(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — The Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced it has paid off the mortgages for the families of two fallen Southern Colorado veterans; Fountain Police Department (FPD) K9 Officer and Air Force Veteran Julian Becerra and Army Staff Sergeant Micah Walker.
In observance of Memorial Day the Tunnel to Towers Foundation delivered 30 mortgage-free homes or mortgage payoffs to Gold Star families and fallen first responder families with prior military service across the country.
“This Memorial Day the Tunnel to Towers Foundation is honoring those who served their country and their community, by ensuring the families left behind will always have a place to call home,” wrote the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Fountain Police Department K9 Officer Julian Becerra
FPD K9 Officer Julian Becerra enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2006, shortly after graduating high school. Officer Becerra served eight years in the Air Force before entering law enforcement as a Detention Specialist for the El Paso County Jail where he met his wife, Katie who was working as a nurse.
Officer Becerra moved to Colorado Springs and joined FPD 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 on Feb. 2, 2023, and later died on Feb. 11, 2023. He is survived by his wife, Katie, and their two children, Isabella and Mateo.
“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.
Army Staff Sergeant Micah Walker
Staff Sergeant Micah Walker who was a member of the 10th Special Forces Group, passed away on July 27, 2021, during a dive training accident in Florida.
SSG Walker 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 Army and lived in Fountain. SSG Walker became a Special Forces Combat Medic and was a student in the Special Forces Diver Qualification Course when he died. He is survived by his wife and their three children.
“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.
