A Twin Cities soldier wounded in a bomb attack a year ago while serving in the Minnesota National Guard in Iraq will get a new house in Woodbury.

Sgt. Marcus Kuboy, a Robbinsdale native, served three years of active duty for the Minnesota Guard until he suffered serious injuries in March 2007. He was patrolling the outskirts of Fallujah with his unit when his vehicle ran over an IED bomb. The explosion severely injured Duboy's legs and broke his back, left arm and jaw.

In his initial nine months of recovery, Kuboy endured eight surgeries and spent four months at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington. Kuboy, 30, a medic, is now getting more treatment in the Twin Cities.

A groundbreaking ceremony in the Stonemill Farms neighborhood on Woodbury's east side Monday marked the beginning of the first disability-accessible home in Minnesota built by a national nonprofit group called Homes for Our Troops.

Minnesota credit unions are raising money to build the house.

Construction of Kuboy's house and another in Colorado will coincide with the upcoming Republican and Democratic national conventions. The point of that, according to the Minnesota Credit Union Network in St. Paul, is to draw public attention to the plight of wounded veterans.

"Taking care of our veterans is not a Republican issue, it's not a Democratic issue, it's an American issue," Maria Cino, president and CEO of the Republican National Convention, said in a news release. "We are honored to participate in this initiative."

The GOP convention will be held in St. Paul from Sept. 1 to 4. The Democrats are holding their convention Aug. 25-28 in Denver. Deeding ceremonies for both houses will take place during the conventions.

Founded in 2004, Homes for Our Troops is a national nonprofit, non-partisan organization committed to assisting severely injured and disabled servicemen and women and their families. This organization works with local contractors to build new adapted homes, often for multiple amputees and veterans with spinal cord injuries.

Kuboy's house is expected to be finished in September.

Kevin Giles • 651-298-1554