Dannelly latest recipient of Habitat for Humanity of Columbus' veteran initiative

May 3—As Joy Dannelly tells it, her husband, Ed, was "kicked out" of the Navy — twice.

Ed was a senior chief and had put in 16 years towards his 20-year obligation when he became disabled and was given a medical retirement, Joy noted. He received full benefits and the family came back to Nebraska, where Ed had difficulty finding work.

Joy, who lives outside of Columbus, said Ed's status meant he had to be examined two years after his honorable discharge to make sure he was still disabled. Those officials decided, she said, that he could do desk work.

"He was fine with that," Joy said. "He did not like being disabled. He did not like not being able to find a job. He was not happy with any of that."

However, Ed was eventually allowed to go back to sea as he had served as a boiler technician and he wasn't allowed to "drive a desk."

"It was a disaster, ended up actually petitioning the secretary of the Navy to get a special waiver so he could get back in again," Joy said.

Ed was in Norfolk, Virginia, preparing to leave for a six-month journey when he made his way to the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth to obtain medication for his back injury. The facility, Joy said, was where Ed underwent surgery a few years prior and the process started for him to get discharged due to his disability.

"Meeting him in the hallway just happens to be the surgeon who did his surgery. In the two years that Ed's been out, which is now three years by the time that we actually got to this point, (the surgeon) has risen to the head of the orthopedic department of the Naval Regional Medical Center," Joy said. "He walks by Ed and recognizes him and he says, 'What ... are you doing back in uniform?'"

That surgeon, Joy said, told Ed that he didn't spend six hours operating on him for him to go back onto a ship and become paralyzed. It was at that time, Joy added, that Ed was "kicked out" the second time.

In just a few short years, the political climate had changed and Ed did not receive any benefits, Joy added.

"We were out of the Navy and back in Nebraska," she said. "He did find work and we made a life here. At the age of 43, he had a fatal heart attack, and he died."

Military widows aren't left with much. Joy lives in the country in an old home that is vulnerable to Nebraska's winter weather, leading to struggles when the temperature drops.

Specifically, the pipes would constantly freeze.

"We live in old farmhouse and since he died I don't know anything about fixing stuff up, plus I don't have the income to hire it done," Joy said. "Every single year I have frozen pipes. They had burst one other time, which actually was immediately after his death. This time they burst really, really bad."

Joy had been attending a Bible study when Lori Peters, executive director of the Habitat for Humanity of Columbus, mentioned the nonprofit's veteran initiative, Habitat for Heroes, which assists in home repairs for military veterans and their families.

The initiative, Peters said, was started about three years ago. Habitat board member Travis Hill, who is a veteran himself, jumpstarted the initiative when he joined the group.

"We saw a need in our community that our veterans were aging," Peters said. "We did not have a lot of opportunities for them to move into different housing or they chose to stay in the house they've been in for a long time. We wanted to help provide a way for military personnel and their families to stay in their home as long as they could to age in place."

This means repairs they are unable to afford, Peters added, or assistance in locating construction professionals.

Habitat for Heroes is made possible by financial contributors and private donations, all of whom were recognized during a celebration held April 30 at the First United Methodist Church Outreach Center in Columbus.

"We fund the project, we accept the gifts in kind that are given by generous businesses around the community and then we try to provide an affordable loan for the people we do the repairs for," Peters said.

Joy said she was surprised she would be considered for the initiative as she herself isn't a veteran. Peters had said the program was meant for the families of veterans too, Joy added, and she agreed to get involved.

Joy's laundry room and bathroom were torn out and built new and repairs were made her pipes no longer freeze. The space was also made more accessible.

"It's fantastic," Joy said. "My pipes have frozen every single year since we moved into the house and now it's nice and warm, and it's all on one level."

Kerry Burns served as the project manager for this Habitat for Heroes project. He said he's not a contractor by trade but has a special place in his heart for those who serve in the military.

Burns noted he has experience with older homes, which tend to have more problems spring up during renovations.

"I explained to Joy when we started, 'We don't know what we're getting into, but we'll figure it out,'" Burns said. "...You get into a lot of things and you just never know how things are going to shake out but you've just got to keep rolling."

That proved true this project.

Once the team started demolishing the bathroom, more damage than expected was discovered. But, Burns added, with the help of others, they got through it.

Joy was patient throughout the process, Burns said, and he's happy with the end result.

"There was no way that I could have done what Kerry and his team did for me, and I am very, very, very thankful," Joy said.

Hannah Schrodt can be reached at hannah.schrodt@lee.net.

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