Veteran and family get surprise of a lifetime in Warsaw

One veteran and his family received the surprise of a lifetime Saturday in Warsaw. ABC 57’s Jess Arnold caught it all on tape.

After serving our country and sacrificing 15 years of his life, one veteran and his family will finally have a place to call home.

“This community is coming together to provide you with a custom-built mortgage-free home,” announced Rusty Carroll from Operation FINALLY Home.

“We didn’t know how we were coming home. It’s hard to speak. It’s just a gift. It’s a wonderful gift,” said veteran Justin Raymer.

This gift of a home brought the entire Raymer family together for the first time ever Saturday night at a Craig Morgan concert in Warsaw’s Wagon Wheel Theatre.

Now, they get to stay together.

“It’s not just monumental for us. Them—they get to grow up together now,” said Justin Raymer’s wife, Kaci.

That’s all thanks to Operation FINALLY home, a national non-profit that builds houses for veterans facing any number of challenges.

One of Justin’s is a traumatic brain injury from his time in the Middle East.

“So it’s not only the veteran, because the spouse and the children serve right along with him, so this is just as much a recognition of their service and sacrifice as it is of Justin’s,” said Executive Director for Operation FINALLY Home, Rusty Carroll.

They’re partnering with the Kosciusko and Fulton County Builders’ Association, who say this project is a first for them, and it’s really special.

“This is what we do for a living. We know how to build houses, and this family needs a home. They deserve it, they don’t need it. They deserve it. They’ve earned it, so we’re going to provide it for them,” said the association’s chair, John Kidd.

“This is the best gift you could get. I mean, the best gift is family, and this is what we finally get, finally,” said Kaci Raymer.

The Kosciusko and Fulton County Builders’ Association has already raised 30% of the funds, and they have four months to raise the rest. They break ground in March.

We will follow the Raymer family’s journey to finally live together under one mortgage-free roof, so stick with ABC 57 up until that final reveal.