'We take care of each other'

A year ago, Legionnaire Bill Appleby was hiking the Appalachian trail when he experienced what he thought was food poisoning but was later determined to be a heart attack and inverted colon – causing pain that Appleby referred to as a “19” on a scale of zero to 10.

Appleby used his S.O.S. button on his satellite receiver to call for help and was rescued by emergency workers who reached him by boat. He was eventually transported to a hospital where he spent 16 days in the Intensive Care Unit.

In the process, Appleby left both his tent and backpack at the camping site. When both were finally returned to him, they had too much wear and tear to be able to use them again. Replacing the pair would be $900 – no small chunk of change for a former Army medic who was medically retired in 2014 after a combined 37 years in the Army on active duty and in the reserves.

But thanks to The American Legion’s Operation Comfort Warriors, Appleby – the commander of Lyme Post 41 in Old Lyme, Conn. – now has a new backpack and tent. A Persian Gulf and Operation Iraqi Freedom combat veteran, Appleby got his new equipment in mid-June.

“This means a lot,” said Appleby, who has been hiking for years – including in Ireland and up Mount Kilimanjaro – and has plans to do the final 239.5 miles of the Appalachian Trail in August. “Hiking is something I just love.”

Appleby was presented his equipment by Department of Connecticut Commander Paul Spedaliere at American Legion Post 128 in Niantic on June 16.

“(OCW) is important because it provides … comfort items that the warrior can use at no cost, and there’s no red tape involved with it,” Spedaliere said. “The American Legion was able to replace (Appleby’s equipment). That speaks volumes about our organization. It’s an honor to present it to him.”

Appleby said his fellow Legionnaires were there throughout his recovery process, during which he lost 50 percent of his bowels and part of his colon. He admitted he battled depression soon after the incident but said that area Legionnaires “came over. They checked on me. They brought me (the nutritional drinks) Boost and Ensure. The Legion … and my friends checking on me and sending me emails – we took care of each other when we were in the military. Now they’re still doing it. That’s why I love this organization. We take care of each other.”