Maine Veterans Rally to Help Disabled Airborne Soldier

George Stewart joined the 82nd Airborne just seven days after high school graduation, ready to serve his country from the division's base in North Carolina.

But combat took its toll. A spinal cord injury required 11 surgeries and left doctors saying he'd need a wheelchair. Stewart defied those odds and stayed upright, but after 10 years in his Hiram, Maine home, chronic pain made routine yard work impossible.

That's when the Disabled American Veterans stepped in. On a Saturday morning this April, more than 10 volunteers from DAV chapters across Maine descended on Stewart's property for spring cleaning. They raked the entire yard, stacked firewood properly, moved plywood, and tackled every odd job Stewart couldn't manage alone.

"The DAV is a lifesaver coming here today for me," Stewart said. "It would have been impossible for me to do anything that was done today."

Larry Gilpatrick, DAV chapter commander from Windham, explained their mission simply. "We just try and make people have a better quality of life," he said.

Dave Burns, Maine State Adjutant and Treasurer for DAV, coordinated the effort. His team focused on getting Stewart's property ready for spring and handling tasks that would have been dangerous for someone with Stewart's injuries to attempt.

Sunny's Take

The volunteers don't see their work as charity. They see it as action matching words. "People will use the word thank you, and we want to thank them with not only words but action if we can," Gilpatrick said.

The partnership between Sinclair Broadcasting and DAV has created similar moments nationwide. The nonprofit assists over one million veterans in accessing benefits and health care they've earned through service.

Before they left, the DAV team presented Stewart with a commemorative coin honoring his military service. For Stewart, the gesture meant more than a tidy yard. It meant his fellow veterans still had his back, just like in the Airborne.

Sometimes gratitude looks like a handshake, and sometimes it looks like a rake.