The rumble of motorcycles and sound of bagpipes rang through the Bridle Oaks by Pulte Homes community in Whitestown, Indiana on May 8, 2024 as U.S. Navy Petty Officer Second Class Robert Orr and his family were escorted to their new mortgage-free home through PulteGroup’s Built to Honor® program.
After words of gratitude and support from Scott Mairn, president of PulteGroup’s Indianapolis/Louisville division, Brig. Gen. (ret.) Robert D. Thomas, president and chief operating officer of Operation Homefront, and Dan Patterson, Whitestown Town Council President, the Orr family along with the crowd shouted, “move that sign,” which featured a life-size image of the original lot the Orrs broke ground on months before. The family was teary-eyed and speechless as they entered their new home for the first time.
The Orr family’s new home features three bedrooms plus a loft and flex space. As a surprise to the family, the home was also gifted fully furnished by PulteGroup’s professional design team with personal touches throughout, including bedrooms specially decorated for each child, a custom back patio with a grill for family cookouts, garage upgrades to give Petty Officer Second Class Orr a space to work on his car, and more. In addition, the family’s new home is located next to the community playground and has access to the B&O Trail, one of the premier trails in the Indianapolis metro area. The Orr’s family home was built in partnership with Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit providing relief and recurring family support programs and services to military families.
After being medically discharged from the U.S. Navy in March 2023 because of a service-connected autoimmune illness, the Orr family found respite at Operation Homefront’s Transitional Housing Village in San Diego. They lived temporarily in a rent-free, fully furnished apartment near medical care while transitioning back to civilian life. They then found hope through Operation Homefront’s Permanent Homes for Veterans program when they discovered a homeownership application in Whitestown provided through the generosity of PulteGroup’s Built to Honor initiative.
For the last decade, PulteGroup’s Built to Honor® program has recognized and thanked returning military personnel who have been injured during their term of service by providing mortgage-free homes to veterans and their families. Launched in 2013, the program has built and donated over 80 homes, gifting more than $30 million in value, across the country. Built to Honor works in partnership with nonprofit organizations to identify veteran candidates. For more information about Built to Honor, go to builttohonor.org. Follow Built to Honor on Twitter: @BuiltToHonor and Facebook.com/BuiltToHonor.