A Life of Service

Celebrating Veterans Day with the Landwermeyer Family

By Christina Chittenden, Viera Living East Edition
Cover Photo by Ray Baldino, Master Photographer

Key Ceremony for Homes for Our Troops 400th home; 21 Sep; New Braunfels, TX. Mr. Landwermeyer front right; royal blue shirts are the veteran home recipient and his spouse; in the wheelchair is TX Gov Greg Abbott.

In honor of Veterans Day, Viera Living East is privileged to share the story of Brigadier General (Ret.) Tom Landwermeyer and his wife, Marie, whose dedication to service, family and community truly embodies what this special holiday means to our country.

Tom and Marie’s journey began at Ft Rucker, Alabama, when they met at a summer party while Tom was in Army Flight School and Marie was attending Auburn University. Despite some initial competition (Marie was on a date with another guy!), Tom won her heart, and they’ve been together ever since. Tom laughs when recalling the story of that night; “her date went on a beer run, and the rest is history! Getting time to dance with and talk to her was a bit sporty!”

Marie’s background in education led her to volunteer in various roles at their children’s schools as well as substitute teaching, working as a mediator and holding the role of proud soccer/lacrosse/band mom as they moved across the globe for over 20 years during Tom’s military career. For the last 17 years, Marie has worked as the Parish Coordinator, first at Ft Belvoir in Virginia, and today for Patrick Space Force Base. Tom, a 1976 West Point Armor 2LT graduate, served in the Army for over 30 years, retiring from the Pentagon as a Brigadier General in 2009 after assignments in Korea, Japan, Hawaii, German, Bosnia, Iraq and numerous stateside locations.

Since retiring, Tom has continued his mission to serve by becoming the President and CEO of Homes for Our Troops, a nonprofit that builds and donates specially adapted custom homes to severely injured post-9 decision. They bought their IRCC home in the summer of 2022, and moved in after some renovations just before Christmas that year. Although their busy schedules and volunteer work keep them from fully participating in neighborhood activities, they look forward to a time when they can engage more with their neighbors. “Have patience with us” Tom urges, “we will slow down and join you all in the activities eventually, but right now we really love the missions we are supporting and can’t leave them behind just yet!”

Tom and Marie share one fun story since moving to IRCC that occurred in April of this year. “We had a visitor at our door around 10:30 PM – an 8-foot alligator!” Tom exclaims. “Of course, I was at the office in Massachusetts when Marie called me all upset and showed me via Facetime what all the excitement was about. A couple Deputies came out to the house and kept an eye on him until, about 45 minutes later, he walked around and slid back into the pond behind our house. Marie was quickly in demand for television and news interviews after that experience!”

Tom and Marie’s story is one of unwavering commitment to others, both in their military service and through their continued involvement in their community. They serve as an inspiration, demonstrating that the values of honor, duty and service extend far beyond the uniform. This Veterans Day, we salute the Landwermeyer family for their remarkable contributions and dedication to our nation and community.