TORONTO – A newly-retired Iraq war veteran returned from an overseas post to an extreme home makeover.
Master Sergeant Jacinto Bernardo, who spent two decades in the U.S. Marine Corps, said he barely recognized his California home when he got back from being stationed in Japan to find the house fully renovated.
“We are proud of our service,” an emotional Bernardo said in an interview. “Those guys that didn’t make it back and those guys that didn’t make it in one piece, they deserve this, not me.”
Bernardo said he asked fellow Marine Jeremy Epperson to “keep an eye on the house” for him while he was overseas with his family. He said while the house needed a lot of work and was a “fixer upper,” he did not expect to return home to $70,000 worth of renovations.
Epperson said he was able to raise enough money and renovate his friend’s home with the help of several volunteers.
He documented the renovation progress on social media by posting photos with the hashtag #HeroHomecoming.
“We did it for you brother, alright?” said Epperson during the home reveal. “We did it for you.”
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