MISSOULA — Mighty Dog Roofing has marked Veterans Day for the last four years by donating a roof to a former service member free of charge.
This year’s recipients are Marine veteran Cliff and his wife Kathleen Martin, who have been married for 58 years.
Mighty Dog Roofing once again marked Veterans Day by donating a roof to a former service member:
"It means a lot and I think it's gonna last us probably for as long as we're here," Kathleen Martin said.
With winter on the way, the Martins were hoping to replace their roof in time.
"The noise doesn't bother us. It's really worth it," Cliff Martin shared. "Yeah, we didn't know how we were gonna manage to get a new roof, and we had been exploring all different avenues. But they told us they had a program, and we applied and we were selected. And we are very grateful," Kathleen added.
Just before the holiday season, as a gift for Veterans Day, Mighty Dog Roofing of Western Montana stepped in to help them.
"Being in a position as a veteran to give to another veteran, hands down the best thing ever," Mighty Dog owner Nick Whitehead told MTN. "It's through partnership with a company called Owens Corning. They're supplying the shingles. We supply the labor. We find a veteran that's not just in need financially, but just in need like they have a really good story," he continued.
Cliff Martin's story is one of camaraderie and sacrifice in Vietnam. Martin served for 4 years, retiring as a sailor. When Veterans Day nears, memories of friends he lost overseas linger.
"I think more at this time about my friends that I lost and I think about other Marines that were killed and or wounded," Cliff detailed.
The Martins continue to live by the values of the service. That's why Mighty Dog found it easy to award them a new roof free of charge.
"Gratitude is so important. Programs like these that help veterans, disabled veterans, it's amazing. I can't thank them enough," Kathleen said.
Additionally, Mighty Dog offers a veterans discount any time of the year. It's 5% on any job up to $500.
"You'll either get that discount to yourself or you can donate that discount to our veterans through this roof deployment program so that we can do even more of these every year," Whitehead said.
