Chairman and CEO Frank Siller shared the news Wednesday on "Fox & Friends" to discuss the mortgages, its housing program for homeless veterans in Pennsylvania and its upcoming Season of Hope initiative for firefighters' families. 9/11 HERO’S MEMORY PRESERVED THROUGH MASSIVE EFFORT TO ‘DO GOOD’ FOR VETS, FIRST RESPONDERS: ‘HIS LEGACY’ "No.
1 is that we are paying off 30 mortgages to Gold Star families that lost their loved ones for our country. Many of them are dying of burn pit cancers, just like many of our first responders are still dying from 9/11 illnesses. It's very sad," Siller said. "So, on a day like today, we want to make sure that America doesn't forget that there's a great sacrifice always being made for our country.
We get to live in this great country. There are people out there that are still dying for us." The Veterans Day announcement is part of a larger commitment to deliver 343 mortgage-free homes in 2026, a tribute to the 343 New York City firefighters who lost their lives during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The milestone comes as the nation commemorates the 25th anniversary of 9/11, a tragedy that inspired the foundation's creation and its ongoing mission to support military families and first responders. "So, we made a promise this year for the 25th anniversary that we're going to deliver 343 mortgage-free homes this year, one for every firefighter who died on 9/11. That's almost a house a day," Siller said.
"From Thanksgiving to the Christmas is the remainder of those homes, over 60 homes that we'll be delivering, and it hit our 343 mark for the 25th anniversary." Among those whose families were recognized Wednesday were Army Lt. Col. David Briseno of Grand Prairie, Texas; Marine Corps Master Sgt. Khanh Tuan "Shane" Nguyen of Annapolis, Maryland; Army Sgt.
Brandon Minneman of Olympia, Washington; and Navy Chief Petty Officer Ernest Lopez Jr. of Oakdale, California. Other recipients included families in New York, Georgia, Tennessee, Illinois, Massachusetts and several more states. Through its Gold Star Family Home Program, the foundation seeks to ease the financial burden on families coping with the loss of a loved one who served the country.
AMERICA'S WOUNDED, STRUGGLING VETERANS GET BRAND-NEW HOMES BUILT BY FLORIDA TEENS The program provides mortgage-free homes to eligible surviving spouses with young children, offering long-term housing stability following the death of a parent.
In addition to the mortgage payoffs, Tunnel to Towers celebrated the grand opening of its Harrisburg Veterans Village in Pennsylvania on Veterans Day, expanding its efforts to combat homelessness among former service members. The new development sits on the former Phoenix Mill property, where construction began in April 2025.
The foundation transformed the waterfront site on the Susquehanna River into a residential community featuring a 61-unit apartment complex and 20 one-bedroom comfort homes. The…
