Veteran’s Pico Rivera Home Restored by Volunteers Through Operation Hero Program

Volunteers at Pico Rivera resident Carol Guzman’s house after the renovation was complete. Guzman is in the middle holding the U.S. flag.

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July 16, 2025

By Brian Hews

PICO RIVERA, CA – They served our country with honor. Now, a special effort is being made to serve them. Operation Hero Home Restoration, a nonprofit initiative launched by the Oath to Country Foundation, is transforming the homes of veterans and seniors across Southern California—restoring not just property, but dignity and hope.

One of the latest recipients of this goodwill is Carlos Guzman, a Vietnam War veteran and long-time Pico Rivera resident. Guzman was only 18 years old in 1967 when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at the height of the conflict in Southeast Asia. He was deployed with the 5001st Signal Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. Like many of his generation, Guzman carried the physical and emotional toll of war with him long after returning home.

After decades of living with those memories, Guzman is now finally receiving the help and recognition he has long deserved. Through the Oath to Country Foundation, Guzman’s backyard was selected for a full-scale transformation. Volunteers, equipped with landscaping tools and construction materials, descended on his property, clearing more than 20 years of clutter and buildup. They installed new gravel, patio furniture, and fresh vegetation, turning a once-neglected backyard into a peaceful retreat.

“It looks beautiful. It’s like night and day,” said Guzman. “I’m so happy to go back there, you know?”

The Oath to Country Foundation was founded by Dr. Justin Gracieux in 2021. Inspired by his grandfather, a World War II veteran, Gracieux launched Operation Hero Home Restoration with a mission to bring comfort and care to aging veterans. The work is fully volunteer-driven and fueled by local partnerships, enabling crews to tackle a wide range of tasks, from landscaping to painting, plumbing, and repairs.

“These are truly the most beautiful, kind, selfless, giving humans you could meet,” Gracieux said of the volunteers who show up to support each project. “That’s at any one of our veteran home projects.” Their selfless service is a reason for us to be grateful and inspired.

For Guzman, the backyard makeover represents more than a physical improvement. It’s a symbol of long-overdue appreciation.

“Thank you very much for what was done in my house,” he said. “I would have never been able to do it without everyone’s help.”

Operation Hero Home Restoration continues to identify and uplift veteran households in need throughout the region, providing a sense of pride, peace, and community to those who once sacrificed everything.

For more information or to volunteer click here.

Contact Brian Hews at [email protected] or follow @cerritosnews.bsky.social.