BATON ROUGE - It was a special day for an Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient, who was honored with a ceremonial deed to his mortgage-free home on Tuesday.

Herbert Youmans always knew he wanted to serve in the military.

“It’s all I wanted to do since I was a kid. My mom and dad met and married in the army,”  Youmans said.

After enlisting and completing basic training, he didn’t expect his military career would be cut short during his deployment to Iraq.

“Had it not been for my injuries, I would still be there today,” Youmans said.

In September of 2006, a roadside bomb exploded near Youmans, injuring his legs. He received a Purple Heart and other medals to honor his brave service.

And now, the Army veteran is receiving another honor: a completely paid-off home for his family.

“As we’re being able to honor Corporal Youmans with a ceremonial deed to his home through the Homes for Wounded Heroes program,” Ashley Clyne with the Military Warriors Support Foundation said.

The special ceremony held for him at the Walmart on College Drive. The community and sponsors coming together to make sure his service doesn’t go unnoticed.

“And there’s nothing better than right here at the Christmas season to be able to know that he’s about to have that deed to his home. And for their future, this is a launchpad,”  Clyne said.

With a lot of emotions rushing through his head, Youmans is continuing to thank the men and women that make the sacrifice to serve each day.

“I say thank you to those guys because those are the people who really make it happen,” Youmans said.