Detroit Air Force veteran gifted new home in Dexter
DEXTER, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - A family in Dexter is home today.
After years of military service and rental housing, the family was gifted a brand-new build on Thursday.
"All I did was serve my country, and I'd do it again," said Master Sgt. Paulus Obey. "I'd fight and die for my country, but when you have the community to bring you home, then you're home."
Obey of Detroit served in the U.S. Air Force for more than 18 years, flying in combat zones in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan.
"I tell my friends, people that I work with, veterans, that the government might throw you under the bus, but your community got you. They'll bring you home, and they'll help you heal, and that's what's happening to me today," he said.
Obey was honorably discharged from service in 2004 after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. His new home was built in partnership between the Build to Honor Program, which is run by Detroit-founded PulteGroup, and the national nonprofit Building Homes for Heroes.
"It came together beautifully for the Obey family, so I can't imagine a better, more deserving veteran and so forth, so this has been incredible," said Rusty Smallwood, a project manager for Building Homes for Heroes.
The PulteGroup says the Obey family's new home is mortgage-free and was built with the family's personality in mind, complete with a she-cave on the upper floor and a he-cave in the basement.
Obey said the feeling of having those new house keys in his hand is indescribable.
"I'll go to my grave thanking these guys. It's just … overwhelming," he said.