Wounded army veteran receives keys to new mortgage-free home in Rockwall

(ROCKWALL, TX – June 24, 2016) U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Jerry Holcomb and family are finally home after officially receiving the keys to their new mortgage-free, custom-built house during this morning’s dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony.

Members with The Dallas Builders Association, Mishler Builders, Inc. and Operation Finally Home welcomed the Holcomb family after a special ceremony held in honor of their sacrifice and service to our country.

Sgt. Holcomb – who suffers from some major health issues including a traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, neck, shoulder and back pain after three deployments in Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan – was given a custom-built, mortgage-free home courtesy of Operation Finally Home, Mishler Builders, and sponsors including the Dallas Builders Association, TXU Energy and FC Dallas. A generous donation from the Fletcher family of Heath, along with other numerous donations from the Rockwall community, provided Mishler Builders with the lot and the necessary funds to help build the home for the Holcomb family.

Addressing the crowd of onlookers outside his new home, Sgt. Holcomb thanked the many involved in the project and gave a shout out to the military families, police and fire personnel who make sacrifices to defend the freedoms we enjoy today.

“If you’re ever in a grocery store or somewhere, and you see a person wearing a hat that says “veteran,” stop and thank that person,” Sgt. Holcomb said. “Even if it’s a police officer or someone with the fire department, because they’re working their tails off to keep this country free. And there’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather live than in the USA. I’m proud to be an American, and I’m proud to be here.”

The Dallas Builders Association, a non-profit trade organization chartered by the State of Texas, has partnered with nonprofit Operation Finally Home on a number of occasions to provide homes for combat wounded veterans and widows of fallen soldiers.

“Our members are in the business of building the American Dream, soldiers like Sergeant Holcomb are in the business of preserving and protecting the American Dream,” said Phil Crone, executive officer of the Dallas Builders Association. “There’s no better partnership than to be able to marry those two, along with the talents of our members, and the ability to provide a home.”

Established in 2005, Operation Finally Home – a nonpartisan / nonprofit 501(c)3 organization now in its 10th year of providing custom-built, mortgage-free homes to America’s wounded veterans and the widows of the fallen – partners with corporate sponsors, builder associations, builders, developers, individual contributors and volunteers to help America’s military heroes and their families transition to the home front by addressing one of their most pressing needs: a home to call their own.

“We have to remember every day that freedom is not free; it takes people like Sergeant Holcomb to stand on that wall and to fight for our freedom every day,” said Operation Finally Home Project Manager Ronnie Lyles. “For everyone that’s here today and those who weren’t able to be who had even a small part in this, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You’ve truly blessed a family and helped us do what we do, and that’s honoring heroes with homes.”