Mortgages paid off for Colorado families who lost loved ones by Tunnel to Towers Foundation

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - The mortgages for two Colorado families were paid off by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation just days before Memorial Day.

The foundation paid off the mortgage mortgages for the Colorado Springs home of Fountain Police Officer Julian Becerra, and the Fountain home of Army Staff Sergeant Micah Walker.

K9 Officer Becerra passed away after falling from an overpass while chasing carjacking suspects on Feb. 11, 2023.

Army Staff Sergeant Walker passed away on July 27, 2021 during a training incident at the Army Combat Diver Qualification Course in Florida.

“To all of the families who know the true meaning of Memorial Day, I thank you for your service and sacrifice. We know that no service member serves alone and when they serve the whole family serves. It is our honor to support these families who have sacrificed so much so we can enjoy all the freedoms America has to offer,” said Frank Siller Chairman and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Click here for more on the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

MORE ON EACH MAN FROM THE TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDATION:

OFFICER BECERRA:

K9 Officer Julian Becerra enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2006, shortly after graduating high school, and spent the next eight years serving his country. After leaving the Air Force he started his law enforcement career as a Detention Specialist for El Paso County Jail.

That is where he met his wife, Katie who was working as a nurse. Officer Becerra moved to Colorado and joined the Fountain Police Department, where he was selected for the K9 program in 2020.

Officer Becerra was fatally injured when he fell from an overpass while chasing carjacking suspects. He continued to save lives even in his death, donating his heart, kidneys, and liver, when he passed away a week after being injured on February 11, 2023.

He is survived by his wife, Katie, and their two children, Isabella and Mateo. Tunnel to Towers has ensured that Katie can focus on their family, and no longer have to worry about making a mortgage payment.

“Receiving support from Tunnel to Towers has changed our lives. It’s hard to put into words just how much this gift truly means,” said Katie Alderman.

STAFF SERGEANT WALKER:

Walker was a member of the 10th Special Forces Group, passed away on July 27, 2021, during a training incident at the Army Combat Diver Qualification Course (CDQC) in Key West, Florida.

SSG Walker was committed to a life of service. He spent six years as a missionary with Impact Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he met and married his wife, Cori.

After the birth of their first daughter, his family moved back to Colorado where he enlisted in the United States Army, feeling a call to serve his country.

SSG Walker completed the arduous journey to become a Special Forces Combat Medic. He is survived by his wife, Cori, and their three children.

Tunnel to Towers has ensured the family SSgt Walker left behind can stay in the home the family purchased months before his passing.

“Our home has always been a safe haven. Especially these past two years…As I found out the news of our mortgage being paid for I was watching our children laughing and playing in our yard. What a balm to the soul knowing this home is fully ours,” said Cori Walker.