thedrifter
09-25-06, 08:14 AM
Posted on Mon, Sep. 25, 2006
Father's mission: Fix new home for son on Iraq tour
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CANTON - While Charles Caldwell's son, Sgt. Andy Caldwell, was on a mission in Iraq for the Marines, he was on one of his own: Fixing up a new home for his son.
After completing three tours in Iraq, Andy Caldwell and his wife, Amanda, will be moving into a house his father has been fixing up for them.
"It's livable now," Caldwell said. "It wasn't livable before, so my mission was to get it livable and acceptable."
Caldwell said repairing the home was his way of thanking all soldiers fighting overseas.
"They come back, many with no home of their own, very little credit, no job and few financial plans," said Caldwell, a registered financial consultant and owner of CRC Homes LLC. "They focus on one mission and that mission hasn't been to prepare for a home. I think what we can do is help them to acclimate to the non-service environment."
Caldwell said he began working on the house in June. He said that although he's done much of the work on the house, professionals have helped with other projects, such as installing carpet. He said he wishes he asked the neighbors if they wanted to help.
"I painted everything, remodeled the bathrooms, put the tile down," he said. "I got all the appliances, got all the water working and the gas working and that kind of stuff."
Andy Caldwell, who is about to begin life as a Georgia civilian after five years in the Marines, said he appreciates what his father has done for him.
"It's the ultimate come-home gift," he said Friday from California where he is currently stationed. "It takes off the stress, too, because I don't have to look for a home."
He said his father sent him an advertisement for the house while he was in Iraq and has only seen the new home through photos.
"The fact that it's my own dad working on it means a lot to me," Andy Caldwell said, adding his dad also is helping him find a new career.
Mack McCue, Andy Caldwell's new neighbor, said he thinks it's great what Charles Caldwell did for his son.
"Anybody can tie a yellow ribbon, but when you paint a bathroom, that's touching," he said.
Ellie
Father's mission: Fix new home for son on Iraq tour
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CANTON - While Charles Caldwell's son, Sgt. Andy Caldwell, was on a mission in Iraq for the Marines, he was on one of his own: Fixing up a new home for his son.
After completing three tours in Iraq, Andy Caldwell and his wife, Amanda, will be moving into a house his father has been fixing up for them.
"It's livable now," Caldwell said. "It wasn't livable before, so my mission was to get it livable and acceptable."
Caldwell said repairing the home was his way of thanking all soldiers fighting overseas.
"They come back, many with no home of their own, very little credit, no job and few financial plans," said Caldwell, a registered financial consultant and owner of CRC Homes LLC. "They focus on one mission and that mission hasn't been to prepare for a home. I think what we can do is help them to acclimate to the non-service environment."
Caldwell said he began working on the house in June. He said that although he's done much of the work on the house, professionals have helped with other projects, such as installing carpet. He said he wishes he asked the neighbors if they wanted to help.
"I painted everything, remodeled the bathrooms, put the tile down," he said. "I got all the appliances, got all the water working and the gas working and that kind of stuff."
Andy Caldwell, who is about to begin life as a Georgia civilian after five years in the Marines, said he appreciates what his father has done for him.
"It's the ultimate come-home gift," he said Friday from California where he is currently stationed. "It takes off the stress, too, because I don't have to look for a home."
He said his father sent him an advertisement for the house while he was in Iraq and has only seen the new home through photos.
"The fact that it's my own dad working on it means a lot to me," Andy Caldwell said, adding his dad also is helping him find a new career.
Mack McCue, Andy Caldwell's new neighbor, said he thinks it's great what Charles Caldwell did for his son.
"Anybody can tie a yellow ribbon, but when you paint a bathroom, that's touching," he said.
Ellie