"To know that we've put another wounded veteran in a safe and secure house where he no longer has to worry about where his family is going to sleep at night, or how he's going to continue to recover just means the world to me," said Kim Valdyke, the president of construction for Building Homes for Heroes.
The non-profit organization spent almost two years finding and furnishing a home for Purple Heart Marine Veteran Aaron Mankin.
On Dec. 13, community members along with fellow veterans and friends who helped make this dream into a reality came to the new home to give Mankin and his children a warm welcome.
Many of the speakers who have known Mankin for years had kind words to say about his character, resilience, and service to this country.
"Here is a marine and Arkansas citizen ... adapting and overcoming his circumstances and making the most out of life," said Arkansas State Senator and long-time friend Joshua Bryant.
Mankin told 5NEWS that he and his family had to move frequently. Now, Mankin said he's relieved to have a permanent home for his children to grow up in.
"To have this stability— to have something that's ours that we can call home is going to make a huge difference in our lives," said Mankin.
Valdyke said she's been gifting homes to veterans for 11 years, and that veterans like Mankin inspire her to keep giving back.
"My grandfather, my father, my husband, and both of my sons are currently on active duty in the Navy. So this organization grabbed me from the get-go," said Valdyke. "And by the grace of God, I've never needed Building Homes for Heroes, but I am there to make sure that others ... don't have to worry ever again about a safe place to live."
The Mankins got a first look at their new home before everyone else joined. The home is fully furnished and even has Christmas decorations.
Mankins says the fireplace is his favorite addition, "I love the fake fire. I think that's hilarious: put some fire in the burned guy's house, but make it fake... smart."
A crowd came out to help welcome Mankin and his family at their new home.
"We can't do what we do without the support of our community. It's so important. And everywhere I have gone, they know Aaron, he's part of the community," adds Valdyke.
"To come back home to Rogers, and have my community say thank you like this... it's been an incredible life to get to live through. A very, very special life," Mankin said.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.