United States Army Captain Ken Kraft was born in Oregon City, Oregon. Kraft was raised by his mother and father, and is the oldest of three siblings. He grew up in a smaller community in Eastern Oregon where he graduated from high school. After attending college, Kraft swiftly joined the Oregon Army National Guard in November 1987 before transferring to the United States Army Reserve, serving as the S3 Operations Officer with the 104th IT. Kraft entered basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri one year later. By the time 9/11 tragically occurred, Kraft was already a company commander and valiantly volunteered to be deployed in Iraq. Prior to his deployment, Kraft served as the Senior Deputy with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department.
While serving as the Operations and Force Protection Officer at Camp Slayer in Baghdad, Iraq, Kraft was visiting the camp security contractors’ new construction site when he was critically injured due to an unexpected mortar attack. Upon returning home, Kraft hastily underwent nearly 40 surgeries on his knees, lungs, back, and chest including a bilateral knee replacement leading to an above-knee leg amputation.
Despite his devastating injuries, Kraft is adamant on living an active and happy life. He has lived in Tennessee for two years and will return to Oregon to be near his family. Kraft is also a proud father to three children, and grandfather to twelve grandchildren. In addition, Kraft is incredibly involved within his community, from helping fellow veterans to spending his time serving as Department of Oregon’s 1st Iraq conflict State Commander for the Veterans of Foreign War.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has provided United States Army Captain Ken Kraft with a specially-adapted, mortgage free smart home through the Smart Home Program.