ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Roy Wilbur is a retired Marine Sergeant with an infectious laugh, despite a story that hurts your heart.
He was shot twice during combat in Vietnam and forced into medical retirement in 1970.
“I was shrapnelled in my arm here and in my face, and then the second time, I was shot in my leg here. I have nerve damage, can’t move my foot or my toes,” Wilbur said.
He was awarded two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars and eventually settled in St. Augustine, which has been in his home for 45 years.
“I didn’t want to sell. I’m a kid of 16 kids and I always wanted me a home. I bought this one and I wanted to keep it. I really did,” he said.
But the years have not been good to his home.
Now, Wilbur is getting help from Operation Lifeline, a group dedicated to providing safe, affordable housing for veterans and low-income families.
“Honestly, people need help, and no one wants to help anymore, so we’re going to do it,” said David Black, the Project Manager for Operation Lifeline.
Operation Lifeline was created nearly three years ago. During that time, its small army of volunteers, who themselves are either in the military or are veterans, has helped just about any vet who needed it.
They built a new roof and a ramp for a veteran in Hastings, replacing the siding on his home as well. They made major structural repairs to a veteran’s home in St. Augustine after he suffered a fall and needed a safer rear patio to be able to leave his home.
Operation Lifeline also provides affordable housing to families who never thought home ownership would be possible. Two years ago, through a county-funded builder initiative, it completed its first new construction project in Green Cove Springs and is in the process of finishing a five-home subdivision, Lifeline Landing, in Clay County.
After termites ravaged Wilbur’s home, the group is helping him rebuild, a project that Black said would have cost at least $180,000 if Wilbur had to pay out of pocket.
To learn more about how you can donate, visit Operation Lifeline’s website.
And to watch more about the group and how it is helping Wilbur and others, click the video player above.