On Wednesday, Nov. 11, MaxHome, a greater Louisiana-based home remodeling company, will provide a walk-in shower system for local U.S. Army veteran, Edward Oltmann. The remodel is part of the 4th annual Baths for the Brave, nationwide initiative, which MaxHome has been a part of from the start.
Mr. Edward Oltmann is a Vietnam Veteran and a New Orleans native. He and his wife, of over 50 years, both graduated from Francis T. Nicholls High School in the New Orleans 9th ward. Drafted, shortly after graduating, Mr. Oltmann served his county in the U.S. Army. He received his basic training at Fort Polk before being shipped to Seattle to await his orders. He then spent 1 year and two weeks in Vietnam as a Sergeant in Quang Tri. Mr. Oltmann received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service. After returning home from war, Mr. Oltmann, married his high school sweetheart. He and his wife raised three children, 2 girls and 1 boy, that he refers to as his “adults” that “take really good care of me now.” Additionally, upon his return from Vietnam, Mr. Oltmann took over the care of his elderly aunt. To provide for both families, Mr. Oltmann had 2 jobs, an air conditioning and refrigeration man and a New Orleans firefighter. For over 20 years, he was “the guy who ran into the burning buildings.”
Mr. Oltmann currently resides in Covington, LA, and continues to be actively involved with organizations that help his fellow veterans. He is a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Disabled Veterans of America, and the American Legion. Mr. Oltmann is honored to be a Baths for the Brave recipient, “It means a lot. When I go to get in the bathtub, it’s a real struggle. I have to move here and move there, and sometimes I just don’t move right, and I fall. Then I am calling for my wife to get me some help, so I don’t drown! It’s really going to be a great help to my wife, too. She recently became wheelchair bound and bathing has been real challenge. I’m just real excited about it. It’s really going to help out a lot. Quite a lot.”