Tunnel to Towers Announces 30 Payoffs, 343-Home Goal

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced on Veterans Day that it had paid off mortgages for 30 families of fallen U.S. service members across 22 states, helping surviving spouses and children remain in their homes. The payoffs are part of the foundation’s pledge to provide 343 mortgage-free homes in 2026, marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and honoring the 343 New York City firefighters killed that day; it plans to deliver the remaining homes by year’s end. Many of the service members died from illnesses linked to their military service, including cancers associated with burn-pit exposure. Recipients include the families of Marine Master Sergeant Shane Nguyen in Annapolis, who died of service-connected melanoma; Army Major Gary Hughes in Spring Hill, Tennessee, whose cancer was linked by the foundation to burn-pit exposure; and Air Force Master Sergeant Steven Fraas in California. The surviving spouses said the payoffs provide financial relief and security while honoring their loved ones’ service and sacrifice.