Basic High grad gets mortgage-free home through Military Warriors Support Foundation

Lance Cpl. Nino Ray Capanang smiles from ear to ear as he opens the front door to his new house near Silverado Ranch.

While his wife, Emilie, admires the interior, the couple’s three children, Criskier, Kian and Sean, race up the stairs to claim bedrooms. Giggles and laughter fill the upstairs hall.

“I’m speechless,” Capanang said. “We just got a mortgage-free house. What else can I ask for?”

The Capanang family received the home Oct. 20 thanks to Wells Fargo and the Military Warriors Support Foundation, a nonprofit that provides homes, jobs, activities and scholarships to military members and their families.

Wells Fargo has donated about 190 homes nationwide through the organization, according to founder Lt. Gen. Leroy Sisco.

“(The foundation) has given away more than 600 homes to veterans and their families nationwide,” Sisco said. “That’s more than $40 million worth of homes with the help of our partners.”

Capanang said he applied to various military support organizations for two years before being accepted by Military Warriors Support Foundation about two months ago.

“We’re really grateful for Wells Fargo and MWSF for making this happen,” Capanang said. “I didn’t think I would get selected right away. I was very surprised, but I’m really honored and grateful.”

Born in the Philippines, Capanang grew up in Hawaii before moving to Las Vegas during high school. He graduated from Basic High School, 400 Palo Verde Drive, in 2005.

“Sept. 11 really hit me. I watched as it happened, and I didn’t go to school,” Capanang said. “I felt sorry for all those people, and I thought something had to be done.”

In April 2005, Capanang met with recruiters for the Marines and decided to join. By July, he was in boot camp.

“It was a good adventure,” Capanang said. “I met a lot of people that I consider my brothers, and I think of them as my family.”

Capanang was stationed at Camp Pendleton in California for nine months before being deployed to Karmah in Iraq. After four months overseas, Capanang was injured during a shooting.

“It was my time, and I was unlucky,” Capanang said. “I was singled out by two shooters during a foot patrol. I was shot in my left hand and my left hip.”

After being medically evacuated to Germany, Capanang was transported to San Diego and underwent seven surgeries.

“I was discharged from the Marines a year later, and I went to back to Hawaii for a while,” Capanang said. “I decided to come back to Las Vegas because I’m familiar with it, and it’s like my second home.”

Capanang’s new three-bedroom home sits at about 1,400 square feet and was valued by Wells Fargo at about $162,000 before renovations.

“I love that it’s in a very quiet neighborhood, compared to the rental we lived in before,” Capanang said. “It’s the ideal size for us, and I love the high ceilings in the living room.”

In addition to the house, Wells Fargo also donated $20,000 for Capanang and his wife to receive financial counseling through the foundation for three years.

“We don’t just hand the key to them. We put them through a mentoring program to teach them how to take care of the house,” Sisco said. “I didn’t want to give them a problem. I want it to be an asset that they really love and appreciate.”

Without the stress of paying a mortgage, Capanang hopes to continue school and start a photography business.

“Our first goal in life was to get a house, and the second goal was to proceed with our photography business,” Capanang said. “We’re all looking forward to the future now.”

Contact Henderson View reporter Caitlyn Belcher at cbelcher@viewnews.com or 702-383-0403.