Cpl Darryl Charles

FALLBROOK, CA

Mission Accomplished on Sept. 19, 2020

Darryl Charles was motivated to join the military after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He enlisted in the Marines right after high school and went on his first deployment to Afghanistan in 2010 and again in 2011.

On Oct. 17, 2011, during his second deployment, Corporal Charles, a mortarman, was conducting a patrol with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan when he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED). Cpl Charles sustained severe damage to both legs and internal injuries as a result of the blast.

Once back in the United States, Darryl endured numerous surgeries for three years while being treated at Walter Reed and Balboa medical centers. The damage to his right leg was so severe, doctors decided to amputate his leg above the knee. Today, Darryl continues to work with a trainer to improve his gait and balance, and he is currently planning to have ACL reconstruction surgery on his left knee.

Medically retired, Darryl and his wife Desiree are proud parents to their son Kingsley, who was born in 2017. Darryl loves being a dad and watching his son grow, but he could not fully relax and enjoy fatherhood in his previous home because it was not adapted to his injury. Darryl’s frustration with his living environment increased as Kingsley started crawling, and he realized how many safety hazards in his home prevented him from keeping up with his son. When showering, Darryl balanced on one leg, risking further injury to his knee. Darryl’s specially adapted custom Homes For Our Troops home enables him to live comfortably and, most importantly, gives him more time for Desiree and Kingsley. “This home enables me to properly take care of my family and allows myself to better provide for them, now and in the future,” he says.

With the freedom and independence he regains in his HFOT home, Darryl is able to concentrate on finishing his degree in information technology from National University in San Diego and his job as a DOD civilian with the Navy. He also has time for his other hobbies which include working out, hiking, riding motorcycles, and snowboarding.

Originally from Southern California, Darryl chose to build his home there for the area’s great school district, proximity to the VA, and to be close to friends and family.

Darryl says he is humbled and grateful to HFOT’s donors and supporters. “Your generous gratitude and hard-working determination have truly helped out those who have had their lives forever altered. Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do.”

related articles:

  • Village Newspaper, Sept. 23, 2020 Normally at a Homes For Our Troops Key Ceremony event, those in attendance to welcome home the family would watch with joy in seeing children running around the property, in and out of rooms, enjoying their very own new space. Read more.
  • Village News, Sept. 11, 2020 Residents can join a Zoom session with Homes For Our Troops Saturday, Sept. 19, when medically retired Marine Cpl. Darryl Charles and his family will be presented the keys to their mortgage-free, specially adapted, custom home. Read more.
  • Village News, May 7, 2020 Darryl Charles wasn’t sure if the program offered by Homes For Our Troops was for him. It wasn’t until a friend, another recipient of one of the specially adapted custom Homes For Our Troops homes, convinced him otherwise that he joined.
    Read more.