A West Hartford Army veteran’s yard is transformed by House of Heroes and TRIUMPH in a mission to bring him home.

By Mia Jaworski

Army veteran Francis Berman received a major exterior clean-up Thursday, bringing him one step closer to returning to his West Hartford home, which he had to leave due to its severely overgrown and unmaintained condition. 

The clean-up was led by House of Heroes, a Hamden-based nonprofit, in partnership with local aerospace company TRIUMPH. Berman is still waiting on repairs to his furnace, but plans to move back in are expected to follow soon.

About 30 volunteers took part in the effort, including TRIUMPH employees from the company’s Charter Oak Boulevard location and members of House of Heroes. The two organizations partnered after House of Heroes hosted the Husky Run and Ruck event last year.

“We wanted to work with someone in our backyard,” said Farnosh Sadler, operation supply specialist and executive assistant at TRIUMPH. “We were really waiting for the perfect candidate.”

TRIUMPH encourages employees to volunteer through its Wings Community Outreach Program, which supports local charities and service projects.

House of Heroes, known for its tagline “make a difference for a day,” coordinated the demolition by supplying tools, gear, food, and a dumpster. Tree removal was completed prior to cleanup day by a landscaping company arranged by the nonprofit.

Demolition began at 5 a.m. on Thursday as volunteers got to work breaking down shrubs and repairing the front staircase. The clean-up plans had been in the works for more than a year and marked the organization’s first project in West Hartford.

Most House of Heroes projects involve building ramps, installing chair lifts or replacing windows – repairs that can be completed in a single day. Though most repairs are completed in a day, planning and prep work – such as arranging tree removal, coordinating volunteers, and confirming veteran eligibility – can take months.

One neighbor offered their outdoor electricity to support the project, running extension cords across the yard so crews could power tools and equipment.

Temperatures climbed into the 90s by midday, prompting a lunch break around 12:15 p.m. Volunteers changed into dry shirts, grabbed bottled water and coolers, and were offered handheld sandwiches and chips to keep their energy up.

Just before the break, the crew installed and raised a new flagpole and an American flag by Berman’s front door. Volunteers all joined in for a honorary Pledge of Allegiance. During lunch, a small ceremony was held where Berman received a folded triangular veteran flag and display case in honor of his service.

“I didn’t know there was a program like this,” said Berman, sitting in a folding chair in front of his garage as volunteers passed with bundles of torn-out shrubs.

Seventy-eight-year-old Berman, who enlisted in the Army in 1969 at the height of the Vietnam War, served in Thailand as a stock control and accounting specialist before being honorably discharged in 1972. He graduated from West Hartford’s Hall High School in 1965 and began studying accounting at the University of Hartford that fall.

Since its founding in 2000, House of Heroes has completed 267 home repair projects for disabled and financially challenged veterans and their spouses, mostly in Connecticut but also in eight other states. The nonprofit typically completes 30 to 35 projects each year, with a long waiting list.

“We don’t want veterans to be homeless,” said Executive Director Carol May.

The organization was co-founded by Bill May, a veteran himself, and Steve Cavanaugh. Carol May stepped into leadership after her husband passed away in 2016.

“I think that he is with me when I do these projects,” May said. “I think he would be very proud of how far we have come.”

In its early days, House of Heroes raised funds through pancake breakfasts, always with the goal of giving back to veterans.

Thursday’s demolition was expected to wrap up by 2 p.m., followed by disposal of remaining debris and yard waste.

With the yard now cleared, Berman’s social worker will begin the process of coordinating his return home.

Veterans or family members interested in applying for assistance can visit their website. 

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