On Veterans Day, a foundation founded in memory of the September 11 attacks chose to lift the weight of a mortgage from thirty families who have already paid the heaviest price a nation can ask. The surviving spouses and children of service members lost to combat or to illnesses born of their service now live across twenty-two states, and their gift arrives as part of a larger vow tied to the 343 New York firefighters who died that morning. It is a reminder that remembrance, when it turns into shelter, becomes a kind of quiet promise kept across generations.
Tunnel to Towers Pays Off 30 Gold Star Mortgages on Veterans Day, Opens Harrisburg Village
Families of service members who died in the line of duty or from service-related illnesses, including burn pit cancers, are receiving mortgage-free homes.
"There are people out there that are still dying for us."
Mark
Thirty mortgages paid off in one day. Who actually gets these homes?
Mimi
Surviving spouses with young children of service members and first responders who died in the line of duty or from service-related illnesses. The 30 families span 22 states.
Mark
Why 343?
Mimi
It matches the number of New York City firefighters killed on 9/11, and this is the 25th anniversary. Siller called it almost a house a day.
Luke
Worth noting the pace claim is his framing. The source says more than 60 homes remain, due between Thanksgiving and Christmas. That's a promise, not yet delivered.
Mark
And the Harrisburg village?
Mimi
It's on the old Phoenix Mill site along the Susquehanna: 61 apartments and 20 small comfort homes, built for more than 80 veterans, with job training, mental health and addiction services.
Luke
The big numbers there are the foundation's own. The 27,500 veterans taken off the streets is Siller's statement, and the 20,000 veterans and 10,000 children served is the organization's account. Nothing independent is cited.
Mark
Is there anything confirmed about how the 30 families were chosen?
Luke
Not in this reporting. Only four service members are named, and the selection criteria beyond the program's eligibility description aren't detailed.
Mimi
What is clear is the next date: Denver opens Dec. 9.
El Pulso
- Thirty Gold Star families have been freed from their mortgages across 22 states, marking a sharp, tangible turn from remembrance to relief.
- The foundation is racing to hit its 2026 pledge of 343 homes, with more than 60 still to be delivered between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Burn pit cancers and other service-linked illnesses continue to take veterans long after deployment, so the need is not receding.
- Harrisburg's new Veterans Village opened the same day, while Denver's opening on Dec. 9 and seven more developments for 2027 signal a steady push forward.
On Veterans Day, a foundation founded in memory of the September 11 attacks chose to lift the weight of a mortgage from thirty families who have already paid the heaviest price a nation can ask. The surviving spouses and children of service members lost to combat or to illnesses born of their service now live across twenty-two states, and their gift arrives as part of a larger vow tied to the 343 New York firefighters who died that morning. It is a reminder that remembrance, when it turns into shelter, becomes a kind of quiet promise kept across generations.
On Veterans Day, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced it was paying off the mortgages of 30 Gold Star families. These are the surviving spouses and children of service members who died in the line of duty or from illnesses linked to their service. The families live in 22 states and span nearly every branch of the military.
Frank Siller, the foundation's chairman and CEO, spoke about the news on "Fox & Friends." He noted that many of the recipients' loved ones died of burn pit cancers, just as many first responders are still dying of illnesses tied to September 11. He said the day was a chance to remind the country that sacrifice is still being made.
Four recipients were named, including Army Lt. Col. David Briseno of Grand Prairie, Texas, and Navy Chief Petty Officer Ernest Lopez Jr. of Oakdale, California. The payoffs are part of a 2026 pledge to deliver 343 mortgage-free homes, one for each New York firefighter killed on 9/11. Siller described the pace as almost a house a day, with more than 60 still to go before Christmas.
The same day, the foundation opened its Harrisburg Veterans Village in Pennsylvania, built on the former Phoenix Mill property. It will house more than 80 veterans with job training, benefits help, and mental health and addiction support. Siller said veteran homelessness is "not acceptable," and that the foundation has taken 27,500 homeless veterans off the streets in three years. Next up is a Denver Veterans Village opening on Dec. 9.
On Veterans Day, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced it was paying off the mortgages of 30 Gold Star families, the surviving spouses and children of service members who died in the line of duty or from service-related illnesses. The families live in 22 states and represent nearly every branch of the U.S. military, according to the foundation.
Foundation Chairman and CEO Frank Siller shared the news on "Fox & Friends," along with updates on its housing program for homeless veterans in Pennsylvania and a coming Season of Hope initiative for firefighters' families. He noted that many of the recipients' loved ones died of burn pit cancers, just as many first responders are still dying of illnesses tied to September 11. "It's very sad," he said, adding that the day was a chance to remind the country that sacrifice for it is still being made.
Four of the service members whose families were recognized were named: 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 recipient families are in New York, Georgia, Tennessee, Illinois, Massachusetts and additional states.
The payoffs sit inside a larger promise. For the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the foundation pledged to deliver 343 mortgage-free homes in 2026, one for each New York City firefighter killed that day. Siller described the pace as almost a house a day. More than 60 homes remain to be delivered between Thanksgiving and Christmas to reach the 343 mark. The foundation's Gold Star Family Home Program provides mortgage-free homes to eligible surviving spouses with young children, aiming to give them lasting housing stability after a parent's death.
The same day, the foundation celebrated the grand opening of its Harrisburg Veterans Village in Pennsylvania. The community occupies the former Phoenix Mill property on the Susquehanna River, where construction began in April 2025. It includes a 61-unit apartment complex and 20 one-bedroom comfort homes, and is designed to house more than 80 veterans in need of permanent housing. Residents are to have access to job training, help obtaining veterans benefits, mental health support and addiction treatment.
Siller said he built the program around veterans who return from deployment and struggle to readjust, some ending up on the streets. "It's not acceptable," he said. He said the foundation promised a couple of years ago to eradicate veteran homelessness and that in the last three years it has taken 27,500 homeless veterans off the streets. He described remodeling hotels into permanent apartments for older homeless veterans and adding comfort homes of about 500 square feet on the properties. The foundation says it aims to address the emotional, financial and medical challenges behind homelessness, not only provide shelter.
The Homeless Veteran Program launched in 2022. The organization says it has since provided housing assistance and supportive services to more than 20,000 veterans and 10,000 children. Harrisburg joins Veterans Villages already operating in Memphis, Tennessee; North Charleston, South Carolina; Houston, Texas; and Atlanta, Georgia. The foundation also supports affiliated programs in Riverside and West Los Angeles, California, and Austin, Texas.
What comes next is on the calendar: another Veterans Village is set to open in Denver on Dec. 9, seven more developments are under construction for 2027, and the final 60-plus homes in the 343 pledge are due between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Citas Notables
We want to make sure that America doesn't forget that there's a great sacrifice always being made for our country.— Frank Siller, Tunnel to Towers Chairman and CEO
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