Scotty Freeman moved to Augusta, Georgia from Slidell, Louisiana in 1995.  Scotty joined the fire service as a volunteer in a small city outside of Augusta that same year, and in 1996, he was hired by the Augusta Fire Department. 

 

In 2010, Scotty traveled to Mena, Arkansas, with a friend to participate in a charity project with another organization. There, he met firefighters from all over the country.  Some of those firefighters would eventually go on to put together a new organization, and several years later, Scotty's path once again crossed those same firefighters, this time in Elijay, Georgia.  While working on that project, an opportunity presented itself to help out the mother of a recovering combat wounded veteran in nearby Dalton, Georgia.  He along, with a number of other first responders, spent the rest of the day framing up an addition to the mother's house in preparation for the return of her son.  There, the roots of A Soldier's Journey Home began to form. 

 

In 2013, while on Long Island, New York, on yet another project, Scotty and others decided it was time to leave the organization they were with and do “their own thing”. Not long after that he was asked to be a board member for the newly-formed A Soldier's Journey Home, and he agreed.  

 

Scotty was raised in the fire service to understand that there really is no way to pay someone back for helping you and that the right thing to do to show your appreciation, is to pay it forward.  He truly believes building homes for the men and women who are supported by A Soldier’s Journey Home is the right thing to do, and he continues to pay it forward in this way.  They have earned it.