OBERLIN, OH --The Natural Stone Institute has provided natural stone and fabrication services for its 38th home with the Gary Sinise Foundation through its R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment) program. The Foundation’s R.I.S.E. program builds 100% mortgage-free specially adapted smart homes for severely wounded veterans and first responders. Natural stone and fabrication for U.S. Navy Petty Officer Second Class Doc Jacobs and his family in California were provided by Pacific Shore Stones and Marjan Stone.

Doc enlisted in summer 2004. After a year of Navy Corpsman training, he was assigned to a unit and sent to Ramadi Iraq. On February 25, 2006, six months into his seven month deployment, Doc was severely injured in an IED explosion. Early in his Company’s patrol, a Humvee was struck by an IED. After switching vehicles and rearranging members, they headed back to base. On the way, his Humvee was struck by a triple stack IED, which took two lives, left two soldiers as amputees and resulted in other serious injuries. He was medevacked through Balad Surgical and soon transferred to National Naval Medical Center Bethesda via Landstuhl. After three months in Bethesda receiving critical surgeries, he began outpatient recovery and transferred to Naval Medical Center San Diego.