[CRICKETS CHIRPING]

NARRATOR: Custom home builder Dan Wallrath

was ready to retire after 25 years in the business.

That is, until a colleague asked him

to speak to the father of an injured Marine, Lance Corporal

Steven Schultz.

He had been injured by a roadside bomb, or IED.

He had severe head injuries, and they had a choice.

Either to put their son in a home, or bring him home.

But their home needed a lot of modifications.

As he was telling me the story he was tearing up,

and of course, I was tearing up, and amongst all the emotions,

I-- you know, I told him -- I said look, I'll do this job.

NARRATOR: Dan went to his friends

in the local builders association

and told them about the Schultz family.

DAN WALLRATH: We all joined forces and went over

and just completely remodeled the home.

To my surprise, no one spent a dime.

Everything was donated.

You know, I knew God was up to something at that point.

NARRATOR: Dan told his wife, Carol,

he felt God had something bigger planned.

DAN WALLRATH: Couldn't sleep, couldn't eat.

My mind was just totally consumed

with more families that were in the same situation

like the Schultzes.

God just put a burden on my heart.

NARRATOR: So Dan found another military family in need.

This time he and his friends built a custom home

from the ground up, paid for entirely

with donated materials, funds, and labor.

Then they built another.

And another.

DAN WALLRATH: After the sixth or seventh build,

I talked to Carol and we prayed about it,

and I just knew that God had call me to do this.

NARRATOR: With that, Dan and his wife, Carol,

founded Operation Finally Home, a network of builders,

suppliers, and supporters dedicated to helping

veterans and their families.

DAN WALLRATH: The mission of Operation Finally Home

is to build mortgage-free, custom-built homes

for our wounded, ill, and injured,

and widows of the fallen.

Homes, that they have a place to heal mentally,

physically, and spiritually.

NARRATOR: Carol, who serves on the board,

understands the importance of a home for the veterans

they assist.

CAROL WALLRATH: Most of our veterans

that come back, they don't have anywhere

to go because they've been overseas,

or they've had to rent.

They've never had, per se, even enough money to buy a home,

so this is really their only hope

of having a home, a mortgage-free home.

They are all custom built to meet

the needs of these families.

A lot of times we'll make the doors wider for wheelchairs.

We'll make rolling showers, lower cabinets,

just things like that to make their life a little bit easier.

And then, sometimes, with the young men

that are really suffering with PTSD, we'll build a quiet room.

NARRATOR: To date, their organization

has built homes for 180 veterans and their families

in 33 states.

One of them is Army Specialist Haywood Range,

who lost his arm in a Humvee accident.

HAYWOOD RANGE: We had to go do a training mission up a mountain

to get high ground on the enemies.

I heard our TCR front passenger yell, rollover!

Rollover!

So from then we're just rolling down, rolling down,

rolling down.

I saw, as we were rolling, the vehicle come down on my arm.

I felt, like, so low at that point.

Like, yeah, I couldn't do anything for myself

at the hospital.

The nurses are having to do everything.

I don't know how I'm going to be of any use

to anybody else when I'm not useful even for myself.

NARRATOR: Making it worse, Haywood

knew there was a tough road ahead for his young family.

Then, Haywood's caseworker with the VA

put them in touch with Operation Finally Home.

We get a phone call saying, hey, we

want to fly you guys in, get to know you better.

I want you guys to come to this banquet as a tournament

of champions with us.

NARRATOR: It was at the banquet the family learned

they had been selected to receive a mortgage-free house

from Operation Finally Home.

HAYWOOD RANGE: Words can't even describe, like,

what I was feeling at that time, or what the rest of the family

was feeling at that time.

Like, what did you say?

The next day we walked in to our new home,

and it was breathtaking.

To me, the most amazing thing that's ever

happened to me in my entire life.

God really, like, set this whole thing up.

DAN: And when we surprise a family,

there's no other feeling like it.

Knowing that at that moment, literally,

changed the direction of that family's life.

It's provided stability for me and my family

to be able to grow here for many, many years to come.

It's definitely afforded me peace.

And healing, as well.

CAROL WALLRATH: That's our main objective,

is to give them something that they already

paid for with their service.

They paid for it with, maybe, a leg, an arm, PTSD.

And, they have given.

They have given, and maybe this time they can receive.

NARRATOR: Dan has written a book about his experience

with Operation Finally Home called "Building Hope."

He hopes it will inspire others.

Everybody has a talent.

Everybody has a calling, and God has a purpose and plan

for your life.

You've just gotta be willing to say yes,

and God will equip you with what you need to get it done.