Retired U.S. Army Maj. Eric King is a wounded military veteran who is settling into a brand new home in Irving, Texas with his family thanks to the group Operation Finally Home.

Operation Finally Home is a non-profit group that builds homes for wounded, ill or injured veterans and their families. The organization just welcomed Eric, his wife, and their four children between the ages of 1 and 19 to their brand new house! Eric could not thank the group enough, saying that their act of kindness has inspired his whole family.

“It lets them know that what their dad may have done for our country is being recognized by all you great Americans, by gifting us as a family with a home,” the veteran said. “It is an inspiration to them to want to go out and do great things because when you do great things, you are rewarded.”

Eric served four deployments overseas in places like Iraq, Afghanistan and West Africa, and three of these deployments included three combat tours. Like many veterans, Eric suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as well as a traumatic brain injury and a seizure disorder. During combat, he also suffered a spinal injury that did damage to the nerves in his legs.

After serving his country for sixteen years, Eric was honorably and medically retired in 2016. Since then, he has been trying to help other veterans deal with their PTSD. He described the feeling of moving into his brand new home as “just mind-blowing.”

“I am grateful. I mean, this is my first, brand-new home,” Eric said. “I think people went over and beyond. … I never would have expected anyone to do this for me. … To see all the great things that people have donated, the sponsors, the donors, the contributors, all that, to me it speaks volumes.”

“Whenever I may feel like, cause I do from time to time, feel like that I am going back to a place that I don’t want to go back to, this right here (will) let me know that there is still life for me to live,” Eric said. “I have something to live for. … It’s priceless. … This here is gonna help us to move forward again.”

Thanks to Operation Finally Home, Eric and his family now lives in a custom-built, mortgage-free home.

“This is part of the American dream: being a homeowner,” Eric concluded. “I’m a homeowner and its big thanks to Operation Finally Home and everybody else who had a hand in it.”