Veteran Berry gains mobility

Sandra ClarkHalls

Dameon Berry, 39, of Union County got a super wheelchair on Feb. 16, courtesy of The Independence Fund and local Tire Pro dealers.

Berry and his family were joined by friends at Halls Service Center Tire Pros on Cunningham Road. Family included wife Jamie, daughter Kendall and son Isaac. The short ceremony was led by Sam Johnson, chief programs officer for The Independence Fund, a nonprofit based in Charlotte, N.C., that supports military veterans.

“This chair is given with a grateful spirit,” said Buddy Callahan, Nashville-based representative of Tire Pros.

Dameon Berry greets a neighbor, while Ron Bradley (in red jacket) looks on.

Ron Bradley of Halls Service Center coordinated with the Berry family to ensure that the new chair was properly fitted.

Berry was paralyzed at age 24, injured in a motorcycle accident shortly after returning from Afghanistan. Now he farms and trains police dogs through his business, East Tennessee K-9. The all-terrain tracked chair will give him increased mobility outside.

“This has changed my life,” he said. “Now I can do a lot more work around the house and farm.”

Johnson said The Independence Fund has provided 2,358 chairs to veterans since its founding in 2007.

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