Celebration to be held to welcome Silver Star recipient home to Destin

Building Homes for Heroes has announced a homecoming celebration to welcome US Air Force Master Sergeant Joseph Deslauriers, his wife Lisa, and their son Cameron to their beautiful, mortgage-free home at 1337 Emerald Bay Drive in Destin at 10 a.m. Oct. 25. Public parking will be at the Lowe’s in Destin. Shuttles will take attendees to the celebration site.

The home was built from the ground up to meet the needs of MSgt. Deslauriers. He is a triple-amputee. Joining in the festive celebration will be military personnel, state and local dignitaries, members of the construction team, community members, corporate sponsors, members of civic organizations, family members and friends, police officers and firefighters.   

In September of 2011, MSgt. Deslauriers, a 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal technician, was mounted in a mine resistance vehicle conducting a post blast assessment of an IED explosion in Afghanistan. Explosive ordnance disposal specialists are tactical and technical explosives experts, who are trained to destroy and disable unexploded ordnance, improvised explosive devices and weapons of mass destruction. In an effort to get a closer look at the damage done by the IED blast, MSgt. Deslauriers dismounted and unfortunately stepped on a secondary mine. The explosion that ensued resulted in his losing both legs above the knee, and his left arm at the elbow. 

MSgt. Deslauriers, who carried out two tours of duty in Afghanistan and also served in Iraq, received the Silver Star, Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, Joint Service and US Air Force Commendation Medal, US Air Force Achievement Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, and National Defense Service Medal, and others.

The home was built by award-winning general contractor, Randy Wise Homes, Inc. of Niceville, Fla.  “We worked closely with the family to ensure that we met all of their needs,” said Randy Wise, president and owner of Randy Wise Homes, Inc. “Joe is an American hero who has made an incredible sacrifice by defending our country.  We wanted to let the world know that we are taking care of our veterans.”

Building Homes for Heroes expects to gift 30 to 40 mortgage-free homes in the state of Florida over a 12-month period.

For more information on this celebration, please call 516-684-9220 or visit the organization's website at www.buildinghomesforheroes.org.