Air Force Veteran Wins New Roof in Giveaway

By Evelyn Witterholt. 

This Delaware veteran was surprised to find he was the first winner of the Operation Raise the Roof contest. 

Master Seargent Edward Holloway has led a long life of serving his country. He not only served in the Air Force for over 20 years, but he also was a part of the SR-71 Blackbird Program during the Vietnam war in the photography unit. After his time spent serving, he worked at the White House for the Ford, Carter and Reagan administrations. He currently lives in Milford, Delaware. 

Ed’s roof had been on the decline for quite some time. "The shingles were starting to come off... they were starting to show signs of wear and tear,” Ed told WRDE. If he paid for it all himself, it would have cost him about $20,000. 

It surprised Ed when one day, Operation Raise the Roof came to his home to tell him he would be getting a new roof, free-of-charge. Once construction trucks began rolling up to his home and a party was held to break the news, he got quite emotional. “The tears came, they had to nearly prop me up it was so overwhelming, we’ve never experienced a gift like this,” he told WMDT. 

Ed wasn’t even the one who had entered the contest. He was nominated by his boss at the Office of Veteran Services, Jennifer Jensen. "It was pretty hard to keep a secret for two months, especially 'cause Mr. Ed is so interactive,” Jennifer told WRDE. “I'm surprised he didn't put the two together.” 

Operation Raise the Roof has partnered with Valor Home Roofing to give back to veterans in need. According to their website, they have donated 17 roofs and given back $170,000 to veterans. Valor Home Owner Brian Bauer said that they are aiming to expand the program nationally to get more roofs above veteran’s heads. 

Ed expressed gratitude for the event and hopes more veterans can receive the same gift. “There is a sense that I don’t deserve it but receiving it is heartwarming, it’s encouraging to me that there are so many opportunities to do this so many different ways for so many different veterans,” he told WMDT. 

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About Evelyn 

Evelyn works as a writer for RoofersCoffeeShop and AskARoofer. When she isn’t writing about roofing, she’s either at the gym lifting weights or curled up on the couch watching a movie. 

Photo credit: WRDE