Lowcountry veteran surprised with brand new home

Yahoo

29-03-2025

HARDEEVILLE, S.C. (WSAV) — It started as a way to help veterans deal with life outside of combat, but now the veteran's charity Operation Patriots FOB (OPFOB) has become a lot more.
It helped make a military family's dream come true with a brand-new home to call their own.
A police escort came into the Preserve at Hilton Head Lakes, the streets lined with neighbors and supporters, and a veteran was given a ride to a big surprise.
Morgan Strain and his wife Kemi got out of the car, in front of dozens of friends and neighbors, to hear the home in front of them now belonged to them.
It was moment that proved even a marine can cry.
'There's not there's not a way to adequately say what this means.' said Morgan Strain. 'We got out the car, saw within a couple of blocks. You see the crowd a lot in the street and start seeing my friends like people I've known for four or five, ten, 15 years.'
Friends who kept this surprise for months. Until this day.
The house, the materials and all the work were provided through 'Homes 4 Heroes' a partnership between OPFOB and Lennar homes.
'We want to be able to give back to the community that takes care of us,' SAID Brian Cartwright, Division Manager with Lennar Homes. 'And being able to take care of a veteran that's really served our country and taking care of us makes it all that much more special.'
After a ceremony in their honor, the Strain's had a special moment of their own. Walking through their front door for the first time, they were surrounded not just by unfinished walls, but messages of love and support from the community. Many of whom the family had never met.
'I don't even have the words to know that all this love is at the center of our home,' said Kemi Strain.
'We were really caught off guard with all this,' said Morgan. 'We knew there was a long shot. But for it to come and culminate today and to see everybody in the massive amount of support and love that our friends and family have poured into this, Lennar Homes, they've all gone above and beyond.'
OPFOB called this event a 'dream come true'.
'When we started Operation Patriots FOB, we never thought that we would be in a position to be able to gift homes and do all the different things that we do in the community,' said J.R. Brown, OPFOB co-founder. 'We started with outdoor recreational activity and now four and a half years, almost five years, until we were able to gift a home away. And you want to talk about a generational impact for a family. It's just it's huge.'
If the home wasn't enough, there was one more surprise waiting for Morgan.
'OPFOB is about to kick off the service dog program. And OPFOB would like to offer you a job to start our service dog program.'
There's still some work to be done on the home, but the Strain's will be able to move in in June.
For more information on OPFOB, click here.
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