St. Johns County Celebrates Completion of Home Rehabilitation for Highly Decorated U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam Veteran
The County and Operation Lifeline Inc. volunteers provided ADA accessibility and addressed structural and safety hazards.
Sgt. Roy Wilbur, a highly decorated U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam War veteran, has returned to his rehabilitated St. Augustine home of over 40 years with new ADA accessibility, running water, and air conditioning thanks to St. Johns County and volunteers and donations through Operation Lifeline Inc.Sgt. Wilbur received the Bronze Star for heroic achievement and was wounded multiple times, earning two Purple Hearts. The Office of Public Affairs produced a video to capture the special homecoming ceremony.
The modest home was rebuilt with ADA-accessible bathrooms, structural framing, HVAC, siding, flooring, a kitchen, and more to address the loss of running water and a buildup of structural and safety hazards.
“I thank everyone who participated and everyone who came out and done what they could do, and everyone who supports me,” Sgt. Wilbur said. “This is great, man. This is real.”
The homecoming ceremony included remarks by District 2 County Commissioner Sarah Arnold, Congressman John Rutherford, and Operation Lifeline Inc. Executive Director Erick Saks.
“Mr. Wilbur is an icon in this town,” Commissioner Arnold said. “He is part of the fabric of West Augustine.”
District 3 County Commissioner Clay Murphy also attended the ceremony. “This is an amazing feat,” Commissioner Murphy said. “This neighborhood came together; this community came together.”
The project was achieved through funding provided by the St. Johns County Housing Rehabilitation Program. In-kind labor and resources came from Builders Care and the Heroes Ride, and volunteers from Operation Lifeline Inc.
“When we first walked in, we didn’t know if we could take this on,” Saks said. “But when we were able to work with the County through two different programs, through CDBG and SHIP, and then work with our partners, we got this all together. It was such a huge undertaking, that’s what makes this so special.”
St. Johns County launched a successful housing rehabilitation program more than 20 years ago. In 2024 alone, the program helped 37 residents stay in their homes with an investment of $1.9M for a variety of repairs. The program is intended to fix immediate and potential housing problems, preventing further damage and letting the occupants continue living in their homes. Code, safety, and health issues are paramount.
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