MILFORD, Del.--A local veteran was surprised by his community with a 'Thank You' dedication ceremony Thursday morning after being nominated for a much-needed roof repair for his home in Milford.
Ed Holloway got a knock on his door just two weeks ago--a surprise by 'Raise the Roof,' sponsored by Valor, announcing that he became Delaware's first recipient of a new and improved roof giveaway, all thanks to someone who nominated him anonymously.
"Events like this, it's just phenomenal, and I'm looking behind you right now, and seeing that flag.... it's very emotional to me, I love our country," he said.
Holloway served in the Air Force for more than 20 years. During the Vietnam War era, he was part of the SR-71 Blackbird Program, working in the photography unit. He also worked at the White House during the Ford, Carter, and Reagan administrations.
Holloway later retired in 1989.
Program Director for Raise the Roof, William Fisher Jr. said the company will soon turn into a 501C3 non-profit called 'Operation Raise the Roof,' and instead of a quarterly giveaway, the new goal will be to fix a veteran's home on a monthly basis.
"This roof was put on in 2004, so it's about 20 years old, coming up 18 years," he said. "The shingles were starting to come off... they were starting to show signs of wear and tear."
It took a total of just two days to finish the job.
Holloway said he had just had a conversation a few weeks ago with his wife about fixing the roof--an out-of-pocket investment that would've cost about $20,000.
"We started to list down some of the things that were kind of expensive in nature and grouping them that way from the highest to the lowest," he said.
Holloway said the surprise was an unexpected blessing.
Jennifer Jensen, who's been Holloway's boss for six months at the Office of Veteran Services, revealed at Thursday's ceremony that she was the one who nominated him.
"It was pretty hard to keep a secret for two months, especially 'cause Mr. Ed is so interactive and we met with Will and he knew of Will, so I'm surprised he didn't put the two together," she said.
Lending a hand to those who sacrifice so much to ensure America's safety.
"Veterans will rarely ask you for anything, but they'll give you everything," Holloway said.
