6 Military Vets Getting Homes At Discounted Prices On L.I.
ISLANDIA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Six military veterans will be getting new homes built for them at a big discount on Long Island.
The homes are being built in Islandia by the Long Island Home Builders Care Development Corp. The six-lot subdivision is being dubbed "Veterans Way" and will be exclusively for returning vets who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The three-bedroom homes will be sold for $199,000 -- about half of the going market rate.
6 Military Vets Getting Homes At Discounted Prices On L.I.
As WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported, this is a dream come true for Hunkins family of five, who have been living in a basement apartment.
6 Military Vets Getting Homes At Discounted Prices On L.I.
"My next door neighbor, I deployed to Iraq with, so we're already best friends, and we ended up getting homes next to each other. I can't even say in words how outstanding it is," former Marines Staff Sgt. Shawn Hunkins told Hall.
"Not only are we getting this home for half price, but all the stuff that's coming with it is volunteered from so many different companies. But Long Island Home Builders is the one who put it together so that we could get a brand new home for what you couldn't find on Long Island -- you really couldn't."
Army Cpl. Timothy Ward also served two tours of duty in Iraq and was with his wife and two children to see what will be their new home.
"I'm ecstatic. It's really unbelievable," he told Hall on Tuesday.
"The most important thing is thinking about the kids in a stable, permanent home," Ward's wife, Ashley, told CBS 2's Jennifer McLogan.
The other veterans chosen for the new subdivision are Army Staff Sgt. Jason Broyles, 33; former Marines Lance Cpl. Paul Milazzo, 28; former Marines Sgt. Eric Petry, 28; and former Marines Sgt. Thomas Schreiber, 32.
"I can't even begin to describe how excited I am to have six veterans all the same age with families growing up in the same cul-de-sac," Hunkins told McLogan. "It's unbelievable. I can't even wait for the barbecues."
The six veterans were selected from a group of 130 applicants by a panel of Veterans of Foreign War commanders.
They were introduced during a special ceremony Tuesday.
The families are hoping to move in by Veterans Day, 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera reported.
"I can't wait to come back and actually hand the keys to these veterans and these families," Mitchell Pally of Long Island Home Builders said. "It's unbelievable. ... It's tremendously emotional."
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