Pennsylvania Veteran Surprised with Roof Donated by Local Company

A Pennsylvania veteran said he was “in shock” and “grateful” after winning a brand new roof from a local company that decided to give back to those who have given up so much for this country.

Tim Nicotra, a 22-year veteran who served in the U.S. Navy, the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, and the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, had been struggling to afford repairs for the leaking roof on his 1940s home for the past “several years,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

His wife, Jennifer Nicotra, was the one who convinced him to apply for the Roofs for the Red White and Blue campaign announced by Burns & Scalo Roofing in September.

After submitting the application on the final deadline date of October 31, the Nicotras were unsure if they would be the winners. 

Burns & Scalo received ten applicants and narrowed them down to three finalists but eventually selected Nicotra, 53, after reading about how he enlisted straight out of high school, served on the USS Saratoga, worked on AH-1 Cobra helicopters, and served for another 16 years in the state’s Air National Guard until he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

For the past 17 years, the veteran has worked for the Catholic Cemeteries Association. He also had four children, two of which have since entered the U.S. military themselves.

Nicotra “almost didn’t answer his cell phone when it rang while he was out shopping with his wife and daughters,” the Post-Gazette reported.

Burns & Scalo Roofing vice president Adam Galis was on the other end of the line to tell him the good news.

“Tim, I’m calling because you entered our Roofs for the Red, White and Blue contest for veterans to receive a new roof. I want to tell you, you’ve won,” Galis said.

“You could’ve knocked me over with a feather,” Nicotra recalled. “I was in shock. This is the biggest and best thing that’s happened to us in quite a while.” 

When he told Jennifer, he said that she “looked at me like I was telling her a joke she didn’t get.”

Galis said the company was joined by their material suppliers, who provided the supplies needed for the new roof worth about $25,000. 

“It’s great to know that we made a difference in someone’s life who answered the call right out of high school,” he said, adding that he plans to donate a roof to another veteran next year.

“We were honored to have the opportunity to do it,” the vice president said.

Photos shared by the roofing company on social media show a happy Nicotra receiving his brand new roof:

“The guys were great, so professional and courteous,” Nicotra said after the roof was installed in November. “It still hasn’t sunk in yet. And it’s amazing knowing I’m not going to hear, ‘Dad, there’s water coming from the ceiling.’”

“I can’t even express how grateful I am,” he added.