Assistance Allows National Guard Veteran to Restore Home’s Foundation
National Guard veteran Ben Mehr and his wife, Shana, were determined not to give up on their home, their family, or themselves when they faced a potentially costly foundation repair. They found both help with the repair and hope for a more stable future when they reached out to Operation Homefront’s Critical Financial Assistance Program®.
Ben joined the Army National Guard at 17, just months after 9/11. He was answering a call he had felt deep in his gut.
Growing up in Tennessee, he heard many stories of military service from his two brothers, grandfathers, and step-grandfather. After the attacks of 9/11, he turned that that family legacy into a personal mission.
“I felt a sense of duty to sign up to try to help that cause,” he said.
Ben’s brother, who is 11 years his senior, served as his recruiter, helping convince their hesitant mother to sign the waiver that allowed Ben to enlist before turning 18.
He first worked in field artillery, a job he loved. As the Army’s needs changed, he transitioned into military police. After deploying with a military police unit, he discovered that role didn’t suit him.
Eventually, complications transferring units, the end of his contract, and becoming a father of two began pulling him toward a different path. After his third son was born, he knew it was time to leave the uniform behind.
For Ben, stepping out of the military meant stepping away from stability.
Because of a back injury suffered during deployment, he could no longer work at his previous civilian job in the wood shop of a crate company. He also returned from overseas with post-traumatic stress disorder, which impacts his ability to work. Today, the family relies on his disability pay and Shana’s income as a quality improvement coach.
At the same time, he was wrestling with a difficult transition to a life no longer in camouflage.
Like many guardsmen, Ben had one foot in civilian life and one in military culture. When he left the service, the built-in community he had relied on disappeared.
“I don’t think that I realized how significant the camaraderie and structure were,” he said. “Once I got out and those things were gone, I didn’t have a plan to replace them.”
In 2013, the family relocated from Massachusetts back home to Bethel Springs, Tennessee. The support system they thought would be waiting for them wasn’t there, though, and they faced additional stress after purchasing a nearly 100-year-old farmhouse on 5 acres with a small pond.
The property gave their three boys the chance to run outside, catch frogs, and climb trees, Shana said. Over 10 years, they poured their time, money, and love into the home, raising their teenage children – ages 13, 15, and 19 – there and putting down deep roots.
But old houses don’t simply hold memories. They also reveal hidden problems.
“I appreciate so much that there are organizations like this out there to help veterans. We’ll be forever grateful.” – Ben Mehr, National Guard veteran
As Ben focused on his mental health, house repairs piled up until one day the couple noticed a serious problem. Under their bed, the floor had buckled into a visible ridge, like a “mountain range,” Shana said.
“We had drawers that go under there for storage, and I couldn’t push the drawers in anymore,” she said.
Initial assessments placed foundation repair costs at tens of thousands of dollars, money that was not in the family budget. The home also had other repair needs, including a leak under the toilet that caused the floor and fixtures to sink and crack.
“We just felt so desperate,” Shana said. “We poured so much love into this house and raised our kids here. We didn’t want to just give up.”
A fellow veteran told Ben about the Critical Financial Assistance Program®. The Mehrs applied for assistance and were relieved to learn they were approved.
Their caseworker helped the family connect with a licensed foundation company based in Nashville, almost three hours away.
Thanks to the generosity of Operation Homefront’s partners, the Mehrs were able to cover approximately $7,000 to reinforce and level the bedroom foundation. The organization paid the contractors directly, and the repair team completed the work in a single day.
For Ben and Shana, the physical stabilization of their home has created a positive impact.
“I’ve been able to get some other things done on my own because I don’t have that crisis weighing on me,” Ben said. “To go from thinking, ‘Am I going to have to start building a new house?’ to now checking off boxes on my to-do list, that’s a big leap. Without outside assistance, we would not be in this place. I’d still be stuck trying to figure out how to get caught up.”
Ben and Shana are grateful to Operation Homefront and donors such as The Home Depot Foundation and Wounded Warrior Project who make home emergency repairs like theirs possible.
“I appreciate so much that there are organizations like this out there to help veterans,” Ben said. “Sometimes it seems like the cards are stacked against us, and the help that we need means we’ve got to jump through so many hoops that I don’t think we should have to. The fact that there are organizations out there willing to make those sacrifices and do that work for us — we’ll be forever grateful.”
