The accident happened on his first wedding anniversary in 2006. Cpt. Jae Barclay’s wife Sierra was 7,000 miles away – 37 weeks pregnant with their first child.
“I got a call from Jae’s mom and she said, ‘I need you to hear three words: Jae is alive,’” Sierra says.
Jae’s Humvee had hit a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. The explosion turned the vehicle into a melted pile of twisted metal, and killed three soldiers inside. Jae and one other solider survived – both severely burned. “I’m the guy who got lucky and made it out. The guys I served with are the real heroes,” he says.
Sierra immediately tried to book a flight to be with Jae but wasn’t allowed because of the late stage of her pregnancy. Since the military was moving Jae to a hospital in Texas, doctors induced Sierra so she could travel as soon as he reached the U.S. Their first daughter entered the world just days after Jae’s injury. Eight days later Sierra was en route to Texas.
In the years since, Jae’s recovery has presented the family with unique challenges.
“The burns I have, the skin doesn’t sweat. I get overheated really easy,” he says.
Hot Houston summers can easily become dangerous if Jae can’t manage his temperature. Many days he has to watch his kids play through a window. The burns on his hands make it difficult to grasp things and excruciating pain in his joints forces him to take scalding hot baths several times a day.
“It’s not the cards you’re dealt. It’s how you play them. We’ve been dealt a crappy hand but we made it work,” Jae says.
To help Jae, Semper Fi Fund and The Home Depot Foundation planned to give the Barclays a more powerful HVAC system to help control Jae’s temperature. But, Home Depot store manager Nathan Matthews and Team Depot wanted to do more. After two weeks of planning and some secrecy from Sierra, more than 60 Team Depot volunteers worked feverishly for three days to surprise Jae with a backyard he could enjoy with his family.
Every aspect of the transformation was designed to meet Jae’s physical needs. Nathan worked with Sierra to identify things Jae needed to make the backyard functional: new drainage, more shade, misters, fans, new lighting and a hot tub to help with his joint pain. As people heard about the project it ballooned. A new fence, new patio furniture, landscaping, new tools and garage storage all sweetened the deal.
After the final load of trash was hauled away, volunteers waited in the backyard while Sierra greeted Jae at the front door and led him to the back door for the surprise. The group erupted in cheers that could be heard throughout the neighborhood as he crossed through the doorway – the surprise on his face evident.
“I thought, ‘Check my blood pressure. I’m going to pass out!’ I only knew four people there and that was my family,” Jae says. “I was speechless.”
Handshakes led to hugs as Team Depot thanked the hero they’d worked so hard to surprise.
“I can’t believe Home Depot would do this,” Sierra says. “They’ve blown it out of the park. It’s a completely different backyard, and I’ve never heard a single volunteer complain. I’ve met some friends that I’ll keep forever.”
See more of Jae and Sierra’s story and backyard transformation on the TODAY Show.
Thanks to our partners who helped make this backyard transformation possible: Ridgid, Ryobi, LifeSmart spas, Honda and Jenitar Construction.
