SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — This Veterans Day, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation has paid off the mortgage on the Santa Barbara home of Julia Fraas and her two daughters, honoring the legacy of her late husband, U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Steven Fraas.
MSgt. Fraas died on August 8, 2014, following an eight-month battle with a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma attributed to toxic burn pit exposure during his service in Iraq. He left behind his wife, Julia, and their two young daughters.
“It is hard to put into words the relief and gratitude I feel. I never imagined something like this happening for our family, and I think I am still trying to process it,” said Julia Fraas. “It means security and peace of mind, but it is also more personal than that. My husband passed away when our girls were just 1 and 3 years old. Santa Barbara is his hometown and where he dreamed of raising them. Now I know our girls will always have a home where their dad wanted them to grow up.”
“When a member of our military makes the ultimate sacrifice for our country, the family they leave behind should never have to face the future alone,” said Tunnel to Towers Chairman and CEO Frank Siller, “Master Sergeant Steven Fraas gave so much in service to our nation, and it is our honor to help ensure that his wife, Julia, and their daughters can remain in the community where he dreamed of raising his family.”
A Life of Service
Born and raised in Santa Barbara, MSgt. Fraas joined the U.S. Air Force after graduating from high school and served his country for more than a decade. He met his future wife, Julia, while they were both serving in the Air Force at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.
For Julia, receiving this support 12 years after losing her husband is a powerful reminder that his service and sacrifice—and the family he left behind—have not been forgotten.
“Twelve years after losing my husband, knowing that his service and sacrifice haven’t been forgotten means the world to us,” Julia said. “I’m grateful that organizations like Tunnel to Towers continue to honor our fallen heroes by caring for the families they left behind.”
Honoring America’s Heroes
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation Gold Star Family Home Program honors the legacy of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country by providing mortgage-free homes to surviving Gold Star spouses with young children. By doing so, the program helps provide long-term stability and security to families coping with the tragic loss of a parent who died in service to our country.
This year America marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. To honor FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller and the 342 other firefighters who lost their lives that day, Tunnel to Towers is committed to providing 343 mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and Fallen first responder families.
This Veterans Day, Tunnel to Towers will deliver 30 mortgage-free homes to Gold Star families across the country. To learn more about the families receiving homes this holiday and join us on our mission, visit T2T.org and consider donating $11 per month.
Media Contact – Trevor Tamsen – Trevor.Tamsen@T2T.org – 916-524-0941
About the Tunnel to Towers Foundation
Born from the tragedy of 9/11, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation carries out its mission to “do good” by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and by building specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. Children of the Foundation’s home recipients are offered full scholarships for undergraduate degrees and accredited trade school programs, helping secure their futures. The Foundation is also committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and helping America Never Forget September 11, 2001.
Visit T2T.org to learn more, and follow Tunnel to Towers on Facebook, X, and Instagram.