OAKLAND, Fla. – A house doesn't become a home until it's filled with family, love and -- as the nonprofit organization Home at Last works to include – honor.
The nonprofit dedicated its seventh home to wounded former Marine Corps Sgt. Seann Windfield Saturday morning in Oakland.
The veteran told News 6 he can't wait to move in and make his new home his foundation.
“I could say thank you a million times, however my family's actions and being good Americans will prove our gratitude," Windfield said.
Windfield, who served in the Marines for eight years, was overwhelmed as he looked around his new, mortgage-free home.
Windfield did three tours in Iraq before he was medically discharged in 2012 after hurting his back.
Now he's going through the tough transition from Marine to civilian.
“Any serviceman who leaves the service goes through a transition. It's difficult to find jobs. It's difficult to get your life pointed in a new civilian direction,” Jim Hawn, with Home at Last, said. “It's even more difficult when you're a wounded warrior."
Hawn said it can be hard for wounded veterans to earn a living and pay for a home, which is where Home at Last serves its purpose. The organization works to get results for those who serve their country by giving them a place to call their own.
"I can't explain the horrors that they've had to face, so it's nice to give them something good to face," Hawn said.
A large crowd of family and friends gathered to show their love and support for Windfield and his family during a special dedication ceremony held in the front yard of the new home.
The organization said the home is meant to lift a heavy weight off the family’s shoulders after bearing so much.
"It's a foundation. It’s a place for us to push off to a new journey of life,” Windfield said. “We're going to do great things and this is going to be our base, and this is where we're all going to do it."
Home at Last plans to dedicate its eighth house to an Army captain next week. The captain will be next-door neighbors with Windfield and his family.