SAN ANTONIO — The community is coming together to help a World War II veteran back into his home.
Alfred Guerra, 95, fought in the Pacific War in 1944, and was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his bravery.
After Guerra was injured, he returned stateside to live in San Antonio. According to his daughter, Maria Guerra, his home has a history of its own—it's been standing since before 1942.
“I often asked my dad how this house is even standing,” Maria Guerra said.
She added that they recently decided it was time to start remodeling his old home, but it was only at that point that they realized just how much work needed to be done.
“One thing after another, everything started falling apart. We noticed part of the house sunk, so we needed to get it fixed,” Maria Guerra said.
Guerra says it was so bad she didn’t feel it was safe for him to be there, so she moved him out and their family started a GoFundMe to help raise money to get started.
So far, with the help of a few community partners, the house has a new roof, air conditioning unit and insulation, but it still needs a lot of electrical, plumbing and siding work done before it’s livable again.
“He yearns to be home; he wants to be at home, but there’s no way he can be at home right now because the house is in total disarray," Maria Guerra said. "He has no walls, has no ceiling; it’s basically the outer shell holding it together."
Right now, their goal is to raise $5,000 for the remodeling efforts. But when it’s all finished, they estimate it’ll cost more than $14,000 to fully repair the house.
Guerra appreciates everyone who has donated and helped so far, and says every dollar gets their father one step closer to home.
“He’s just totally overwhelmed by all of the giving and everybody that’s help to come work on his house and it’s a blessing,” she said.
If you'd like to donate to their family's GoFundMe, click here.