Injured veteran is given a new home

It was almost five years ago that Army Staff Sgt. Oskar Zepeda attempted to subdue a Taliban combatant.

Instead, the man pulled the ring on a grenade.

The ensuing blast sent shrapnel everywhere, including all through the right side of Zepeda’s body. Since then, he has undergone over 30 surgical procedures.

On Friday, Zepeda, smiling proudly and showing no signs of the chronic daily pain that plagues him, was handed the keys to a 2,000-square-foot, mortgage-free home in a new subdivision near the easte border of Perris.

At that moment, the dream of a new house became a reality for Zepeda, his wife and their two children, who had lived in Sylmar.

“Everything’s beautiful,” said Zepeda, 31, who grew up in the San Feando Valley. “I think they hit the nail on the head with this one.”

The home, valued at over $300,000, was earmarked for the Zepedas through Pulte Group’s Built to Honor program in cooperation with Operation Finally Home, a nonprofit dedicated to providing housing for retuing service members and their families.

It was a busy scene in front of the house Friday, with a fire engine, TV trucks and about 100 people assembled for the home dedication ceremony.

Zepeda sat with his wife, Lisa, and daughter, Sophia, 8. Lisa Zepeda held their newbo son, Ryder. One row behind them were Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley, Perris Mayor Daryl Busch and City Council members Tonya Burke, Rita Rogers and Mark Yarbrough.

“I knew it was going to be beautiful,” said Lisa Zepeda, 33. “But I did not expect it to be this beautiful.”

Oskar Zepeda joined the Army at 19. He was assigned to the Rangers, an elite special operations force.

It proved to be a good fit. He served nine tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before he was injured.

All the hoopla surrounding an event like Friday’s can be a little unsettling to a soldier and his family, said Army Ranger Chris Harper, 30, who attended the event.

“But when stuff like this happens, it’s a floodgate like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe this is happening to me. All I did was what I wanted to do,’” Harper said. “So I think there’s a lot more appreciation in their hearts than what the crowd sees.”

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As the family toured the house, it bumped into camera crews and local govement officials along the way.

Ashley posed for a picture with Oskar Zepeda. He tued to him and said: “Thank God. Somebody finally did something profound for you.”

“Oh, definitely,” Oskar Zepeda replied.

Settling into their day-to-day life will happen quickly for the Zepedas.

Lisa Zepeda said school starts soon for Sophia, who is enrolled at Triple Crown Elementary School. The first day is Wednesday.

But challenges remain for Oskar Zepeda. He said his doctors are trying to get his next operation scheduled for later this month.

“He definitely has a lot of surgeries coming up,” said Lisa Zepeda.