Tunnel to Towers Foundation pays mortgage in full for Niceville Gold Star Family

NICEVILLE — In honor of Veterans Day, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation has paid for a mortgage in full for one Niceville family as a way to say thank you.

For U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. John Dobler, his military career was inspired by his father, who served before him as a Marine. To pursue his love of flying, Dobler joined the Air Force and had a successful career for a decade. In 2012, his exposure to burn pits led to a diagnosis of stage 4 brain cancer.

After two years of treatment and surgeries, Dobler died on Feb. 18, 2014, leaving behind his wife, Amanda, and his son, Noah.

Through the Tunnel to Towers Gold Start Family Home Program, the foundation honors the legacy of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving by paying off the mortgage or providing surviving spouses and young children with mortgage-free homes.

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"I was overcome with emotion ... being widowed for almost a decade, I am still being blessed by my husband's service to our county," Amanda Dobler said in a statement. "My husband loved being part of the military. I know that the Air Force was his family and he would be so proud knowing how well we are being taken care of during this time.

"Words cannot describe what a blessing this is to me and my son. We are honored and blessed that my husband's service meant something and that he continues to be remembered."

While observing Veterans Day, the foundation has provided 50 mortgage-free homes across the country this year, which includes five families in Florida.

"This Veterans Day, we thank those who volunteered to step up and serve our country and acknowledge all they sacrifice to keep us and our country safe," Tunnel to Towers Chairman and CEO Frank Siller said in a statement. "For the loved ones of those heroes who protected us at home and abroad, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation stands with you in honoring your loved one's memory and their enduring legacy of service."