National Football League

Jets owner gives $1M to help injured vet get 'smart home'

Published Jul. 1, 2014 10:24 p.m. ET

foxsports

NEW YORK -- An Army veteran who lost both legs and an arm in Afghanistan three years ago is having a ''smart home'' built on Staten Island with the help of a $1 million donation from New York Jets owner Woody Johnson.

Army Sgt. Bryan Dilberian, wearing a Jets jersey while riding on the back of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, received a hero's welcome at a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday. It marked three years to the day that he was injured by an improvised explosive device that killed a few fellow soldiers.

The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation is building the home through its ''Building for America's Bravest'' program in a partnership with the Gary Sinise Foundation. Johnson and the Jets donated $1 million to build two smart homes, including Dilberian's.

''Three years ago, I got hit today,'' Dilberian told WCBS-TV. ''I lost a couple of friends, and it's just, it's like another rebirth.''

The 2,800-foot home will have three bedrooms, including a master suite with a customized bathroom, and features throughout that can be run off an iPad.

Here's what Bryan Dilberian's new Staten Isl home will look like. #Army vet lost both legs & arm to IED. @wcbs880 pic.twitter.com/FOqMh3fQzL
— Peter Haskell (@peterhaskell880) July 1, 2014

Triple amputee Bryan Dilberian arrives for grndbrkng for new home on Stat Isl. @Tunnel2Towers is building. @wcbs880 pic.twitter.com/fh4zixXV6j
— Peter Haskell (@peterhaskell880) July 1, 2014

''It's going to mean everything to me,'' Dilberian said. ''I'm not going to be relying on nurses coming to the house. I don't have to rely on just, people just coming to help me. I love to cook. Now, this is going to give me the fundamentals to cook again.''

The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, named after a Brooklyn-based firefighter killed in the 9/11 attacks, helps first responders and wounded soldiers. The Gary Sinise Foundation was started by the Academy Award-nominated actor to honor defenders, veterans, first responders and their families.

''He's got a challenge going forward,'' Johnson said of Dilberian. ''Hopefully, this is a little bit of an aid to him.''