TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A man who's dedicated his life for our country was given a home on Thursday in honor of his service.
"I have a little 7-year-old girl, so having to have a safety net with having a home is something that feels good, for sure," said Derek Taylor, U.S. Army Specialist.
An emotional moment for Taylor when the keys to his home in Tallahassee were handed over.
Taylor is a purple heart veteran. On Thursday, he and his family got to see and explore their new home for the first time.
Building Homes for Heroes and JP Morgan Chase and Company, hosted a ceremony to honor Taylor, before presenting him with his new, mortgage-free home.
Taylor hasn't had a home of his own since returning from Afghanistan. He said 34 members of his unit got Purple Hearts within the first three months of his tour oversees.
He also lost 17 fellow service members in Afghanistan. Taylor's been through a lot, but now, he's got one less thing to worry about.
He got the keys to his new home on Pine Forest Drive on Thursday.
Building Homes for Heroes is a national non-profit organization, that builds and modifies homes and gifts them, mortgage-free, to veterans and their families.
Since 2006, they've gifted nearly 200 mortgage-free homes.
Talk about the timing of Taylor getting his home. Monday, of course, is Veterans Day and what better way to honor the Purple Heart recipient then for him to wake up in the home, built just for him, to thank him for his service.
