Retired Army sergeant receives heroes welcome with gifted Rio Rancho home

RIO RANCHO — When a motorcade of vehicles with flashing lights rolled down Chandra Lane Southeast Wednesday, onlookers could have mistaken it for the arrival of the president or a cabinet secretary.

But the person who stepped out of an SUV once the procession ended was none other than retired Army Sgt. Michael Lawson, who was greeted by officials with JPMorgan Chase and the nonprofit Building Homes for Heroes.

Lawson, a disabled veteran who retired from military service in December 2015, arrived with his wife, Crystal, and three children to tour their new home, presented by Building Homes for Heroes and donated by Chase.

Under a tent erected in the home’s driveway, Lawson told attendees their presence “meant the world” to him and his family.

“I consider myself very lucky,” Lawson said, noting he felt that way not only only for surviving deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also for meeting his wife once he returned home.

He noted that previously living in a duplex in Albuquerque as a family of five set a foundation of personal strength and resilience. And now, standing in front of a new house, made possible by Building Homes for Heroes, “feels like a dream,” Lawson said.

That dream was realized when, moments later, Lawson stepped through the front door of his new home with his family and a parade of dignitaries. Lawson’s face had a look of wonderment as he stared up at the heigh ceiling in the home’s foyer.

Mark Elliott, managing director and global head of military and veterans affairs for Chase bank, who is also a veteran, told Lawson during the tour that he should “just take a second to soak it in.”

“This is what your service did for your family,” Elliott said.

The home, not yet furnished, included a few amenities that drew smiles from the Lawsons, including a small fountain from Lowe’s that they had seen during a recent shopping trip.

The tour brought smiles, a warm embrace and tears from Michael and Crystal Lawson as they toured the home, which includes two decks and ceiling fans — other amenities they said they appreciate.

Crystal Lawson told dignitaries in the kitchen, complete with Building Homes for Heroes swag, that her family’s move-in date would also be a pizza night.

“Pizza’s tradition for us,” she said with a laugh in an interview.