July 12, 2011 | Ribbon Cutting May 30th, 2011
A uniquely sunny Memorial Day in Washington State marked a cheerful day for the members of the Western Washington NADRA Chapter, who held their ribbon cutting ceremony for their 2011 “Deck for a Soldier®” project. BBQ, Drinks, Banners, Balloons and American Flags were abundant in the celebration of a true American Hero. Over 100 vendors, builders, news crews, fellow servicemen, family and friends gathered to congratulate recipient JBLM Staff Sergeant Marshall Diaz Jr. and his wife Cristina.

SSG Diaz cutting the ribbon on his finished deck

Finding our Soldier
In November, the WWA NADRA members called to congratulate a very humble SSG Diaz who was chosen as a unanimous vote after receiving his essay application. SSG Diaz has served his country honorably for the past 13 years. During his last deployment to Afghanistan he was wounded in a roadside explosion and medically evacuated back to the U.S. His recovery was a long and hard road for him and his wife, as he was held in The Warrior Transition Battalion at Joint Base Lewis McCord from May 2008 until April 2010 suffering from injuries to his knee, back and ankle. He has received many prestigious awards during his career, including a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

When SSG Diaz was given the opportunity to leave the Army he noted, “I chose the only option for me, and that is to continue to serve my country.” He also stated, “Although my rehabilitation is an ongoing process, I hold my head up with pride for there is no other country in this world that I would rather live in, than the United States of America.” He is currently in active duty at JBLM. WWA Chapter of NADRA jumped at the chance to thank the Diaz family for their service, hardships and unwavering commitment to the United States of America.

Deck Consultation and Design
Wanting to treat this build as any normal deck consultation the D4S chairs visited the Diaz family and learned exactly what they would like in an outdoor living area. Each builder member of the Western Washington chapter had the opportunity to submit a design based on the Diaz’s aspirations for their deck. The Diaz Family chose from the four different designs and adjusted to fit their needs. This was a very fun mix and match process concluding in the perfect design for our Soldier and his growing family.

Rendering of the final deck design by Kyle Bannister

Rendering of the final deck design by Kyle Bannister

Click the video below to watch a time-lapse of the deck construction…



The Building Process – Thank You to our Suppliers (Click here to download a list of our sponsors.)
The building process was completely a team effort on behalf of the chapter and sponsors within the community. Teams were assigned days and projects to manage via a build schedule assigned by the chairs, BHD Construction, Screw Products, Inc and Fiberon. Builders were assigned weekend projects to manage the duration of the build. The build process was jump started by removing all the grass and laying pavers. The completed project included a Fire Pit, Bench Seating, Deck Lighting, Out Door Audio Speakers, Ceiling Fan, Canopy, Planter Boxes, Plants/Landscaping, Water Fountain, Lighted Interchangeable Deck Inlay, Stairs and a Beautiful Deck designed by NADRA members. At the ribbon cutting ceremony T-shirts, Famous Dave’s BBQ, Pepsi and Redhook brew were provided to all who attended. A bounce house was also provided for the children during the ceremony.

Grand thanks and gratitude for all the people who have made this build possible. This was completely a team effort & a huge honor to work together to show our support for our Soldiers and our country.

The Diaz' backyard before the D4S makeover

The Diaz' backyard after completion of their new deck!

Success in the Press
Shomari Stone with KOMO News 4 helped to honor the Diaz family by reporting all day from our ribbon cutting ceremony on Memorial Day. KOMO has been a strong supporter of the D4S Project from the beginning originally releasing our ground breaking press release. Our build has been featured in two newspapers as focus stories, The Gateway and The Ranger. Also, appeared in three national building magazines; LBM Journal, World Fence News, and Extreme How To. Merchant Magazine will be releasing a write up in their August issue. You can also find our time lapse video on Youtube showing our complete build, Thank You Navigate Photography for the video and celebration banner! HG Graphics designed the T-Shirts, given to everyone who stopped by the ceremony.

SSG Diaz speaks with reporters about his new deck

T-shirts, designed by HG Graphics, were handed out to everyone at the ceremony

We would like to thank all the advertising professionals that completed interest pieces on our build & all the vendor partners that submitted updates monthly to their newsletters. More stories and follow up pieces are in processes.

About Deck for a Soldier®
NADRA launched its Deck For a Soldier® program in 2007 when an inquiry came across the NADRA website. Sergeant Thomas placed an inquiry to NADRA member through www.NADRA.org, in anticipation of scheduling a deck build when she returned home. Here, the idea of building a “Deck for a Soldier®” was born. This is a community effort that expresses our appreciation for the service and dedication of the men and women of our armed forces. The Western Washington Chapter has just completed their first build in Lacey, Washington.

Contacts:
Thomas Bannister, Deck for a Soldier W.WA Committee Chair, BHD Construction
Kate Royer, Deck for a Soldier W.WA Committee Chair, Screw Products, Inc.
Kaylynn Poplawski, Deck for a Soldier W.WA Committee Chair, Fiberon
Jim Miller, Deck for a Soldier W.WA Committee Chair, Screw Products, Inc.
Jerry Bannister, Deck for a Soldier W.WA Committee Chair, BHD Construction