Tunnel to Towers Foundation Pays Off Mortgage of Family of Wisconsin Air National Guard Member Killed in an Accident

Friday, October 8th, 2021 -- 11:01 AM

(WMTV) The family of a Wisconsin Air National Guard pilot who died last year when his fighter crashed in Michigan will never again have to worry about making another mortgage payment on their Sun Prairie home.

On Thursday, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation revealed it paid off the mortgages for 50 Gold Star families or families of fallen first responders. The biggest of those gifts, in fact the largest one in the history of the organization, went to Major Durwood “Hawk” Jones’ family.

Jones, who served with the Madison-based 115th Fighter Wing, died in December when his F-16 went down during a training mission in the remote area of the Hiawatha National Forest. The 37-year-old from Albuquerque, New Mexico, left behind a wife, Corinne, and two young children.

According to the organization, Tunnel to Towers draws its inspiration from FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller who died saving others on Sept. 11, 2001. T2T provides mortgage-free smart homes to catastrophically-injured veterans and first responders as well as mortgage-free homes or mortgage payoffs to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children.

It plans to deliver 200 homes this year to mark the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

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