ATHENS – In a “Welcome Home” ceremony full of patriotic fanfare, Breland Homes and the Helping a Hero organization handed over the keys to a new house to retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Scott Barkalow and his wife Tina.
The home is customized to fit Barkalow’s needs as a disabled veteran. Built in Breland’s new Nature’s Cove community, this is the first of two homes awarded to local veterans during last October’s All Star Salute to Lee Greenwood.
Tuesday’s ceremony featured a presentation of colors by the Bob Jones High School Air Force JROTC and the singing of the national anthem by country music artist Sarah Johnson.
Grammy award-winner Lee Greenwood, a long-time ambassador for the Helping a Hero organization, sang Aaron Tippin’s “Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly.”
Emceeing the event was Meredith Iler, founder of the Helping a Hero Home Program. Other speakers included developer Louis Breland; Wes Alford, president of Breland Companies; Earl Johnson, Huntsville market manager for Bass Pro Shops, which issued a challenge to homebuilders to build 100 homes for wounded veterans; Madison County Commission Chairman Dale Strong; Rhonda Walls Kerby, executive director of Helping a Hero; and veterans who served on the battlefield with Barkalow.
“I want to thank all the contractors … and all the loving hands that built this home for you,” said Kerby. “Scott and Tina, when you walk through that front door, we want you to know that love built your house and love will continue to grow in that house.”
In an inspiring recounting of how Breland came to build two homes in the area, Strong said Breland committed to meeting the organization’s 100 Homes Challenge by building a home.
After a vetting process of several nominees, Patti Breland was asked to decide between the two finalists, Barkalow and Army Staff Sgt. Michael Brown.
“That night, Patti said, ‘No, we are not picking just one. Louis, you’re building them both a home’,” Strong said to huge applause.
“To Patti and Louis Breland, I thank you for your commitment not only to this community but also to the U.S. warfighters. This is making a tremendous difference in people’s lives.”
Barkalow is a retired Green Beret who works on Redstone Arsenal. He was on a mission in Afghanistan when the “beat-up” Toyota pick-up truck he was driving – not an armored Humvee – was struck by an anti-tank mine. Barkalow lost his leg in the explosion.
Fellow Green Beret, Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Howard spoke about his affection for his “brother.”
“Scott was a senior guy when I got there, somebody I looked up to. He took me on my first combat patrol in the mountains of Afghanistan,” Howard said, as his voice cracked with emotion. “We had two 4-wheelers, some night vision goggles and a couple of rifles, but Scott was always very positive, he was always saying, ‘we are going to make it work.’”
Lt. Col. Mike Jenne was with Barkalow the day he was wounded.
“A buddy means somebody you can count on, and Scott was my buddy,” said Jenne. “After Scott’s truck was blown up, I held his hand so that he knew, when he came out of unconsciousness, he was in a safe place and somebody was with him.
“As I sat there with him, the doctor came in and said, ‘You have lost your leg’. The first thing Scott said was, ‘Was anybody else hurt?’
“That is Scott Barkalow in a nutshell.”
As the Barkalows accepted the keys to their new home, Greenwood completed the program with what has become an American anthem, his hit song, “God Bless the U.S.A.”
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