CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. Robert Ballard and his family saw their brand new, mortgage-free smart home for the first time on Tuesday.

The home is a gift from the Gary Sinise Foundation, which was established in 2011 by actor and humanitarian Gary Sinise, best known from CSI: NY and “Forrest Gump.” Sinise started the foundation in order to support veterans and first responders.

Ballard has a long record of service, beginning when he entered the Naval Academy at just 18 years old in 1998. After graduating in 2002, he became a naval aviator, flying helicopters on missions ranging from deployments to the Middle East to relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina.

In 2007, Ballard married his wife, Lindsay. They lived in Bahrain and South Korea, welcoming a son and daughter along t

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