First District Legion Family members pay for U-Haul and help veteran pack up belongings, while Third District will help him unpack when he arrives at his new home.
The sign placed in his yard made it very clear how dire the situation was.
A disabled veteran in Johnson City, Tenn., was going to be evicted from his residence in less than four days. His sign stated he had run out of funds and needed help packing up, as well with renting a moving truck.
The daughter of past Greeneville American Legion Post 64 Commander Grady Barefield lives near the veteran, saw the sign and reached out to her father.
Barefield then reached out to American Legion First District Commander Jim McLaughlin to see what could be done to assist the veteran. McLaughlin reached out to Johnson City Post 24 leadership and asked them to look into the situation.
“’I need you to go to this house and find out just how legit this is,’” McLaughlin said he told Post 24 Adjutant Michael Metzner. “’If you deem this veteran is in deep trouble and we need to help … get me a moving date and I’ll rally the troops. You just let him know help is on the way.’”
The situation was serious, and action was taken. As a result, the veteran received both the moving truck and help packing from 10 different First District Legion posts, some from more than 80 miles away. And the work of the First District Legion Family may have also saved a life in the process.
“We all work together. We all communicate with each other,” McLaughlin said of the First District. “We all help each other, that is what The American Legion is supposed to be. The coordination of helping this one veteran was a piece of cake. It touched my heart, there’s no doubt about it.”
The veteran already had paid for a 26-foot-long U-Haul, but it wasn’t close to being big enough to hold all of his possessions, so Post 24 paid for a second U-Haul. And with all the 19 Legion Family members chipping in, everything was packed up in three and a half hours.
“Michael told me over the phone that when he met the (veteran), he was done. His state of depression … he was at his lowest point,” McLaughlin said. “The man’s beaten cancer a couple times, so he’s not had an easy life. So honest to God, when we showed up that morning … it made a difference.
“Mike Metzner, he looked at me and said, ‘Today we saved a life, boss.’ And I said, ‘Yes sir, we did.’ We’re here to help. We’re here to be the one.”
The veteran’s son found him a piece of property in Tennessee to relocate to. And when it comes time to unpack the trailers, The American Legion will be there to assist.
In Tennessee’s Third District, Bradley County Post 81 Adjutant Dwight Woodcock said Legionnaires stand ready to assist when the veteran is ready to move into his new residence. “His U-Hauls are in Chattanooga,” Woodcock said. “They’re waiting to be unloaded as soon as we get the word. We don’t kick it down the road. Someone’s got to be in charge in real-time.”
In addition to serving in multiple American Legion positions, Woodcock also is a mentor within the Tennessee Veterans Treatment Court system. Assisting veterans through the court “is how we change the world and be the one. At least for me it is,” Woodcock said. “I’m just doing what I can in Southeast Tennessee.”
Note: Post 81 Adjutant Dwight Woodcock reported on Oct. 10 the two moving trucks containing the veteran's possessions had been uploaded by Legion Family members and the veteran would be closing on his property soon.
- Be the One