SHELBY — The Vogt family is finally home.

Crestline native Nick Vogt and his family were welcomed into their new home on State Route 61 north of Crestline last week. The family is a recipient of a smart home through the Gary Sinise RISE Foundation.

Vogt was injured in 2011 while serving in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. After stepping on an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) while on patrol, he lost both of his legs at the hip and suffered massive brain injuries.

While being treated for his injuries, he met future wife Lauren, who was his nurse at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Nick and Lauren got engaged the next year and welcomed their son Nathan in February, 2017.

The new Vogt home is completely built around the idea of making day-to-day life for Nick as easy as possible. Many operations within the home are controlled by an iPad that Nick can keep with him. He can control processes from temperature settings to the locks on the doors.

The home is truly a life-changing blessing for both Nick and Lauren.

The dedication of the home drew a large crowd of friends and famil, who were all seated under a tent in the Vogt’s front yard.

Chris Kuban, a speaker for the Gary Sinise Foundation, addressed the crowd and read a letter from the actor himself.

Kuban also explained that Sinise does not attend the dedication of the homes his foundation builds for veterans in order to let the ceremony focus on them.

Mr. Sinise will visit the Vogt family at a later date.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Vogt’s raised an American flag at their personal flag pole right in front of the entrance to their home.

When addressing the crowd of friends and family, Nick smiled widely as he thanked everyone who attended and called this their “forever home.”

The Vogt home is one of 48 specially built homes that have been funded through the RISE program.