Retired Marine heroes get mortgage paid off in full for brand new North Carolina home

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. -- A Marine couple in Jacksonville, North Carolina, learned on national television that their new house had been fully paid off.

Mario and Amy Perez both served in the Marine Corps for more than a decade, deploying multiple times and serving America with honor.

"Marine Corps values: Honor, courage and commitment. The hard thing is to live by it, and that's one thing that Mario has done," retired master sergeant Tony Johnson said.

Veterans United Home Loans repaid the Perezes commitment to our country by fully paying off their brand new home, which took them months to find.

Mario said he and his wife and their two kids had been looking for a new home for a while. However, because of the demanding housing market, every house they liked ended up being purchased by someone else for thousands of dollars over asking price.

Finally the couple found a home that fit their family just outside Camp Lejuene in Jacksonville.

They closed on the house Nov. 9. Then on Nov. 10, the 246th anniversary of the creation of the US Marine Corps, they learned the best news ever. Friends of the Perezes, a full marching band and Good Morning America all showed up and surprised the Perezes with the news that Veterans United Home Loan has fully paid off their mortgage.

"It's unreal to even think that, I mean, I never would've thought anything like this--I'm out of words." Mario said through tears of joy.

The mortgage company isn't stopping there. In total, 11 military families will have their loans paid in full by the end of the year.

Plus, one of those military families could be you or someone you know. The 11th family will be randomly selected from a group of nominations.

You can nominate an eligible military family by clicking here.