Tech Sgt. Joe Wilkinson joined the Air Force right out of high school in 1997. His tours of duty sent him to both Iraq and Afghanistan. He is paralyzed from a degenerative nerve condition that is believed to have been caused by exposure to toxic chemicals during one of his deployments. Joe began to experience symptoms in 2007 and was medically retired by the Air Force in 2009.
Although his life has been a continuous struggle, Joe has been blessed with loved ones to help him regain his independence. “Now I know why there are homeless veterans,” Joe says. “My condition doesn’t just affect me. It affects my wife, my family, my sisters and brothers. It just goes down the line.”
Tech Sgt. Joe Wilkinson’s new smart home was presented to him and his family on Christmas Eve 2012. He is able to get around his property in his new Action Trackchair. Joe is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting, fishing, and playing golf in his adaptive golf cart. Joe is also a loyal New York Mets fan, a devoted husband and a loving father of four beautiful children.