Believe in Heroes
November 10, 2011 | Football
Saturday's game against Oklahoma State will serve as the second annual Wounded Warrior Project
Nov. 10, 2011
by Jessika Bailey
Texas Tech Athletics Communications
June 20, 2008. That is the day Corporal Anthony Villarreal, USMC, will never forget. While on his third tour in Afghanistan, Villarreal was driving back to the base when the Humvee struck an IED (Improvised Explosive Device). Villarreal was severely injured with third degree burns over 60-70 percent of his body, and lost several of his "brothers in arms" that day.
"There were a lot of other guys I talked with a lot, just hanging out," he said. "They are pretty much the only people you talk to, you get to look at the those guys as your brothers. We called them our brother in arms."
He was flown to the nearby army base for an emergency surgery, then flown to Germany and placed on a ventilator. Later, Villarreal was transferred to Brooks Army Medical Center in San Antonio where the doctors placed him under a drug-induced coma and did countless surgeries on Villarreal.
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"The recognition I got from that game and the way the student body and Texas Tech University supported the wounded warriors and myself was amazing." - Anthony Villarreal
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A couple organizations came together and welcomed Anthony back to West Texas with a brand new home for his family.
"Operation Finally Home teamed up with the West Texas Home Builders Association to find a veteran," he said. "They found my wife and I, and they helped build a house for us."
Last year, Villarreal was named an honorary captain of the Nov. 6 game against Missouri, the game designated as the Wounded Warrior Project.
"The recognition I got from that game and the way the student body and Texas Tech University supported the wounded warriors and myself was amazing," he said.
Villarreal is an advocate for both the Wounded Warrior Project and the newly founded Lubbock Homes for Heroes. He serves on the board as an advisor for the Lubbock Homes for Heroes.
"I am on the board trying to do the same thing they did for me," he said.
He also works with the Wounded Warrior Project on their national campaign team.
"We go out and talk to veterans about their injuries and everything that's going on with [the Wounded Warrior Project]," he said.
Lubbock Homes for Heroes is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing and building mortgage-free homes for wounded veterans and their families.
The Wounded Warrior Project is a non-profit organization formed to help soldiers wounded in battle during recovery, rehabilitation and transition back into civilian life.
Operation Finally Home is a program originally formed by the Bay Area Builders Association. The program builds homes for veteran soldiers wounded during war, helping them and their families' transition to a normal life.
Texas Tech will be wearing special uniforms with the theme `Believe in Heroes' on Saturday. The jerseys were designed by Under Armour to honor the Wounded Warrior Project.