SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio — In honor of his military service, Bank of America presented U.S. Marine Sergeant Anthony Leanza with the keys to a mortgage-free home in South Euclid on Thursday morning.
3News streamed the event which can be viewed below in this story.
"Thank you so much. You guys have all done so much for us. I can't thank you enough. Seriously, from the bottom of my heart and my family's heart, this means the world to us," said Leanza in his new home after receiving the keys.
Sgt. Leanza enlisted in the Marine Corp in 2005 at the age of 22 years old, following in the footsteps of family members including his father, stepfather, and grandfathers before him. Over the course of his eight years in the service, he was deployed four times, serving as a clerk in Djibouti, Africa, then on the U.S.S. Kearsarge with the aircrew, and Afghanistan where he was an aircraft mechanic and aircrew.
While in Afghanistan, Sgt. Leanza received his Airframe and Powerplant qualifications through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to work on civilian aircraft. He also went on to become an assistant instructor at a community college teaching that same course to other service members.
While preparing for Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (SNCO) training, he injured his shoulders, which added to the many other injuries he received over the course of his military career. Following a year of rehab along with failed surgeries, he was medically retired and he is now going to school and working toward his bachelor's degree.
In 1920, Bank of America began providing financial services and products for service members and their families at the Fort Sam Houston base in Texas. The company currently operates overseas military banking facilities in 10 countries, including 62 financial centers and 274 ATMs and recently surpassed its five-year goal to hire 10,000 veterans, National Guard, and reservists.
Bank of America set the goal to address the unique challenges military personnel face in finding employment after service. Bank of America remains committed to attracting, developing, and retaining military talent.