PulteGroup Surprises U.S. Air Force Veteran with New Home in Southeast Florida

A U.S. Air Force veteran and his wife received the news of a lifetime in the beginning of the new year. They were chosen to receive a brand-new mortgage-free home in Port St. Lucie, Florida, awarded by national homebuilder PulteGroup through the company’s Built to Honor® program. Celebrating its 10^th anniversary in 2023, this will be the first Built to Honor home awarded in Southeast Florida.
 
On February 1, U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Francis “Frankie” Reilly met with PulteGroup’s Southeast Florida division leaders at the Heron Preserve community by Pulte Homes. He believed he was interviewing as part of the application process, but when he arrived, the team shared the big news.

“This has been the surprise of a lifetime, and we are so incredibly grateful to everyone involved for making this happen for us,” said Reilly.  “It is absolutely a dream come true for us.”
 
“It is a privilege for PulteGroup employees, along with our trade partners and suppliers, to give back to our nation’s veterans in a meaningful way,” said PulteGroup Southeast Florida Division President, Brent Baker. “This family is so deserving of this gift.  We look forward to working with them as we build this home to meet their needs and help them create wonderful new memories in this next chapter of their lives.”
 
Built specifically for the Reilly family, construction of their new 2,600+ square foot single-family home will begin in the spring. PulteGroup awarded the home in partnership with Building Homes for Heroes®, a national non-profit organization devoted to bringing renewed hope and service to injured veterans.
 
“We are extremely grateful to PulteGroup and their Built to Honor program for supporting our veterans and military families with mortgage-free homes,” said Rusty Smallwood, Operations Manager for Building Homes for Heroes®.
 
PulteGroup’s Built to Honor program was launched in 2013 to recognize and thank returning military personnel who have been injured during their term of service by providing them with mortgage-free homes. Over the past 10 years, the company has delivered over 75 new-construction homes to veterans nationwide. 
 
U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Francis Reilly
USAF Master Sergeant Francis Reilly joined the military in 1994 and served honorably for 24 years before being medically retired. He was injured during a special operation while acting as a jumpmaster.  As his parachute deployed, it caught his leg and pulled it backward causing severe trauma to his leg and foot that found him at two different level one trauma centers.  He now has permanent paralysis in his right leg, and his recovery continues.  Sergeant Reilly was also diagnosed with PTSD and TBI (traumatic brain injury) after a mission that left several close teammates critically injured. For service to his country, USAF Master Sergeant Reilly is the recipient of more than 25 service medals.
 
Now, as he continues his recovery, Reilly has become a paralympic cycling athlete and hopes to qualify for the Olympics. He and his wife Heather are looking forward to relocating to Port St. Lucie, in a new home that they can call their own, where he can continue to recover and make new memories with family.