PulteGroup Surprises Navy Veteran with Built to Honor® Home Groundbreaking Event in Whitestown, Indiana

After his plans for a long military career were disrupted by a rare medical diagnosis, U.S. Navy Petty Officer Second Class Robert Orr recently received the surprise of a lifetime: he and his family will receive a new mortgage-free home through PulteGroup’s Built to Honor® program.

Imagine the excitement the family experienced when officials from PulteGroup’s Indianapolis Division immediately escorted them from a surprise reveal to a groundbreaking ceremony at the Bridle Oaks by Pulte Homes community in Whitestown, Indiana. The surprise and ceremony were held on November 8, just days before Veterans Day – an opportune time to reinforce Built to Honor’s commitment to recognizing and thanking returning military personnel for their courageous service.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Built to Honor provides new, mortgage-free homes to wounded, ill or injured veterans. Once complete, this will be the second Built to Honor home awarded in Indiana by PulteGroup.

“Giving Petty Officer Second Class Orr and his family the surprise of a lifetime is one of the most unforgettable and rewarding moments our team has experienced,” said Scott Mairn, president of PulteGroup’s Indianapolis Division. “We know that having a home to call your own can be one of the most profound challenges facing wounded veterans when they come home. Given our ability to build incredible homes where people can live their dreams, we have a responsibility to give back to those who have given so much to our nation.”

To set up the surprise, PulteGroup’s Indianapolis division invited Petty Ofc. 2^nd Class Orr and his family to the Bridle Oaks community under the guise of having them participate in an interview during the selection process. After the pseudo interview, Mairn and his team walked Orr out of the model home to reveal a crowd of cheering PulteGroup employees making the life-changing announcement that they were chosen. Then the Orr family was led to the site of their future home, where they participated in a groundbreaking ceremony with Operation Homefront, community members, Boone County Sherriff’s officers and representatives from the town of Whitestown in attendance.

“We are honored to extend our heartfelt welcome to Petty Officer Orr, a true American hero, and his family, as part of PulteGroup's Built to Honor program,” said Whitestown Town Council President Eric Nichols. “His bravery and sacrifice are not just acknowledged in our community, but deeply cherished. We wish the Orr family a new chapter filled with the love, support, and kindness they deserve.”

This is the seventh home PulteGroup will award to a military family as part of its partnership with Operation Homefront, a national non-profit organization whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive – not simply struggle to get by – in the communities they have worked so hard to protect.

“As we celebrate the 10^th anniversary of our Built to Honor program this year, this home will be the first awarded to a deserving veteran in Indiana,” said PulteGroup President and CEO Ryan Marshall. “There are no words to describe the joy and emotion involved in such a life-changing surprise for the Orr family, and we look forward to welcoming them to their new home next year.”

About Petty Ofc. 2^nd Class Robert Orr

After eight years in the Navy as a military police officer, Robert Orr had earned the rank of Petty Officer Second Class. He had anticipated a long career in the Navy when he was diagnosed with a service-connected autoimmune disease that makes his body unable to regulate its temperature. Orr was medically discharged in March 2023.

Orr, wife Adiame, and their two young children look forward to moving to Whitestown with its proximity to Robert’s family and access to one of the nation’s top immune disease physicians.