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North Port Army veteran helps with military home makeover

The Herald-Tribune - 3/21/2020

Mar. 20--NORTH PORT -- Navy veteran Chris Hixon gave his life Feb. 14, 2018, in an attempt to protect students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School from an active shooter who would ultimately kill him and 16 other students and faculty members in Parkland, Florida.

As a partial thank-you, "Military Makeover With Montel," a realty program that's broadcast both on the Armed Forces Network and Lifetime Television, has been renovating the home he shared with his wife, Debi Hixon, and their two sons, Thomas, a Marine Corps reserve officer, and Corey, who has special needs and used to appear regularly at sporting events with his father, who was the athletic director at the high school.

Jess Turner, a five-year army veteran and North Port resident, led a team of Ehrlich Pest Control specialists who helped renovate the home in Hollywood, Florida, starting last December.

The episode featuring the contributions of the Fort Myers-based company -- the fifth of 10 documenting the work -- started airing March 19 on Lifetime.

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"It was very special," said Turner, who lives in North Port with her spouse, Amy Turner, a retired Army signal officer who now serves as the Administrative Division Chief for the North Port Fire Department. "It touched on a lot of emotional things; it's a humbling experience."

The Ehrlich crew did a thorough termite inspection of the home, during which they found and remediated some damage.

"We committed to providing lifelong termite and pest protection as long as Mrs. Hixon lives in that property," Turner said.

In addition to that, the crew helped paint the house, assembled beds, did carpet trim and laid down sod.

They also helped give Corey's room a makeover to reflect his deeply religious feeling.

The Hixon family home is the same one where Debi Hixon grew up.

The goal of the renovation, Turner noted, was to both honor his memory and give her a renewed outlook on life and place to live more comfortably.

Turner, who was born in St. Petersburg but grew up in Pensacola and was trained in military intelligence, served from 2000 to 2005 -- her last station was MacDill Air Force Base.

Complications following a minor stroke resulted in a medical discharge.

"There were some things I could not overcome without being a liability to our country," Turner said. "It was the worst day of my life.

"I grew up in a family of service, and that broke my heart."

She and Amy Turner lived several years in Indiana until Amy retired as a signal officer in 2016 and moved to North Port.

Turner, 43, sought out a career where she could continue to serve and protect people and now currently manages a team of 18 operations managers, pest specialists and sales professionals for Ehrlich.

Turner said she especially appreciated the sense of fulfillment she feels after accomplishing a task.

"When you get that feeling, you do what you can do to hold on to it," Turner said. "This renovation was an example of that."

Turner enjoyed engaging in a back-and-forth dialogue with Williams -- a Navy and Marine Corps veteran -- while on the set.

She said she appreciated the way "Military Makeover with Montel" highlighted the businesses that contributed to the project.

"We really live our values in our company; it meant a lot to us," Turner said. "For me personally, to help another veteran family, it's something I will cherish for the rest of my life."

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