After fighting overseas in Iraq, Arik Modisette came home to pursue a new military goal: become a member of an elite Special Forces unit. So he began the training to become such a soldier only to be derailed by misfortune — they found a tumor in his ankle. He was forced to medically retire from the service.

In the time from his discharge in 2011 all the way to 2013, virtually nothing but bewilderment and disorientation was granted to him. His civilian journey was going nowhere fast, and he didn’t know which way to turn.

“It was extremely devastating, really bad depression, just totally lost. I didn’t have a clue with what I wanted to do with my life. I lost some meaning and lost some hope.”

“I struggled badly, and I didn’t know why I was having so many problems. But I was.”

Then his wife gave birth to a child, and suddenly, the Texas sky that hovered over where he lived started to open up. He saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Hope emerged. So did purpose.

He got involved with the veteran community nearby, and pretty soon, he discovered an area where he could give back.

He noticed a lot of vets couldn’t afford to fix up their houses. So he stepped in, and did it for them.

After a few former military members’ abodes were successfully patched up by Modisette’s skilled handiwork, he got an inkling for an enterprise. A way to take care of his family.

He started his own construction company.

“The jobs we do are completely nonprofit,” Arik told ABC affiliate KTRE 9 recently. “No one out here will make anything for the labor and time that they put into it.”

Resourcefully, he gets local businesses to donate supplies and materials that go into the renovations.

“They offer their services for free and they give these veterans their time and help them out any way they can,” said Modisette.