On Monday, two military soldiers received completely properties in a new , Orange County , society as thousands of spectators waving American banners cheered for them. They arrived in a parade.
” This is truly life-changing for us. It’s basically like giving a gold ticket to servicemen”, said retired , U. S.  , Air Force Master , Sergeant Kaia Santana. ” You’ve elevated our quality of life and showed that we issue, that our company mattered, that surrender means everything to someone and that we are seen and appreciated”.
Santana was injured on a military center in , Iraq , in 2005. The two-story house with a backyard pool will be shared by her and her spouse and three children.
Santana and retired , U. S. Army , Sergeant , James Burse , were awarded the homes through the , Building Homes , for Heroes, a federal system that began after 9-11, and the home building business Pulte Group’s Built to Honor system. Both initiatives aim to offer free housing to veterans and first responders who have been injured.
The soldiers ‘ new properties sit next to each other in Pulte’s EverBe community, located west of , Orlando International Airport.
Each 2, 563-square-foot house has five bedrooms and three rooms. Single-family houses in EverBe generally sell from approximately$ 435, 000 up to$ 785, 000, according to the community website.
Following a meeting held under a camp set up between the fresh houses, the people had their first glimpses of the finished homes.
” We’ve had the pleasure of doing this one other time in , Central Florida , and this time we decided we could do two at one time”, said , Clint Ball, president of Pulte Group ‘s , Central Florida , division. ” We are so thrilled to be able to welcomed the Burse and Santana people into our society, into , Orlando , and into our home”.
Santana served 19 times in the , Air Force, completing tour of duty in , Greece,  , Guam,  , Iraq , and , Japan , before being honorably and biologically discharged in 2016.
She suffered a number of accidents while on deployment and has experienced bouts of post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of repeated IED and plaster problems on the bottom in , Iraq.
After her time in the military, Santana pursued an education in culinary arts and accepted a place at , Walt Disney World , in 2023.
Burse completed operations to , Iraq , and , Afghanistan, serving nine years previously sustaining injuries in a 2009 explosion while abroad. He was forced to learn how to walk once more after the blast, which left him with PTSD, severe headaches, and other issues.
Since 2015, Burse and his wife Tiffany have been working closely with Operation Barnabas, a program that helps veterans who have suicidal ideas and are facing homelessness. They have since been respectfully and biologically retired.
Burse claimed to have been poor for a while and had spent some time living in his car. He and his wife’s fresh house demonstrates the value of providing veterans with support after their services.
Give them a picture or give them a hand because you never know, he said,” That former out there with the sign up that says “hungry” or “willing to work.” We’ve often got to give our heroes a picture because I was that person, and now I look at myself.
___
© 2024 Orlando Sentinel
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
