Our soldiers sacrifice so much so the rest of us can live safely and soundly, going about our normal lives without much of a worry regarding our safety.
The least we can do is ensure that when they return from active duty, they have homes to settle into, right?
Well, according to reports, Army Specialist Michael Sharkey came back to his home in New Port Richey, Florida, after serving two years in Hawaii, to find that squatters had taken over the place!
However, the two ex-cons who took over the house got slightly more than they bargained for when the owner returned from serving overseas.
Michael was stationed in Hawaii, which meant leaving his home for two years. Julio Ortiz and Fatima Cardosa took this as a perfect opportunity to break into the building, move themselves and their two dogs into Michael’s home, change the locks, and refuse to leave.
Michael was told that because Ortiz and Cardosa had “taken up residency,” the only way to get the pair to leave and get his home back was to take the matter to civil court.
This story very quickly made its way through the social media grapevine and onto the Facebook page of WFLA which first reported the story. Residents were horrified and the general consensus was that something should be done about it.
The outrage culminated in a planned motorcycle ride organized by supporters to convince the squatters to leave. According to reports, the public pressure has worked, as Cardosa and Ortiz — who have spent 12 years in jail for robbery, carjacking, and drug offenses — have made a hasty retreat.
Lauren Price of Veterans Warriors, who helped bring attention to the situation, says that Lowe’s has donated supplies to repair Sharkey’s home, and local construction firms have donated their time to clean up the mess left behind.
An overwhelmed Michael expressed his gratitude saying “I’m used to doing things for everyone else; this is the first time someone has done something for me, It’s pretty much like my extended family, wearing the same uniform as me.”
Watch the video below for more details:
Sources: OpposingViews, WFLA, DailyMail