Share: 

Walls that speak: Messages of hope at heart of new home

Operation Finally Home builds home for war veteran
Carol Holtmeyer of New Castle writes a special message for the O’Brien family on the wall of their future home. NICK ROTH PHOTOS
Nick Roth
January 27, 2018
Lewes Building Company is building a home for Sgt. Shaun O’Brien as part of the Operation Finally Home program.
The local community were invited to walk through the home and leave messages for the family.
Tracy Carroll, a fellow Red Fox Run resident, welcomes the O’Briens to the community.
Some families chose to leave longer messages.
The new home is in Red Fox Run just north of Cave Neck Road.
Veterans from across the country also sent messages for the family. This note came from Hawaii.
Lou Rouleau, Lewes Building Company project manager, gives the O’Briens a tour of their future home.
Messages of support and love were left.
Jesyka O’Brien takes a minute to read some of the messages left for her and her family.
Shaun O’Brien checks out the back yard.
Chase O’Brien leaves a message for his younger brother, who is due this spring.
Kathleen Leebel, principal at Lewes Building Company, is all smiles as the O’Brien family walks through their new home.
Lee, Shaun’s service dog, takes a look outside.
Chase O’Brien is all smiles as he checks out his future home.
Jesyka O’Brien soaks in the moment in her future home.
Dozens of messages were left for the O’Brien family in their new home.

Shaun and Jesyka O’Brien’s dream home is coming together right before their eyes. 

Shaun, a former Army medic wounded while serving in Afghanistan, and his family will receive a mortgage-free home as part of Operation Finally Home, a national nonprofit that works with local partners to build homes for military heroes and their surviving spouses. Since 2005, the organization has delivered more than 130 homes for veterans, 100 of them in the last four years. There are about 100 more projects in the planning stages, said Russell L. Carroll, executive director of Operation Finally Home.

The O’Briens’ home is under construction in the Red Fox Run community, north of Lewes. The couple, along with their son Chase and service dog Lee, were invited to check out the progress of their home Jan. 19. Prior to the visit, the community was invited to leave messages of love and support on the studs, where they will remain after drywall is added in the coming weeks.

As Lewes Building Company project manager Lou Rouleau walked the family through the home, the O’Briens were able to envision their lives in Delaware. Rouleau said he is aiming for a May completion.

The couple lives in Union County, N.J., but they have vacationed in Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach the last two summers. 

During the application process, officials from Operation Finally Home asked the family if they would be comfortable living in Maryland. Jesyka said yes, but added they would also consider Delaware. As it happened, the organization had property and partners ready to move forward in Delaware. 

Shaun reached the rank of sergeant in the U.S. Army, serving as a combat medic. After basic training in 2009 at Fort Benning in Georgia, he received medical training at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. First stationed at Fort Knox in Kentucky, he was deployed to Afghanistan in January 2011.

Just a few months later, in September, his life changed forever. While doing a final sweep, he and his team were hit by a heat rocket.

Shaun suffered a back injury and head trauma and now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. 

To learn more about Operation Finally Home, go to operationfinallyhome.org. 

Most Popular

Subscribe to the CapeGazette.com Daily Newsletter

Most Popular