LULING, LA – On January 15, 2016, representatives from nonprofit organization Operation FINALLY HOME, Greater New Orleans area homebuilder Tyson Construction, Irving Morris Foundation along with Southern Living and JCPenney will gather ay 319 Lac Calcasieu Dr., in Luling, LA, to welcome U.S. Army Sgt. Nathan Young and his family to their new custom-built, mortgage-free home in the Ashton Plantation community.
The 1:00 p.m. dedication ceremony will be filmed as part of Building Hope, a video series on SouthernLiving.com that documents the journeys of five veterans as they receive their new, mortgage-free home – and see them furnished along with some special touches for Young’s service dog Maggie, courtesy of Building Hope sponsor JCPenney.
Operation FINALLY HOME, Tyson Construction and Irving Morris Foundation surprised the Young family with the home announcement during a tour of the New Orleans Saints’ practice facility in December 2014 and broke ground to mark the start of construction in May 2015. The Building Hope episodes featuring Sgt. Young and his family will premiere on SouthernLiving.com on February 8.
Following a special ribbon-cutting ceremony, the community is invited to greet the Young family and take a tour of their new home.
U.S. Army Sgt. Nathan D. Young joined the National Guard as a part of the Military Police (MP) in 1999, during his senior year of high school. Young was sent on his first deployment to Iraq from 2003 until 2004. In 2010, Young became Active Duty Army with the MP and deployed to Iraq for his second tour in July 2010. In October 2010, while in Iraq, two males threw Russian Anti-Tank Grenades into the vehicle Young was occupying. The only recollection he has from the incident was the loud blast and the physical force of the explosion that tossed him around. As a result of Young’s combat injuries, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as a traumatic brain injury (TBI). He also suffers from migraines, back injuries, anxiety and depression. Young medically retired from the military in February 2013.
Young’s honorable service in the Army earned him a number of awards such as an Army Commendation medal, an Army Achievement medal, a Combat Action badge, and a National Defense ribbon. He currently lives in Evans, GA, with his wife, Tabitha; her daughter, Emme, 12; and his service dog, Maggie. They will move to Luling in Spring, 2016 once the school year is finished.
Operation FINALLY HOME was established in 2005 as a nonpartisan/nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Operation FINALLY HOME provides custom-built, mortgage-free homes to America’s wounded, ill or injured veterans and widows of the fallen who have sacrificed so much to defend our freedom and values. Operation FINALLY HOME 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. T
