SAVANNAH, Georgia (WTGS) – A Savannah veteran gets a new roof for his home for free thanks to a nationwide initiative called the Owens Corning Roofing Deployment Project.
Garrett Ross attended high school in Savannah and after six years of service in the US Air Force knew he wanted to return to settle in the Hostess City.
“This is a house we bought when we were in our early to mid 20s,” Ross said. “I just got out of the military, we knew we wanted to live here, and we put everything we had into buying an old house.” That takes work in what we think is the best area in Savannah.
He said that after some unexpected additional costs to repair the house structure, they didn’t have much left to fix the deteriorating roof.
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When you say you know you have a roof over your head and then the roof starts leaking and you can’t afford to fix it, it weighs you down pretty badly,” Ross said. “So this is going to be a huge thing.” That was a relief for us and we would have had to find another way if these guys hadn’t generously donated and done it for us.
Roofing manufacturer Owens Corning works with other companies like S&S Roofing and Construction to cover materials and labor costs and has served over 450 veterans nationwide on the project to date.
It is necessary. “They know they need as much help as they can with whatever they can,” said S&S owner Mike Strickland. “They’re gone for years, and then they come back with health problems and other problems with their homes and the things they own.” I couldn’t take care of that, and it’s hard to catch up.
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Ross added that since so many veterans return home disabled or struggling with their mental health, he hopes this act of kindness will inspire others to help those who need it most.
It’s kind of mixed feelings because I don’t feel like I’m the guy who deserves it. “I’m used to being the one that travels donates to charity and does things for other people,” Ross said. “I’m not used to being on the receiving end, so I appreciate that.” It’s incredible. I’m just really humbled about it.
Owens Corning officials said not only did Garrett make sacrifices during his service, his family did too, and it felt great to have a new roof over our heads.
fox28savannah.com
https://fox28savannah.com/news/local/savannah-veteran-air-force-owens-corning-roofing-deployment-project-chatham-county-georgia-house-military-construction-community-charity
