KILLEEN — One particular Military veteran that served many many years on Fort Hood was overcome with feelings following remaining walked through his dwelling that experienced been absolutely renovated about the weekend.
Retired Employees Sgt. Dave Caillouet is a previous 19K battle tanker soldier who served at Fort Hood in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He lives alone with his trustworthy companion and assistance animal Otto, a 90lb strong black lab with the power of a considerably younger puppy, in accordance to a information launch from Surplus Americans, the nonprofit major the renovation.
Surplus Us citizens, a San Marcos-dependent veteran nonprofit established in 2016, ended up the leaders on the renovation in link with several other local companies which includes the Fort Hood Area Habitat for Humanity. Founders Hunter Bruce and Jason White began the nonprofit instantly immediately after the closure of The Brass House, Jazz and Blues Club, in Austin, exactly where they both of those labored for numerous a long time.
Jason White, the director of Surplus Americans, spoke about how it felt watching Caillouet stroll into his new residence.
“I guess for me the first word is just gratification. There’s a lot more do the job to do but this is a excellent to start with step,” White claimed. “For me what delivers the most pleasure is setting up the neighborhood all around him, this is just brick and stone and mortar and it is a excellent spot to connect with residence, but the massive emphasis is that when he walks into this dwelling, it tends to make him experience very good.”
Caillouet experienced been living in his garage at his residence at 2217 Tracy Ann Lane, for about the final 5 months. Though Caillouet was in the VA medical center, his residence flooded owing to a slow plumbing leak and turned entirely overrun with mould, rodents and insects, in accordance to the news launch.
Caillouet spoke to the volunteers in his new house Sunday afternoon.
“I’m really overcome correct now. I did not consider I was worth this sort of work,” Caillouet said. He additional that by viewing this quite a few folks who care about him ample to do this, it is time for him to start caring about himself the identical way.
Hunter Bruce, the co-founder of Surplus People, spoke about the next step in the approach of aiding Caillouet.
“I just can’t hold out to dive into helping him as a individual mainly because this is, no matter how challenging it was for the previous 48 several hours, this is the effortless aspect for us,” Bruce claimed.
Both Bruce and White mentioned there is continue to perform to do on the property and that they will routinely be coming back again to Killeen to abide by up with Caillouet and aid him to get energetic in his local community.