WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — Heavy lifting was encouraged on Penn Drive in West Hartford Thursday where House of Heroes Connecticut set up shop to help a veteran in need.

A team gathered for a beautification project at the home of Army veteran Francis Berman, 78, who served during the Vietnam era from 1969 to 1972. Berman’s house fell into disrepair and is in desperate need of a rebuild so that one day he can move back in.

Dennis Buden, a senior consultant of the Hamden-based nonprofit House of Heroes Connecticut, said, “Make a difference in a day, that’s what House of Heroes is all about.”

26 volunteers from the nearby aerospace company Triumph, based about two miles away, joined Buden.

“What we do is recognize, honor and serve them [veterans] for their sacrifice to our nation, and how we

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