The Laker/Lutz News

Afghanistan

Groundbreaking held for veteran’s free home

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Retired U.S. Army Sgt. Javier Torres and his family have been selected to receive a new mortgage-free home from PulteGroup, through the company’s Built to Honor program, in partnership with the nonprofit Operation Finally Home.

Ground recently was broken for the family’s new home being built in Land O’ Lakes.

Torres was severely injured while deployed in Afghanistan in 2004, according to a news release.

This group flings some dirt at the groundbreaking of a new free home for a U.S. Army veteran in Land O’ Lakes. From left: PulteGroup West Florida Division President Sean Strickler; Retired U.S. Army Sgt. Javier Torres, and daughters 11-year-old Kaylie Torres and 3-year-old Aria Torres; wife Stephanie Torres, 1-year-old Avery Torres; and, Molly Halliday, senior vice president of Marketing and Project Management for Operation Finally Home. (Courtesy of BoardroomPR)

His platoon was ambushed, and his HUMVEE was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. He was shot three times during the firefight and his fellow soldiers protected him before he was eventually medevacked. He was awarded several honors for his service, including the Purple Heart.

The Torres family currently lives in an apartment in Land O’Lakes.

“We just want to have a place to call our own, where our family can grow without having to move constantly,” Torres said, in the release.

The family’s new single-story home is being built in the Arden Preserve community. The residence, which will exceed 2,100 square feet, will have four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

PulteGroup team members, along with the Torres family, officially broke ground on the home on March 24, and the team expects to welcome the Torres family home this summer.

“It is a privilege for Pulte employees, along with our trade partners and suppliers, to be able to give back to our nation’s veterans in a meaningful way,” Sean Strickler, president of PulteGroup’s West Florida division, said in a news release.

The Torres family worked closely with Operation Finally Home, which partners with builders like PulteGroup to provide homes and home modifications to America’s military heroes and first responders.

“We are extremely grateful to PulteGroup and their Built to Honor program for supporting our veterans, first responders and their families with mortgage-free homes,” said Rusty Carroll, executive director of Operation Finally Home, in the release.

PulteGroup’s Built to Honor program was launched in 2013 to recognize and thank returning military personnel who have been injured during their term of service by providing mortgage-free homes to veterans and their families.

Built to Honor works in partnership with nonprofit organizations to identify veteran candidates. This will be the West Florida division’s fourth home dedicated in the Tampa Bay area.

Published April 14, 2021

Trouble at the ‘library’

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There’s been some trouble at the library.

OK, this library isn’t a lending library, it’s a giving library.

Books for Troops promotes literacy by giving reading materials to soldiers, veterans and their families. It ships them to far-off places and delivers them to local nursing homes.

More requests for books by Terry Brooks come into Books for Troops than the organization is able to fulfill. (Photos courtesy of Books for Troops)
More requests for books by Terry Brooks come into Books for Troops than the organization is able to fulfill.
(Photos courtesy of Books for Troops)

But, it has run into a bit of a problem, according to Patricia Murphy, the organization’s executive director.

Lately, it hasn’t been able to fulfill all of the requests it has been receiving for science fiction titles. And, it’s not the first time it has encountered such a shortage.

So, if there are any readers out there who would like to help out, the organization is in particular need of books by Terry Brooks; the books that Game of Thrones are based on by George R. R. Martin; and, the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.

Most of the requests that Books for Troops receives come from Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan, but the organization ships reading materials around the world, and tries to fulfill the requests it receives, Murphy said, via email.

Besides shipping books overseas, it delivers locally to:

  • James A. Haley Veterans Hospital
  • Tampa Vets Center
  • VA Mental Health Outpatient Clinic
  • MacDill Air Force Base
  • C. W. Bill Young Veterans Hospital at Bay Pines
  • USO Welcome Center at Tampa International

Books for Troops began in May 2010, when Murphy was delivering magazines to the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa.

While there, Murphy was approached by a young man in a wheelchair, who was had lost his leg in the war. He was about 20.

He told her the magazines helped him “keep my mind off everything.”

bft logoAs they were chatting, he told Murphy he wished he had had an outlet, like reading, while deployed.

He wasn’t living on base when he was deployed. He was living in a tent, on the outskirts of a small village in Iraq.

The exchange moved Murphy so much that, as she stepped into the elevator, she burst into tears, she recounts.

When she got home, she decided to help meet that need, and that was the beginning of Books for Troops.

Since then, more than 30,000 books have been shipped to troops around the world, and more than 2,000 books have been delivered locally.

Anyone who would like to help is invited to donate books that are in good condition — in the kind of shape you’d want a book to be in if you received it as a gift.

The books can be dropped off, during business hours, to Simply Self Storage, 22831 Preakness Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes, behind Sonic.

For more information, go to BooksForTroops.org.

Published July 20, 2016

More mortgage-free homes for veterans coming in 2015

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Building Homes for Heroes is using a $2 million grant through the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to help build or modify homes in the state for injured veterans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Florida is becoming the most military-friendly state in the nation, and our partnership with Building Homes for Heroes is a fantastic opportunity to thank our veterans,” Gov. Rick Scott said, in a release. “As a Navy veteran, I’m very proud of this partnership, and look forward to seeing many more veterans benefitting from this program.”

Building Homes for Heroes is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to making a difference in the lives of wounded American service members and their families, according to a release. This past year, the organization gifted 13 mortgage-free homes throughout the state.

With the new grant funds, Building Homes expects to build or modify another 20 houses in the coming year. Florida is home to nearly 1.5 million veterans, the third largest population of veterans in the nation. The state’s work force boards have helped 23,000 veterans find jobs, government officials said.

“The state’s support enables us to make a meaningful and memorable difference in the lives of our injured servicemen and women,” Building Homes president Andy Pujol said, in a release. “In addition, we’re seeing an extraordinary spirit of patriotism and community support all across Florida.”

First Class: Support the Troops remembers those serving overseas

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Mark Van Trees received the Champion of Service Award presented by Gov. Rick Scott on Nov. 12 for his work with Support the Troops. And it would be a good story — except Van Trees doesn’t like talking about it.

“It’s certainly not deserved,” the Wesley Chapel organization’s director said.

Mark Van Trees, left, Steve Dieulio and teacher Colleen McCormick load up more than 320 pounds of candy donated by Academy at the Lakes. The school donates leftover sweets to Support the Troops each year. (Michael Murillo/Staff photo)
Mark Van Trees, left, Steve Dieulio and teacher Colleen McCormick load up more than 320 pounds of candy donated by Academy at the Lakes. The school donates leftover sweets to Support the Troops each year. (Michael Murillo/Staff photo)

Instead, Van Trees prefers to talk about the dozens of volunteers who stock, store and pack the steady stream of care packages that get shipped to military personnel overseas. He believes they’re the ones who deserve to be honored.

He also likes talking about Bob Williams, the founder of Support the Troops, who worked tirelessly growing the organization until an accident in 2012 left him unable to continue the project.

Williams deserves the credit, Van Trees insists, as indicated by the hundreds of certificates of appreciation addressed to him that decorate Van Trees’ office and the walls of the facility, located at 29807 State Road 54, that ships the packages. Williams now resides at Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home in Land O’ Lakes, and Van Trees is now the person who works six days a week, raising money for the seemingly endless postage expenses associated with shipping thousands of care packages overseas every year.

The recipients live on military bases that don’t have the facilities for personnel to get the basic comfort items we take for granted in the United States, he said.

And while receiving the award was a proud moment, Van Trees keeps a more personal kind of recognition in a box by his desk.

“Thank you so much for the gifts. They are greatly appreciated,” reads one card from a member of the military.

“Thank you very much for your recent donation,” starts another from a group hosting a charity golf event.

“We would like to offer our sincerest gratitude and appreciation,” continues another card.

They arrive daily from different groups and individuals from the Tampa Bay area and throughout the world. The thank you cards are small but meaningful tokens of gratitude from those who have been touched by Support the Troops and its mission, and each one means a lot to its director.

“We read every one and then we post them out there (in the work areas) and we let all the volunteers know,” Van Trees said. “They’re not for me. They’re for the volunteers.”

The packages themselves mean a lot to the recipients and the entire unit that shares in the bounty. Coffee, toothpaste, razors and socks are minor comforts, but coveted items for military members stationed far from home.

Once Support the Troops gets requests from the soldiers or their families, volunteers assemble a 50-pound care package and dispatch it to bases in Africa, Afghanistan and other locales.

They also take donations, whether it’s pallets of surplus Girl Scout Cookies or a single five-pack of razors. They accept private donations and whatever few dollars local residents can spare. The donations go to military-related causes, whether the items get shipped in care packages, or provide comfort to local homeless veterans, or are donated to other organizations with similar goals.

They also ship a lot of candy, and those supplies are often replenished by donations as well. Last week, more than 320 pounds of Halloween leftovers made their way to Support the Troops courtesy of Academy at the Lakes, a private preparatory school in Land O’ Lakes.

The school’s National Junior Honor Society collects candy for Support the Troops every year, and the amount they donate grows annually as well. Colleen McCormick, a teacher at the school who delivered the candy, said the school was enthusiastic about seeing it all go to a worthy cause.

“Our families are so great and so involved,” McCormick said. “It’s rewarding for (students) to see it all come together and then being given away.”

Even though donations keep the shelves stocked and the boxes full — and the volunteer staff keeps things moving — postage costs can be daunting. At nearly $50 per package, it adds up quickly. Support the Troops spent more than $160,000 last year, Van Trees said, just to ship the packages.

But if that’s the cost to fulfill every request and keep the post office busy (each recipient receives packages every couple of weeks while stationed overseas), Van Trees will keep finding a way to pay the tab. The important thing, he said, is that the ones sacrificing overseas, and missing holidays, birthdays and other life events with their family, never feel forgotten.

Even if the media moves on to other topics, or spends more time on celebrities than soldiers, Van Trees wants people to remember there are still thousands serving in remote locations whose days are brightened by receiving a box shipped from Wesley Chapel.

“It’s like Christmas,” he said of their reaction when receiving a package. “The thing we battle every day is to let people (here) know they’re still over there.”

To make donations to Support the Troops, or request care packages for a member of the military, call (813) 991-4256, visit OurTroopsOnline.com, or e-mail Van Trees at .

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Giving thanks with a grateful heart

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Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a time to reflect on the blessings in our lives.

This past year has been particularly joyful for me, both professionally and personally.

Since this newspaper is such a big part of my life, I want to share with you the top 10 reasons Thanksgiving is especially meaningful to me this year.

Our readers
I want to thank all of the readers of The Laker/Lutz News for embracing our new, bigger size. We took a leap of faith in August, changing our format to match the size of most daily newspapers.

Besides becoming 30 percent bigger overnight, we added a B section to give us a second front page, and to organize our classified products.

I confess I was more than a bit nervous about making such a significant change and taking on the additional expenses that came along with it. But taking risks comes with ownership, and it’s the only way to grow.

Four months into this change, we continue to receive positive comments — almost daily — about our new size.

My staff
A huge thank you goes to my staff of 12. I am ever so thankful to this group of professionals who meet challenging deadlines every week.

Think about it: How many business owners ask their staff to create a brand new product every week? But this is what my staff does — writing stories, taking pictures, selling and creating ads, and then putting it all together to fill typically 24 very big pages of stories and advertisements.

This requires an unbelievable amount of talent, commitment and hard work. Our staff box on Page 3A does not begin to give my employees enough recognition for the work they to do to bring you one of the best community newspapers in the state. 

Our advertisers
The newspaper we produce each week is possible because of the support we receive from our advertisers. They recognize that we offer an excellent vehicle to let patrons know about the services and products they offer.

My son Andy’s safe return
My son, Andrew Mathes, a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, returned home at the end of May after seven months in Afghanistan. There is no greater gratitude that a mother can have than knowing her child is away from harm’s way.

Andy and Erin’s renewed wedding vows
Andy and his wife Erin, who were married a week before Andy’s deployment last November, renewed their wedding vows a year later — on Nov. 8 — at the church where Erin grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Only nine family members were present when Andy and Erin married in a military chapel in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. When they renewed their vows, more than 150 family and friends traveled from across the country to be there.

My nine brothers and sisters
I am grateful, always, for my nine brothers and sisters. But it was especially touching to see all of them at Andy’s and Erin’s renewal of vows.

Most of my family lives in Minnesota — a five- to six-hour drive to Appleton. But they were all there, as were many of Andy’s cousins, despite an approaching winter storm and the fact that the wedding was on the same day as opening of deer hunting season in Minnesota.

My daughter Rachel’s graduation and new job
My beautiful daughter, Rachel Mathes, graduated from Stetson University in May and is working as an art teacher in Jacksonville. It’s hard to say whether I’m more grateful for Rachel graduating from college in four years and landing a job in her field, or for the fact that I am no longer paying tuition.

When Rachel was born I felt so blessed to have a daughter, and that gratitude deepens with each passing year. I only wish that Jacksonville was closer to Land O’ Lakes so we could see each other more often.

My father, Don Kortus
Dad will be 86 in February, and his love for his family — which consists of more than 45 children, grandchildren and great grandchildren — holds us all together.

I am thankful for Dad’s wisdom, good health, sharp mind, and unwavering support for me.

Jonas
Jonas, my 9-year-Airedale terrier, is a cancer survivor, and I am thankful he will be my companion for many more years.

After being diagnosed with cancer in August 2013, his prognosis was poor because dogs with his type of cancer rarely live longer than a few months.

But after having a tumor on his spleen removed, he recovered so well that he underwent chemotherapy and is now in remission.

Vic Anthony
Finally, I am thankful for finding love the second time around.

When I opened my heart to love again, I met Vic Anthony, who has had my back these past three years. Sharing with Vic the pleasures and challenges of my family, my business, and my dog Jonas, has renewed my spirit and brought me much happiness.

See this story in print: Click Here

Bilirakis to host veterans town hall meeting

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U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis is inviting veterans to attend a town hall meeting for what he’s calling a “candid conversation” about their experiences with local Veterans Affairs offices.

The event will take place June 5 at 10 a.m., at New Port Richey City Hall, 5919 Main St., in New Port Richey. Although it’s focused on veterans, it is open to the public.

Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, said in a release that he wants to hear directly from veterans regarding access to care and any delays they may be experiencing from VA hospitals. That feedback will then be used to “inform his legislative approach” in trying to improve those conditions in the future.

VA hospitals have been under fire recently because of long delays in care, and reports of “secret waiting lists” where some veterans waited longer to see a medical professional than what was reported to the federal government. Bilirakis and other lawmakers, primarily Republican lawmakers, called for Veterans Affairs secretary Eric Shinseki to resign. Shinseki did that Friday, citing his presence to being a continuing distraction that could hamper efforts to correct many of the problems there.

The overburdened hospitals have dated back to before the Obama administration however, and have only become bigger problems with the influx of new patients stemming from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“I have spent the past several months participating in oversight hearings in Washington regarding the failures of the VA throughout the country,” Bilirakis said, in a release. “Having spent a great deal of time at facilities in our community over the last several years, I know that there are many wonderful public servants at our local VA offices. However, I need to hear directly from those who matter most, our veterans and their families, in order to get the clear picture regarding how these systemic national problems may be impacting my constituents.”

Passing the baton to my future daughter-in-law

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When my son Andy announced his engagement recently, I had flashbacks to his childhood at the same time I was offering congratulations and best wishes.

Andy Mathes, son of Publisher Diane Kortus, and Erin Morgan became engaged in Savannah, Ga., over Labor Day weekend.
Andy Mathes, son of Publisher Diane Kortus, and Erin Morgan became engaged in Savannah, Ga., over Labor Day weekend.

When Andy was born 25 years ago, I believed no one could ever love him as much as I did. From the time he was an adorable tow-headed baby to a defiant teenager to an honorable man, I have loved Andy unconditionally. In good times and bad, no matter how angry I got when he tormented his little sister or did not call to tell me when he’d be home, and I’d stay up worrying.

But now another woman loves my son in a way I never can — as his future wife. And I find that a bit humbling, knowing there is someone else with whom Andy shares his deepest thoughts and emotions.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me first tell you the love story of Andy Mathes and Erin Morgan.

A Lake Wobegon reference stopped Andy last October as he passed by a table full of teachers in a bar in Yuma, Ariz. A first lieutenant in the U.S. Marines, Andy was out west conducting training. Erin was in Yuma as a second-year middle school teacher. The two met when Andy overheard Erin and her friends talking about Garrison Keillor and the “Prairie Home Companion” radio show.

I’m from Minnesota and my children grew up listening to Garrison most Saturday evenings. By the time they were in kindergarten they knew all about Lake Wobegon, the town where “all the women are strong, all the men are good looking and all the children are above average.”

Growing up, Andy spent summers with his Minnesota relatives, and although a Florida native, I’ve always thought he was a Midwesterner at heart. As it turned out, Erin is from Appleton, Wis., and is a graduate of St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minn. With that Minnesota connection, Andy and Erin had enough in common to begin dating.

Andy called me after meeting Erin and told me he had that instinctive feeling that “she was the one.” While I loved that Erin had good Midwestern values and was of the same Catholic faith, I was not as sure as my idealistic son that he had truly met his future wife.

Of course, Andy proved me wrong. After three weeks in Yuma, Andy went back to his platoon in Camp Lejeune, N.C., and he and Erin continued to talk every day. They met next in the Twin Cities over New Year’s, when Andy conjured up a plan to visit his grandparents after spending Christmas in Land O’ Lakes with me and his sister, Rachel.

Andy rendezvoused with Erin in St. Paul, who got away from her family in Appleton to meet up with Andy in the snow.

And that’s how it came to be that my father and stepmother met Erin before I did, along with my many sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews.

Two months later, Rachel and I finally met Erin. We planned a weekend where we could all meet, and Andy could show Erin the Naval Academy in Annapolis where he had graduated. Not only was Erin charming, but she and Rachel also seemed to have an instant, sisterly connection. I began to think that maybe Andy’s premonition was right.

I wasn’t surprised this spring when Erin decided to apply for teaching positions in school districts close to Camp Lejeune, and was proud when she quickly got a job teaching fourth grade. She joined Andy in North Carolina this summer.

Andy and Erin’s engagement is clouded with both joy and uncertainty. Andy leaves this week for training in southern California before he deploys to Afghanistan this fall. There he will be part of a team of Marines advising the Afghan National Army.

When Andy returns next July, he and Erin will finalize their wedding plans, a celebration that will likely be in Appleton in November, in the church where Erin grew up.

While of course I worry about my son’s deployment, I am comforted knowing he is loved by a wonderful young woman who shares his dreams, and will be waiting for him when he returns home.

And that is truly all any mother wants. To pass the baton on to another woman who will embrace her son in love and share a future of happiness with him.