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90-Year-Old Forced Out Of Home On Stretcher Because Of Secret He Kept Hidden From His Kids
inspire by FaithTap Staff 11/17/2015
Veterans in American are often times not treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. One veteran living in Buffalo, NY got the support of the community when tragedy fell upon him.
A Veteran's Story
Johnnie Hodges, Sr. and his wife Flora were married for over 60 years when age took it's toll on Flora. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and Johnnie donated all of his time and money to care for the love of his life. This also meant putting his mortgage payments for the home he had worked a "lifetime" for on the back-burner but that didn't matter to Johnnie, he only wanted to make sure Flora was still around.
Evicted By Default
Johnnie was devastated when Flora passed away and shortly after he defaulted on the bank loan on his home. A home where they lived for their entire life, where they raised their children and made countless memories. He hid the financial problems from his children who had no idea how bad things had gotten. After a year of trying to solve this problem on his own, Johnnie was told he was to be evicted from the home he had worked so hard for.
Johnnie Goes Viral
Johnnie's story made headlines when he refused to leave his home on the day of the eviction. He indignantly had to be carried out on a stretcher and taken to the hospital to be evaluated. A veterans advocacy group The Greatest Generations Foundation posted a heartbreaking photo of Johnnie strapped into the stretcher on their Facebook page. The post is provided below:
Johnnie Hodges, 90-Year-Old WWII Veteran, Evicted From His Home On A Stretcher.NEW YORK: Johnnie Hodges failed to pay...
Posted by The Greatest Generations Foundation on Wednesday, July 15, 2015
The Public Takes Action
His story touched the hearts of many, how could a 90 year old man that donated years of service to the country be treated so terribly? One local man, Greg Elwood, took action and set up a GoFundMe account to help raise money to get Johnnie back in the house.
The Funds Pour In
The community support was tremendous! Donations came from all over the country and internationally from as far as Norway! The goal of $50,000 was more than doubled in four short months. Greg Elwood said, "I have a tremendous amount of respect for the greatest generation and just felt really compelled to help out a veteran who had just been evicted from his home." Johnnie could not believe the support of everyone and thanked God for this good fortune.
The Good News Spreads
Johnnie was getting his house back! Internet news agencies from around the world began joyfully reporting the story of Johnnie's impending homecoming. The Buffalo News took to Twitter to spread the word:
90-year-old veteran Johnnie H. Hodges Sr., evicted in July, goes home Friday https://t.co/IvGyx7lz7v pic.twitter.com/Iquw0KYTsb
— The Buffalo News (@TheBuffaloNews) November 2, 2015
Welcome Home, Johnnie
The huge homecoming for Johnnie at his home put on by the local community. He was welcomed home by fellow veterans, neighbors, his family and the Patriot Guard Riders. The 90 year old now has enough money to do some much needed repairs to the home and live out his life without financial burdens.
November 6th Is Johnnie's Day
Johnnie still misses his wife and sings her praises. With so many memories in the home with her and their children, he has gotten back a piece of their 65 years together. The city of Buffalo has proclaimed November 6th to be John H. Hodges Sr. Day. A great honor for a great man.
A Salute To A Veteran
When communities come together, good things happen to good people. Not all veteran's stories have a happy ending like Johnnie. Giving back to the men and women that gave everything to their country is a start at thanking them for their service.
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