CAMP SHELBY, Miss., - The bus was waiting on the curb when the limousine pulled up. The doors opened and the family got out of the back of the car.
"Move That Bus! Move That Bus!" Tthe crowd of more than 500 people yelled. Show host Ty Pennington huddled the family close and the bus started up and pulled away revealing a new source of hopes, dreams, and memories.
Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center and the City of Hattiesburg received a dose of Hollywood the week of Dec. 3 through Dec. 10 as the ABC television show "Extreme Makeover - Home Edition" came to town to build a house for a local family.
Staff Sgt. Sherman Heathcock and his family were selected as the recipients of the new house. Sherman is currently deployed to Iraq with the 155th Brigade Combat Team which is scheduled to return home in February.
Because of contractual obligations, neither Sherman nor his wife, Gina were allowed to talk about selection process.
However, Faye Heathcock, Sherman's mother said her daughter-in-law was worried. "Gina was beside herself, because they had told her that they were meeting with another family the day before," Faye Heathcock said. "So in her mind, they were not going to be the recipient."
Faye said she found about Extreme Makeover in the paper. She said she approached the rest of her family and asked if they wanted to nominate Sherman for the honor.
On the last day of nominations, Sherman's bid went through.
"[Gina] wanted it so that when he came home from Iraq, he would never have to worry about looking at his watch, going to another job, making sure he's in that job after working his regular job," Faye said. "She wanted it so they could have time with him."
Faye said, shortly after sending in the nomination, Gina received a phone call.
"Gina had to fill out a lot of paperwork. They did a background check on her and Sherman. They did credit reports, everything."
Demolition on the house began on early in the morning on Dec. 6. By that evening, the foundation had been laid and the framework put up. Crews worked 24-hours a day to make sure the house went up within the 106- hour timeline.
Even a round of rain, snow and freezing temperatures didn't deter the crews from getting the house up.
Sara Peterson, a volunteer from AAA Homes, said getting a chance to work on the house was a blessing in itself. The daughter of a retired Soldier, Peterson said Extreme Makeover presented a chance she could not pass up.
"It's an incredible opportunity," Peterson said. "I love giving back to this country and to the men and women that serve and protect us."
Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny Dupree said the week would show how special Hattiesburg is. The mayor said the house would make a difference in the life of the family and also make a difference in the community.
"Soldiers give all the time," Dupree said. "You couldn't find a better family, too, than one who is making sure we are able to do what we're doing today."
Construction was completed on the house Dec. 10. Faye said the family was surprised and honored to have strong support from the community.
"We've heard things about Sherman that we didn't know. We knew that we loved Sherman and we knew that he was a kind, caring
and compassionate person but we have found out, since they were nominated, that people have come forward and told us things that he's done that we didn't know," Faye said. "We're just blessed to be able to get this."