Volunteers take on project for veteran

Dec. 6--At 87 years old, Bob Kager needed someplace new to keep his firewood, other than the shed too far away from his door or the rotting wood deck outside it.

People had come to his home south of Mount Vernon to see how the deck could be fixed, but no one ever followed through, Kager said.

On Saturday, thanks to a group of volunteers including members of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, Kager has a safe, dry, new place to store his firewood.

"I don't know what I would have done without them," Kager said as he watched the group lay sand and new paving stones next to his house.

For the volunteers from the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, the project was one of the easier ones they have taken on in their efforts to help out veterans such as Kager.

"Our group is vets helping vets," said Terry Lacey, public relations officer for the local chapter, which includes Whatcom, Skagit and Island counties. "There's a lot of veterans out there that need help."

While he was not a combat veteran, Kager served in the Army for almost three years between 1953 and 1956, he said.

"It means an awful lot to me to have help from somebody who was also a service veteran," Kager said. "I can't say enough good about them."

The Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association does similar service projects for veterans, installing wheelchair ramps, water heaters and even furnaces year-round.

"It's taking care of each other," said Fred Wahlgren, the commanding officer for the local chapter.

Its volunteers armed with a variety of skills, the chapter will take on any service project it can handle that will benefit a veteran, Wahlgren said.

The chapter receives many of its referrals from Community Action of Skagit County, he said.

In addition to the veterans, Saturday's effort was made possible by volunteers from TRICO Companies in Burlington and Choice Landscapes in Mount Vernon.

Being a combat veteran himself, TRICO foreman John Koenig said he was happy to volunteer his time, especially for another veteran.

"I was raised that success isn't measured by how much money you have, but how you serve your community and your country," he said.

-- Reporter Kera Wanielista: 360-416-2141, kwanielista@skagitpublishing.com, Twitter: @Kera_SVH, facebook.com/KeraReports

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