JACKSONVILLE, FL – April 13, 2023 – In a special dedication ceremony, PulteGroup presented United States Marine Corps Sergeant Matthew Perry with keys to his new, mortgage-free home in Jacksonville. Located in Pulte’s Forest Park at Wildlight community, the home was donated through the Company’s Built to Honor® program. This is the first home dedication of 2023, which marks the program’s 10th year of providing homes to wounded veterans and their families.
“We launched our Built to Honor program a decade ago as our way of saying ‘thank you’ to our nation’s heroes by doing what we do best: building incredible places where people can live their dreams,” said Dan Reynolds, vice president of construction operations at PulteGroup’s Northeast Florida division. “It is an honor for our Pulte team, along with the Wildlight community and our trade partners and suppliers who provided such generous support, to present this home to Sergeant Perry and his family.”
The fully accessible single-family home was designed to meet all of Sergeant Perry’s current and future needs. The home includes Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) modifications to accommodate future wheelchair use. The stairwell has also been reinforced for the future addition of a wheelchair lift.
“We are so grateful, and we appreciate all of the efforts that went into coordinating this new beginning for our family,” said Sergeant Perry. “We are honored and humbled to be the recipients of this beautiful new home.”
This is the third home donated in Northeast Florida through PulteGroup’s Built to Honor program. The home was built in partnership with Building Homes for Heroes®, a national non-profit organization making a significant difference in the lives of wounded American service members and their families, and with the generous support of the Wildlight community.
“Sergeant Perry is a hero who fought for our country in both Iraq and Afghanistan at the sacrifice of his health and well-being,” said Andy Pujol, founder and CEO of Building Homes for Heroes. “His wife Helen also served our country as a captain in the Army. We are forever grateful for their service, and hope this home welcomes a new chapter of their lives as they raise their two young children and build a brighter future for their family.”
“We warmly welcome the Perry family to their new home at Forest Park at Wildlight, where they will create wonderful new memories together,” said Wildlight Vice President Wes Hinton. “They are now part of an integrated community that encourages connections and support, including those with fellow veterans, and are close to all of the services they need.”
United States Marine Corps Sergeant Matthew Perry
U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Matthew Perry joined the Marines in August 2005, after being part of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) and Civil Air Patrol in high school. After more than a decade of service where Sergeant Perry carried out numerous critical missions and served in combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan, he was medically retired in March 2016 after suffering a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
On July 21, 2008, Sergeant Perry was in direct contact with enemy forces during a company assault in Afghanistan, exposing him to three improvised explosive device (IED) detonations that resulted in serious injuries, including three concussions and a loss of consciousness. Six years later, he suffered a series of severe seizures and cardiac arrest due to his previous consecutive head injuries, causing post traumatic epilepsy secondary to closed brain injury. This is a chronic condition that will require lifetime monitoring and treatment, leaving Sergeant Perry with severe memory loss, difficulty communicating, and having to relearn how to talk and walk.
For his valor and service, Sergeant Perry has received several accolades, including the Purple Heart, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon (Afghanistan), Combat Action Ribbon (Iraq), Navy Unit Commendation (3), Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (3), Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal (3), and the National Defense Service Medal.
About Built to Honor®
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 76 homes, gifting more than $35 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.
About PulteGroup
PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE: PHM), based in Atlanta, Georgia, is one of America’s largest homebuilding companies with operations in more than 40 markets throughout the country. Through its brand portfolio that includes Centex, Pulte Homes, Del Webb, DiVosta Homes, American West and John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods, the company is one of the industry’s most versatile homebuilders able to meet the needs of multiple buyer groups and respond to changing consumer demand. PulteGroup’s purpose is building incredible places where people can live their dreams.
For more information about PulteGroup, Inc. and PulteGroup brands, go to pultegroup.com; pulte.com; centex.com; delwebb.com; divosta.com; jwhomes.com; and americanwesthomes.com. Follow PulteGroup, Inc. on Twitter: @PulteGroupNews.
