OXFORD, Miss — Frankie Dunn had been living in a shed for five years.
Dunn served with the U.S. Army from 1976 to 1979, then became active in his community. He opened a restaurant and became a church deacon. His wife died in 2016, and fire destroyed his home the next year.
The now 71-year-old U.S. Army veteran had no resources to obtain appropriate housing after the fire, so he moved into a shed on his property in 2019. He has also been disabled.
Everything changed when a nonprofit committed to build him a new home.
Purple Heart Homes — an organization that works to provide housing solutions for qualified veterans — held a "Mission Complete Celebration" on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, to present Dunn with the new tiny home in Oxford, Mississippi. The house was transported from Purple Heart Homes' production facility Statesville, North Carolina.
The University of Mississippi Army ROTC Color Guard joined the celebration along with The Home Depot Foundation and 7 Days for the Troops.
Video of the ceremony can be seen below: