Brooks receives Tunnel to Towers home

Photo: William Brooks with the ceremonial key to his new Tunnel to Towers Smart Home. (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)

June 24, 2025 – So what is the best feature of the new mortgage-free smart home Sgt. William Brooks entered for the first time Wednesday afternoon, courtesy of the non-profit foundation Tunnel to Towers?

“The kitchen, it’s unbelievable,” Brooks said once he entered his new residence following a program that featured local officials and others congratulating him on the new home. “I’ve had a nice apartment, pretty much accessible minus the kitchen. So being able to have a kitchen that I can use and cook and then move around is nice.”  

The home, provided after a two-year application period for Brooks, offers accessible conveniences that will give him a comfortable lifestyle. 

During the war in Iraq, Brooks lost both of his legs when his vehicle was hit by an IED while about on its way toward Baghdad from his forward operating base in March 2005.  His life was saved by fellow soldier Sgt. Richard Anthony, who had civilian EMT training. Anthony was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor and a meritorious promotion for saving Brooks’ life.

The Southaven native has lived his life in the city, taking his inspiration from his grandfather to join the Army National Guard in 1999 and was willing to be called up when the Twin Towers were struck by terrorists in September 2001.  He trained at Camp Shelby in 2004 and deployed to Iraq in January 2005.  

“I am excited, overwhelmed, humbled, honored, I don’t know how many adjectives you can put in there, but to say that I’m pleased and excited is an understatement,” said Brooks as he entered the new home on May Boulevard. “I’m overwhelmed. It’s more than I imagined.”

Brooks said he watched the commercials shown on television for Tunnel to Towers and reached out to them to start the application process. He filled out an application online and was called to follow up. Brooks said it was a pretty quick process after supplying the foundation with his military information, other items, and going through some interviews.  

A lot was found and construction began, which culminated with the ribbon cutting, presentation of keys, and the initial walk around. 

After recovering from his injuries and returning home to Southaven, Brooks got into public service and was elected Alderman-at-Large for three terms, leaving the board in 2021. 

Mayor Darren Musselwhite, who led the city when Brooks was on the board, said Brooks is a very special kind of person for all that he has gone through.  

“It goes without saying, to endure all that William went through, you have to have incredible guts and brutal toughness like none of us can even fathom,” Musselwhite said. “But let me tell you something today, although that was a horrific experience for him, how he has handled his circumstances since then, it is one of the greatest displays of guts and brutal toughness ever shown.”

Brooks said he was grateful for the turnout to the event Wednesday, especially from fellow soldiers he called his “brothers.” 

“Even if it may be a year or two without speaking, to see them is the best medicine in the world,” Brooks said. “It’s just important to keep those bonds.”

It was also important to Brooks that the home be built in Southaven, his home and where he graduated from high school before entering the service.  

The home Brooks received is part of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation’s In The Line of Duty Smart Home Program, which provides mortgage-free homes to catastrophically-injured veterans and first responders. To date, more than 1,500 homes have been delivered to our nation’s heroes, like Brooks. More than 200 homes are being delivered this year alone under the program. 

Tunnel to Towers Foundation began to honor the legacy of Fire Department of New York firefighter Stephen Siller and all those who died in response to the attack on the original World Trade Center Twin Towers on 9/11. 

The Foundation was co-founded and is currently led by Stephen’s brother, Frank Siller, operating out of Staten Island, NY.  Its name commemorates Stephen’s heroic final run through the tunnel toward the Twin Towers.