A retired Army veteran was handed the keys to her hew home in New Port Richey Thursday by Wells Fargo and Military Warriors Support Foundation.

  • Whitney Shaw, 31, served 4 tours in Iraq
  • Post-service, she's helping other veterans
  • Wells Fargo has donated homes to veterans across Florida since 2012

For retired Army Sgt. Whitney Shaw, 31, who served four tours in Iraq, Thursday was a dream.

“It makes you want to cry, makes you want to smile, it's overwhelming," said Shaw.

She received the keys to somewhere she can really call home. Shaw enlisted in the army when she was 18 and has been moving place to place ever since.

“Right after high school she enlisted, did four tours in Iraq, thought she was going to stay in the military her entire life, and then was wounded in combat and was medically retired," said Shaw’s mom, Jo Cook.

But Shaw’s injury didn’t stop her from trying something new. She decided to go to school at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts to become a chef.

After she graduated, she moved on to her true passion, helping other vets.

“I was a sergeant, so I’m used to taking care of people, and that's something that I’m never going to lose, so now that I’m out I’m still doing that," said Shaw.

Shaw will also have her family and dear friends close by.

“It's good to set roots you know, because I’ve been jumping from duty station to duty station for the last 11 years and then getting my own home and not having to move every year is amazing to me."