Acadiana Vietnam veteran gets free roof installed by project to benefit military families

Leigh Guidry, Lafayette Daily Advertiser
·2 min read

SCOTT — Howard Ford enlisted in the U.S. Army right after graduating from Northside High School in 1968. The next year, he volunteered to go to war.

Ford was deployed to Vietnam for a full year. Now, 50 years later, he's part of a different kind of deployment.

He and wife Cheryl received a brand-new roof on their Scott home Thursday thanks to the Owens Corning National Roof Deployment Project, Purple Heart Homes and Garcia Roofing.

Owens Corning, one of the nation's largest producers of shingles and other roofing products, donated the materials, and Louisiana company Garcia Roofing put in the work for free, saving the Fords about $12,000.

"It's a lifesaver, because if I had to pay for it I would really be in the hole," the 71-year-old veteran said. "And I don't know if I'd be able to get out of it."

He and his wife of 50 years moved into the house with their children in the late 1970s, Cheryl said.

"I love this old house," Ford said. "We've been here so long. Home means a lot."

Howard Ford, a Vietnam veteran in Scott, receives a free, new roof Thursday, May 12, 2022, thanks to Owens Corning National Roof Deployment Project, Garcia Roofing and Purple Heart Homes. Ford (center) stands with Andrew Morris (left), chief operating officer of Garcia Roofing, and Craig Carroll, president of Garcia Roofing, which has offices in Scott, Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

Craig Carroll, president of Garcia Roofing, said a roof often goes unnoticed until there's a problem, but it plays a major role.

"A roof is something a lot of people don't think about until it rains or until it leaks," Carroll said. "For most people their house is their biggest investment, and a roof protects that."

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The eight-man crew from Garcia Roofing was able to wrap up the roof project at the Fords' in one day

"It's important to help veterans," Carroll said. "They sacrificed so much for us. It's the least we can do."

Launched in 2016, the Roof Deployment Project aims to inspire, activate and match its network of independent Platinum Preferred Contractors with military families around the country to deliver and install a free, new roof, according to the Owens Corning website.

"With everything going on in the world right now, who better to help than those who keep us safe?" said Andrew Morris, chief operating officer of Garcia Roofing, which has offices in Scott, Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

Contact children's issues reporter Leigh Guidry at Lguidry@theadvertiser.com or on Twitter @LeighGGuidry.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Roof Deployment Project gives back to Vietnam veteran in Acadiana