{"id":142394,"date":"2024-09-03T07:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-03T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=142394"},"modified":"2024-09-02T18:53:29","modified_gmt":"2024-09-02T23:53:29","slug":"army-rotc-supports-veteran-overcoming-housing-instability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/army-rotc-supports-veteran-overcoming-housing-instability\/","title":{"rendered":"Army ROTC Supports Veteran Overcoming Housing Instability"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

U.S. Army veteran Frankie Dunn receives home following yearslong struggle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

by Marvis Herring<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

University of Mississippi<\/strong>\u00a0Army ROTC<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0cadets served as the color guard during a ceremony Wednesday (Aug. 27) honoring local Army veteran Frankie Dunn<\/strong> with a new home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purple Heart Homes<\/strong><\/a>, a North Carolina-based nonprofit supporting veterans, provided Dunn’s tiny home after U.S. Marine Corps<\/strong> veteran Scott Burns<\/strong>, founder of\u00a07 Days for the Troops<\/strong><\/a>, a Tupelo-based nonprofit, shared that Dunn had lived in a shed for the past five years following a house fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fire destroyed Dunn’s home just one year after his wife died. Then, he suffered a stroke in May 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Frankie Dunn served his country honorably,” said Lamar Austin<\/strong>, Purple Heart Homes regional project manager. “Ensuring that he has a safe and accessible home to live with comfort and dignity is one small way we can say ‘thank you’ and honor him for his service.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
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U.S. Army veteran Frankie Dunn watches as representatives from Purple Heart Homes, 7 Days for the Troops and the University of Mississippi’s Army ROTC program present a new tiny home to him. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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After five years of living in a renovated shed, U.S. Army veteran Frankie Dunn is living in this home built by Purple Heart Homes in Statesville, North Carolina. After the house was transported to Mississippi by truck, local volunteers built the deck and ramp to prepare it for Dunn to move in. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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U.S. Army veteran Frankie Dunn (center) and family members share their gratitude with community members attending a ceremony to present him with a new tiny home. The home was built by Purple Heart Homes, and volunteers added a deck and wheelchair ramp. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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U.S. Army veteran Frankie Dunn watches as representatives from Purple Heart Homes, 7 Days for the Troops and the University of Mississippi’s Army ROTC program present a new tiny home to him. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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U.S. Marine Corps veteran Scott Burns (right) contacted Purple Heart Homes this summer after learning of Frankie Dunn\u2019s (center) living conditions and May 2024 stroke. Burns is the founder of 7 Days for the Troops, a Tupelo-based nonprofit. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ole Miss Cadets<\/strong> Dominic Lola Cheves<\/strong>, of Newnan, Georgia, and Tate Bell<\/strong>, of Fairview, Tennessee, presented the United States and Army flags, marking the start of the “Mission Complete” ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Holding the flag, I’m holding something that represents something bigger than myself,” said Bell, a senior Arabic major<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheves, a junior political science<\/a> major, agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Whether they serve for four years, the full 20 or even more than that, (veterans) have given back to this country and they deserve to be able to live comfortably after their time serving is over,” he said<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dunn was an active member of the U.S. Army<\/strong> during the late 1970s. His new home near Oxford features kitchen appliances, furniture and a deck with a ramp built by volunteers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s nice,” Dunn said. “We can all do things for others that may be in need \u2013 whatever it is. We all need help.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His daughter, LaTwanza Price<\/strong>, said the house is a gift from God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“God gave you that,” Price said. “And he gave it to you because he wants you to live happily until it’s time for you to go home.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
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Jamie King (left), chief of staff for the University of Mississippi’s Office of Veteran and Military Services, abd Andrew Newby (right), the office’s director, attend a ceremony honoring Army veteran Frankie Dunn. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Master Sgt. David Baughman, senior military science instructor for Ole Miss Army ROTC, salutes during the presentation of the colors at a ceremony honoring Army veteran Frankie Dunn. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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University of Mississippi Army ROTC cadets Dominic Lola Cheves (right) and Tate Bell present the flag as local veterans gather to honor Frankie Dunn with the presentation of a new tiny home for the disabled U.S. Army veteran. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
University of Mississippi Army ROTC cadets Dominic Lola Cheves (right) and Tate Bell present the flag as local veterans gather to honor Frankie Dunn with the presentation of a new tiny home for the disabled U.S. Army veteran. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Volunteers move furniture into the house to prepare it for Frankie Dunn to move in. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Andrew Newby<\/strong>, director of the university’s\u00a0Office of Veteran and Military Services<\/strong><\/a>, was among dozens of local veterans who didn’t know Dunn personally but attended the ceremony as a display of support and their common bond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“He’s a brother to me, and I’m a brother to him because of the service that we share,” Newby said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like the veterans there, the ROTC <\/strong>cadets also happily answered the call to play a role in honoring Dunn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Hopefully (Dunn) feels that he’s supported by his local community, by the greater military community and that what he did and what he sacrificed doesn’t go unseen,” Bell said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“When I am one day a veteran and I potentially need help, I would like the same done for me,” Cheves said. “So, it makes it feel more special to do this now as a cadet.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Home Depot Foundation<\/strong> and 7 Days for the Troops funded Dunn’s “Mission Complete” project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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