Retired Air Force Staff Sgt. Justin Day, a Bronze Star recipient who lost his leg in an IED blast in Afghanistan, was surprised with news on Saturday that he was chosen as the next recipient of a mortgage-free home from Building Homes for Heroes.

• Day was attending a fundraiser hosted by the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors when it was revealed that he would receive a brand new home. 

The 30-year-old Day joined the Air Force in 2014 and served for six years as a combat controller, attached to Army Special Forces and Navy SEAL teams. His role was to direct airstrikes during missions.

In July 2018, while attached to an Army Special Forces team fighting ISIS militants in eastern Afghanistan, Day stepped on a pressure plate IED as he exited a building during a compound clearance. The blast blew off his right foot and severely injured his leg, which later required amputation above the knee.

• Day also suffered severe injuries to both hands, losing several fingers, as well as burns and a traumatic brain injury. Despite his wounds, he retained active duty status for two more years before being medically discharged in 2020.

For his service, Day earned the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Air Force Commendation Medal, Combat Action Medal, Meritorious Unit Award, Outstanding Unit Award, Good Conduct Medal and many others.

Day now lives in Crestview with his two young sons, and is also where his new home will be built by Ferrin Campbell Construction.

• “It’s an honor to be a part of such a worthy cause, and we love to give back to our veterans,” said Ferrin Campbell III. “We are very excited for Justin and his family!”

Saturday’s fundraiser at Fort Walton Beach Bowl was hosted by the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors. Since 2015, the organization has raised over $100,000 for Building Homes for Heroes.

Air Force Capt. Nathan Nelson, another wounded warrior who received a home through the program, also attended. Nelson was paralyzed in a rocket attack in Afghanistan and received a mortgage-free home in Santa Rosa Beach in 2017.

• Building Homes for Heroes has gifted over 345 specially adapted homes to injured veterans nationwide since its founding in 2006.

Moving forward, ECAR’s Building Homes for Heroes Task Force is working hard to get the survey complete and get closer to breaking ground. According to Chrissy Hartley, ECAR’s Building Homes for Heroes Task Force Chair, Day and his family will be in attendance  for the groundbreaking where he will get the chance to turn the first dirt.