Born and raised in a small farm town in Ohio, David Duncan grew up wanting to serve in the military.
His family was full of service members, and the Veterans he knew growing up were the kind of people he wanted to be: respectable, hardworking and trustworthy. So when the time came, enlisting felt less like a decision and more like the right thing to do.
“I’ve always wanted to be in the Army since I was a little kid,” David said.
He went on to serve three years as an Army Specialist.
A Friendship Built in a Backyard
Around his freshman year of high school, David noticed an older man working in a nearby backyard. He walked up to the fence and asked if there was any work he could help with.
That was the beginning of his friendship with Richard Frey.
Richard was old-school Army, and from the moment David showed up at that fence, something clicked between them.
“I grew up in the foster care system, so he’s a very close father figure and a very close friend of mine,” David said. "He gave me a lot of guidance, just being there, and kind of raised me as a man.”
There were moments in that backyard, just the two of them, where Richard would talk about old memories and David would just listen.
“I’d let him talk, because it made him feel good," David said, "And it made me feel good knowing that he was able to share.”
One Way or Another
When Richard passed away, that loss wasn’t something David could just move past. When he found out the house would be going on the market, one thing became clear.
“I don’t want anybody else to have his home. These are my memories. This is a very special place to me.”
He got online and started figuring out what it actually took to buy a house. That’s when he called Veterans United Home Loans and connected with loan officer Charlie Marshman (NMLS #2070027).
Charlie knew pretty quickly there were obstacles in the way. There was credit card debt that needed to go, and a truck payment that was too high to make the numbers work. He was straight with David about everything.
David got to work. He traded in the truck for a car with a lower payment and paid down his debt.
For Charlie, that decision said everything.
“When you hear why he put in the effort, that’s when it really drove the point home," Charlie said, "There isn’t another house for David like this one.”
A Special Surprise
After closing on the home, David got more than just the keys. His Veterans United team had been thinking about the truck and what David had given up to make this work. Little did he know, they had a surprise waiting for him.
While sitting outside his new home, a black truck pulled in the driveway.
“Is that Mr. Marshman?” David asked with a confused look on his face.
Seconds later, Charlie stepped out of the truck. The two shared a joyful moment as they met face to face for the first time. Charlie then shared his reasoning for his visit.
“We know how much sacrifice you mentioned that you made to make this happen, you even mentioned you got rid of your truck,” he said. “So we have another surprise for you, and so actually that is your truck now 100% yours.”
David was in disbelief as he walked up to the truck and took it in.
For the Veterans United team, being there for that moment was the whole point.
“The look on his face when we were able to give him that gift," Charlie said. "I’m just privileged to be a part of that.”
Stayed in the Family
There’s a photo of Richard inside the house now. David put it there himself as a small way of keeping him present in the place they both loved.
Owning the home represents more than achieving a goal. It reflects a sense of continuity. The lessons David learned in that backyard about responsibility, consistency and showing up continue to guide how he approaches life today.
“I can live a life in honor of him and his memory and utilize those tools and the lessons that he taught me, and kind of pass them on to other people,” David said.
In that sense, the home has taken on an even deeper role. It remains tied to the relationship that gave it meaning in the first place.
“I know he would have loved knowing that it kind of stayed in our little circle here,” David said. “Stayed in the family for sure.”
