TOM BEAN, Tex. - Painting a house can be a daunting task, but one Tom Bean veteran got off the hook, coming home to find his house was already a brand new color.

"At awe, you know, I didn't know what to say," says Iraq war veteran Stacy Lindley.

Stacy Lindley says he was at a loss for words Saturday morning. The Tom Bean resident came home to find his house a brand new color. Lindley is a veteran and works for the Grayson County Sheriff's Office. On Saturday, his family, the Sherman Elks, and sheriff's office came together to paint his house.

Sherman Elk Ron Engelke says this is a small way to help re-pay Lindley for his sacrifice.

"We never forget our veterans, and if you forget the veterans that served our country, you might as well just forget it because they are the backbone of our country," says Engelke.

Lindley has served four tours of duty with the U.S. Navy, most recently getting back from Iraq in May. He says that he had plans of painting his house this summer, a project he started working on before his last deployment. He says he had no idea his friends and family was keeping a secret about Saturday’s project.

"Well, I had the paint last year before I got deployed, but I never went and picked it up or brought it, and I was going to re-order it when I got back, you know, first of May, and they said, don't worry about it. I should've started thinking then," says Lindley.

Engelke says he was so happy to see everyone come together for this project, even Sheriff Keith Gary helped out. Engelke says he and the Elks know how important veterans are and says Lindley is a special man who they are proud to help.

"It makes you feel good and warm in the heart that you're doing something for a community person that is also out there protecting us when he's out there, putting his life on the line not just being out at the war, but being with the sheriff's department," says Engelke.

Now that Lindley can cross "Paint house" off of his to-do list, he says he's going to replace his windows, build a fence around his yard and possibly retire from the Navy next year.