When Tragedy Strikes Veterans
...we are there. When a Marine veteran lost his home to fire, we dispatched a crew to help clean up the debris, then made a $1,500 donation to help fund a replacement. Of course, we stand by to assist further as he makes decisions for the future
Veterans in VA Hospitals Have Needs
Veterans, especially those in long term care, including hospice care, still need toiletries, haircuts, and even treats that they can purchase at VA hospital shops. Although there is no VA hospital in our district, we help provide for these needs, recently with a $750 donation to a volunteer organization that serves veterans in the DeBakey VA Hospital in Houston, our nearest resource.
Let's call him Chuck Chuck is a U.S. Marine Veteran, a single dad with two sons. He lost his job. The power in his home was turned off for non-payment. The rent was a few months in arrears. Chuck and his boys were sleeping in his derelict car. It's an all too common story of good men falling on hard times. There was one bright spot. Chuck had an offer of a good job, one that would put him back on his feet if he could get reliable transportation. That's when he reached out to a member of the Huntsville VFW Post 5871. Coordinating with Tara Burnett, Executive Director of H.E.A.R.T.S. Veterans Museum of Texas, the VFW paid the electric bill and Tara negotiated with the landlord so that Chuck and his sons could reoccupy their home on the promise that back rents would soon be paid. A member of the VFW Post and his wife met a man with a car to donate while selling raffle tickets at Brookshire Brothers Super Market in Huntsville. Within days the car was taken to Amaya Body Shop and it was made roadworthy. Amaya's owner deeply discounted the repairs and supplies, and the VFW Post paid the bill. Within the week, Chuck had reliable transportation and was back at work earning more than he was paid at his previous employment.
Homeless Veteran
Veteran Widow
Let's call her Anna. Anna is the surviving elderly widow of a disabled veteran. A very recent widow of a veteran disabled in combat. The week after her husband passed, one room of their family home collapsed. An undiscovered plumbing leak had rotted a beam under the floor. Had Anna asked for help, it is likely that repairs would have been made free of charge. However, Anna is a proud woman who had the good fortune to find a contractor who promised to make the repairs at a greatly reduced price. He even donated some of the heavy timbers needed to shore up the house. Still, Anna had to purchase some materials at Home Depot. Fortunately, her husband had established his veteran status at the store and she enjoyed a ten percent veteran's discount on purchases. Still, when the job was done, Anna faced a 10 year loan payment for the work and a $6,000 credit card debt at Home Depot for the materials she had purchased, as well as the prospect of returning to work to make the payments. Fortunately, Anna put her pride aside and asked for help. Huntsville VFW Post took the lead in building a collation to pay off the Home Depot debt. The Huntsville American Legion Post contributed $1,000, and Huntsville VFW Post 5871 contributed $1,200. Texas VFW District contributed another $1,200 on request from Post 5871, and two members of the East Texas Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (ETCMOAA) added personal checks totaling $150. That's when resources to complete the project became scarce, but VFW Post 5871 wouldn't give up.
Veteran in need of transportation
Let’s call him Paul. He's a Navy veteran and a divorced husband who gave his pension to his ex spouse. His sole means of income is Social Security and that doesn’t go far these days. He was fortunate to secure subsidized housing and gets by, but there’s no margin for luxuries. Sadly, in a small rural town, cars are not a luxury, and he lost his in an accident. It was a total wreck and the payment from the negligent party wasn’t sufficient to purchase a good car and the one he could afford didn’t last. That’s when VFW Post 5871 stepped in and formed a partnership with the American Legion and Operation Red Wings to raise enough to purchase a better one offered at a deeply discounted price by Amaya Collision and Body.
Heat Wave Help
July 2023 is one of the hottest months on record for Texas, and a veteran and his wife a sweltering since their 50-year old Freon A/C has quit and its no longer legal to repair it. Fortunately, a local dealer is looking for a disabled veteran to gift with a new central A/C system, but it'll take time for a decision to be made and the month likely will be over before it's installed. Until then, VFW Post 5871 purchased two 8,000 BTU window units and one of our members donated three 5,000 BTU window A/C's that he no longer needs. They will remain in this veteran's home until a new central system is installed.
Hard Luck Family
A veteran and his wife, parents to four children, one autistic, turn to VFW Post 5871 for financial assistance. The Post's funds are limited and we can't support a family on a continuing basis. We pay off back rent and utility bills totaling $1,237, and look for other ways to help. We counsel the veteran and his wife on budgeting, and begin helping him with his search for a better paying job. We also provide an American Express gift card to purchase groceries and refer them to a local church food pantry to help keep the family fed. It's what we do.
An Untimely Death
He was on his way home from Colorado and made it as far as Decatur, Texas, when he was struck and killed. His fellow veteran riders escorted him home the rest of the way to Huntsville, TX. There his widow waited with sorrow and debts. VFW Post 5871 jumped in with financial help and is contacting other veteran organizations in the area to partner in helping.
Fire Danger
It's hard to get a man to give up his home, the one he shared with his spouse until her death. That's how it is with, let's call him, Gary. When we arrived the roof was covered in fallen dead branches and dried pine needles. The ground was littered with more of the same. There was no path from his front door and the walk three times every week with a walker to reach his truck and travel to the dialysis center, was a dangerous chore. That's all changed now. A fire break has been cleared all around his home and a path has been cleared to his truck. There's more to do to make his home safe, but it's a start.
2023 Heat Wave
Summer 2023 has been tough on air conditioners, even new ones. Even though, let's call him, Lee still had a warranty on his new air conditioner, he was presented with a bill for almost $2,000 for labor to replace if with a new one. Like many veterans, Lee isn't destitute, but a bill out of the blue can strain any family budget, and it's hard to think rationally when the Sun is threatening to melt your home. The warranty only covers parts. Warranty or no warranty, the heat is deadly, especially for the elderly and the disabled, and we can't say no to any veteran. It doesn't matter so long as they served honorably.
Brittle Branches
Excessive heat makes tree branches excessively brittle, a point well driven home during the 2023 heat wave. This one, weighing several hundred pounds, clipped (let's call him Henry) Henry's patio roof causing minor damage. We were tempted to tackle its removal ourselves until we saw its big brother hovering dangerously above the stump from which this one broke. That's when we decided to pay a professional to remove them both.
We couldn't repair the ceiling in the home of a veteran's widow when it collapsed in the winter rains. She reported that her roof had collapsed, which we might have helped. But, when we surveyed the damage, we discovered that the roof was the only thing that hadn't collapsed or was on the verge of collapsing. Fortunately, Veteran Service Officers (VSO) for the counties we serve, Walker and Madison Texas, are members of our Post and the spouse of one of our members is the VSO for Montgomery County Texas. Also, the Executive Director of the H.E.A.R.T.S. Veterans Museum where we meet, is the focal point of every other public service in our region. Within hours we had the team at work helping her cope with the heartbreak of the loss of the home she shared with her husband and finding her a new residence.
When we can't answer a need we can still find a way to help
We Also Serve Youth
Some Scouts have to work for the adventures others have provided for them. These Scouts are selling popcorn and parachute cord bracelets to earn their summer camping trip. Each costs $500 and we paid for one.