Honoring our heroes with a safe home

By Emma Peterson. 

Check out five stories of roofing companies who went out of their way to keep our veterans safe and secure. 

A roof is more than just shingles and fasteners – it’s a safe home to rest and relax in after a long day. But for many of our incredible veterans who have had their share of long days, they can’t afford the repairs or replacements needed for their roofs to make their homes secure and comfortable. In response to this, many roofing companies have stepped up to offer free reroofs for veterans in their communities. Keep reading to hear about five examples of this from across the country.  

1 – Mattoon, Wisconsin 

Keith Schmidt is a Marine veteran who lives in Shawano County, Wisconsin and has spent the last two decades of his life volunteering in the local community. When he watched a tornado tear through his area last year, damaging his roof irreparably, he didn’t know how he was going to afford a new roof. He told WeAreGreenBay.com, “When the tornado struck, [the roof] was already about 20-25 years old. And a lot of the shingles [were] torn off and there was damage to other parts of the roof.”  

Luckily, American Quality Homes had launched a program called Operation Homefront, designed to help community members like Keith. American Quality Homes co-owner Michael Ebben explained, “Every 50 roofs that we sell and install, we give one back to our local communities, for a veteran or active military member, anybody who is a firefighter, EMS, first responder — anyone who needs a roof.” Keith was the perfect candidate for the program and Michael and his team were able to install a new roof for him this summer.  

2 – Cincinnati, Ohio 

Like Keith, Beverly Struggs, an Army veteran, was faced with the challenge of paying for a new roof earlier this year. She told Fox19Now about her situation, “[The roof] was just worn out. I was born here, and I’m 69 years old. So, it’s about that time, but I couldn’t afford it.”  

But Beverly’s community wasn’t about to leave her without a safe and secure home. Through a collaboration between organizations like Habitat for Humanity and the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project, Beverly’s roof was replaced for her this June! 

3 – Lewistown, Idaho 

And Beverly is just one of the hundreds of veterans who have been helped through the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project. Another example is U.S. Navy veteran Robert Bentley. In June 2025, local roofing company Russell Quality Roofing partnered with Owens Corning and Purple Heart Homes to gift Richard a new roof.  

The project was Russell Quality Roofing’s idea, their project consultant Rick Fuentes told KLEW News that they met Robert earlier in the year and thought, “This is a good project that we can move forward with on something like this to help this veteran out.” They immediately got in contact with Owens Corning and Purple Heart Homes who donated materials and labor for the project. Russell Quality Roofing President Reuben Russell summed up the project simply, saying, “Life is tough enough and sometimes people just need that little bit of extra hand.” 

4 – Marion Station, Maryland 

Heading East to Maryland, we have another report of a local roofing company partnering with Owens Corning to give back to a veteran in need. This story focuses on U.S. Army Veteran Catherine Jackson. The entire story begins when Catherine filled out an application for help with her roof on the local Habitat for Humanity website. 

From there, Precision Exteriors was called in to help. Nathan Whitaker of Precision Exteriors shared their side of the story with 47WMDT, saying, “We started for the sole purpose of solving homeowners’ problems, and part of that is helping veterans and people who can’t help themselves.” And Christina Williams, Wicomico County’s Habitat for Humanity’s director of development, added, “We are fortunate to partner with Owens Corning and with Precision Exteriors, who’s an amazing support of us, to come out and complete a roof for a veteran in need.” 

5 – Jacksonville, North Carolina  

And last but not least is a story about how Rufus Montague Jr., a Jacksonville Army veteran, got a new roof thanks to Habitat for Humanity, local roofer Patriot Roofing and the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Program. Rufus’ roof started leaking last year after the storm season and was in need of replacement. He was quoted $7,000 that he didn’t have for that work.   

So, he reached out to his local Habitat for Humanity branch, and they immediately got in contact with Owens Corning. Next thing Rufus knew, he was getting a new roof. Stephanie Bolton, a member of the Patriot Roofing team that donated the labor to install the roofing materials sent by Owens Corning, told WNCT9 that their choice to help Rufus was simple, “Having a roof over your head is probably one of the most basic of needs. When someone fears that the roof that they’re providing over their heads for themselves and for their family isn’t safe, then it affects their entire life.”