LIBERTY TWP.

The modest white house with an American flag-studded garden and a sign warning visitors that This Home is Protected by a U.S. Veteran might not have been the most obvious place for an awards ceremony, but it fit the occasion: retired Navy Chief Petty Officer Leonard Koebbes recognition of two Liberty Twp. businessmen whose help enabled him to move into the home they were standing in.

I just wanted to pay life forward like they did for me, Koebbe said. I wanted to let Liberty Twp. know theres good businessmen in the area. I wanted to thank them.

Koebbe served in the military for 24 years, including fighting in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He said he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, so when he decided to buy a house in the area he wanted to make the transition easy, because I dont deal with stress very well.

He asked his brother Steve Koebbe, who owns Koebbe Auto Tech in Liberty Twp., to recommend an honest realtor, and was referred to Huff Realty Senior Sales Vice President Scot Avery.

According to Koebbe, Scots dedication to me was unfailing, and he did a lot of research and backend work to make the search process as easy as possible.

With Averys help, Koebbe found a house in Liberty Twp. that had recently been remodeled but still fell within Koebbes price range, making it seem, according to Avery, too good to be true.

After Koebbe bought the house, he discovered some problems with the houses heating and cooling system, and went back to Avery for help. Avery referred him to another businessman in his network, Tri-State Heating and Cooling President Keith Adams.

Adams said that he likes to hire veterans, including the technician who visited Koebbes new home, and knows about some of the struggles that they can be faced with throughout their life, so I always try to make sure that they I am very aware of things that are going on with the veterans.

After assessing the house, Koebbe said, Adams repaired the air conditioning at minimum to no cost.

Koebbe doesnt think that he would have had the rapport or the trust that I had working with these guys with other professionals. Thanks to the honesty and integrity he recognized them for, Koebbe and his black lab are now happily settled into their new home.

Koebbe presented each of the men recently with plaques, thanking them for Supporting & Honoring Veterans, complete with a picture of a bald eagle in front of an American flag.

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Liberty Twp. man thanks businesses for their care with veterans - Hamilton Journal News