He Joined the Marines at 19 and Spent His Life Building Homes for Others. At 76, Strangers Built One for Him

Jim Taylor was 19 years old when he joined the Marine Corps in 1969. He expected to be sent to Vietnam. Instead, he spent two years at Camp Pendleton in California, keeping track of the equipment and munitions used in the war.

After leaving the Marines in 1971, Jim spent much of his life working as a builder in Virginia, putting roofs over other people’s heads.

But in later years, living on a fixed income, Jim lost his housing near Charlotte and couldn’t afford a new place. For the past 18 months, he has lived in transitional housing for veterans at Fifth Street Ministries in North Carolina, where he volunteers in the kitchen that serves dinner to about 65 people a day.

Then came wonderful news. The nonprofit Purple Heart Homes chose Jim to receive a brand-new, mortgage-free home.

And they didn’t build it just anywhere. Volunteers built the 480-square-foot house on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in full public view, going from framing to fully finished in just seven days. Someone even wrote a Bible verse on one of the floor joists.

“I’m looking forward to this,” Jim told Stars and Stripes. “It’s an adventure moving to a new town with new neighbors.”

When it was done, the home was moved to a lot in Glasgow, Virginia, where Jim will start his new chapter.

Purple Heart Homes co-founder John Gallina, himself a combat-wounded Army veteran, says the group has deeded more than 30 homes to veterans in the past five years. “These homes have been life-changing,” he said.

After a lifetime of serving his country and building homes for others, Jim finally has a place of his very own.

Do you know a veteran who deserves a thank you today? Share Jim’s story with them.