Fourth veteran gets free roof from DeLand company

0
Fourth veteran gets free roof from DeLand company
PHOTO COURTESY BEERY ROOFING; ROOFING CREW — Members of the Beery Roofing & Redesign team show off the roof they installed for U.S. Army veteran Duane North, after North was selected as the winner of the company’s annual “Free Roof for a Veteran” contest. The crew members prefer not to have their names listed, Brenda Beery explained.

U.S. Army veteran Duane North is enjoying the security of a new roof on his DeLand home, courtesy of Beery Roofing & Redesign.

This is the fourth year that Beery Roofing has run its “Free Roof for a Veteran” contest. The winner was announced in November at the Veteran’s Day Parade in Downtown DeLand, and North’s new roof was installed Dec. 16.

Roofing company co-owner Brenda Beery said Beery Roofing did not act alone to provide North’s new roof. The general manager of the ABC Supply in Daytona Beach, J.T. Thomason, donated all of the roofing supplies, and, through Territory Manager Eric Rivera of Certain Shingles North Florida Branch, the shingles were also donated.

PHOTO COURTESY BEERY ROOFING
ENJOYING HIS NEW ROOF — U.S. Army veteran Duane North stands in front of his DeLand home, where Beery Roofing & Redesign installed a new roof Dec. 16, at no charge to North.

North joined the Army at the age of 18. He had moved with his family to Pierson from Rockledge and graduated from Taylor Middle/High School. 

In June 1994, North was assigned to Fort Benning near Columbus, Georgia, for basic training. He then was sent to Fort Knox in Kentucky for two years, then to Fort Drum in New York for three years. North re-enlisted at Fort Benning and was promoted to E5/sergeant, and became an infantry-school instructor. 

North gave a total of six years and eight months to the United States Army. When he was given the choice of becoming a recruiter or exiting the Army, he decided to exit with an honorable discharge.

He spent about a year living in western New York state before moving back to Florida. North used the GI Bill to attend the Police Academy at what was then Daytona Beach Community College (now Daytona State College). He graduated and was hired by the City of Daytona Beach Police Department. 

After two years on the Daytona Beach force, North worked as a Sheriff’s Office deputy for Volusia County for the next three years. He had always wanted to be part of the Fish and Wildlife & Conservation Commission, and, 17 years ago, he was hired as a conservation law-enforcement officer with FWC.

Over the past 10 years, North has worked with the FWC’s canine unit.

He is currently working with his second dog, Maggie, a yellow Labrador retriever who is trained in tracking people, locating hidden illegal fish and wildlife, and evidence recovery. 

North was recently promoted to become one of four FWC canine trainers in the state. In addition to normal patrol and K9 duties, he is now responsible for the training of four other K9 teams, and he travels around the state conducting their training.

North is a single dad with two children, a 17-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter. He travels throughout Florida training dogs.

No posts to display

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here