Veterans can sometimes be overlooked in regards to their dedicated service to the United States — a fact that AmeriPro Roofing and Owens Corning have worked to correct here in Fremont County with the donation of a free roof installation to a local veteran.
In December, AmeriPro announced the beginning of their Roof Deployment Program in Fremont County — a first for the area — and local sales representative, Larry Roybal, was particularly excited to begin the process of finding a worthy veteran.
Roybal, an 18-year resident of Florence, spent time working with many Fremont County staples, such as the Royal Gorge Chamber Alliance, the Penrose VFW, and the Florence Senior Community Center, to disperse nomination forms and they received dozens of nominations.
“We’re here to give back to the community, this is our first year in Fremont County,” Royal commented.
“The customer service has been lacking in the industry for I can’t tell you how long and we’re excited to provide that service to homeowners [in Fremont County] so we can educate and advocate for homeowners through their exterior needs,” added Colorado Springs AmeriPro branch manager Jeremy Halfacre.
The nomination process whittled down to 18 local worthy veterans and, beginning Jan. 1, the screening process began. Roybal and a panel of board members conducted interviews with each nominee and a screening process was also pursued through Purple Heart Homes. Roofs were also inspected for signs of wear and tear but, perhaps most importantly, potential claimants had to have been honorably discharged from the military.
“I come from a family of veterans…It’s very important to me to give back to those who have served our country, in any capacity in the military. It’s very near and dear to my heart,” Halfacre said.
One particular veteran stood out amongst the rest, however.
Of the multiple nomination forms received from the community, more than a dozen were for a single individual — retired Air Force veteran and longtime Penrose resident John Lemons.
Lemons was surprised by Roybal live on the air of Star Country 104.5 on Jan. 12 as the recipient of the free roof installation and, on Thursday morning, workers were already swarming his already stripped rooftop in preparation for new installation.
Lemons served in the Air Force from 1967 to 1971, largely as a postal worker and mail courier, and served both in the States and just outside of Saigon (currently known as Ho Chi Minh City) in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. For Lemons, entering the military was a natural choice as he was already two years into a collegiate degree and he still had no idea what he wanted to do with his life.
“I grew up in the Air Force, my dad was a pilot,” Lemons commented.
After completing his military service, Lemons returned to college, where he earned a degree in journalism from Arizona State.
By 1984, he found himself in Fremont County, where he earned a job with the Daily Record and reported faithfully on local happenings for nearly 20 years. He covered a variety of topics, including a widely loved historical column and calls himself (and those like him) living historians.
Although he retired from journalism in 2003, his articles can still be readily accessed at the Royal Gorge Regional Museum and Library and he keeps himself busy working in agriculture and as an ATV tour guide.
He also finds time to volunteer around Fremont County and finds a particularly wonderful outlet with the Penrose VFW.
“Our motto is ‘veterans helping veterans’… Everybody helping everybody out is important,” he said.
His charming farmhouse has withstood many windswept years in Penrose but he looks forward to having a new roof — as well as a newly repainted exterior and window trim courtesy of a Pueblo handyman’s service — from AmeriPro and Owens Corning. He jokingly said that the shingles on the old roof would affectionately wave goodbye to him on particularly windy days.
“It can be hard to keep up with stuff financially — the wind out here is horrific,” he said. “It’s a relief [to have a new roof].”
The materials for the project are provided by Owens Corning and the labor and organization by AmeriPro but, at the crux, is Lemons and his service both to the country and Fremont County.
“We’re going to restore this house back the way it was before,” Halfacre said, citing that all servicemen deserve a warm place to call home.
Although AmeriPro will likely extend the Roof Deployment Programs to counties all over Colorado in the years to come, the impact they have already made in Fremont County is clear — and it came in the form of appreciation for a humble and dedicated United States veteran.
www.canoncitydailyrecord.com
https://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/2024/03/21/ameripro-roofing-and-owens-corning-honor-veteran-with-free-roof-installation/
