Week 2: Serving Those Who Served Us

By: David Henrion

Cliff Eisley, Retired Vet and Repair Corps Participant

We have this program here at Cedar Valley Habitat, called the Repair Corps. The idea is to help improve the homes of local veterans and give something back to those who risked giving up everything for their country and their fellow citizens. It’s sponsored by the Home Depot, and they give us $15,000 to use on every home. This goes a long way into improving the lives of some amazing people.

Mike Bisek is 90+ years old. I mention that first, because that’s almost the most impressive part of his story. Well, ok, maybe not. He lives by himself (his wife died a few years back), and still gets around pretty well. He drives himself; he’s up to date on how Iowa is doing in the tournament; his TVs are all tuned into news stations and you can tell that current events have a tight hold on his interests. It’s also hard to overstate just how nice of a man Mike is. Every morning he has coffee and pastries for our volunteers, and he is genuinely disappointed if he can’t provide lunch. But that’s not the only impressive thing about Mike. He served in the Air Force during World War II, and was shot down over France. He had to hide out with the French Resistance until he could be rescued by U.S. forces. He came back to Cedar Rapids, married, had children, and lived well. Now, he’s a little older and a little slower. We at Habitat were able to replace his bathroom and convert his porch into a regular room. He can actually safely reach his shower and his washer/dryer, without worrying about falling en route.

Willard is another World War II veteran. I haven’t been able to hear his age, his branch of service, or his life after leaving the military. He is a lot quieter than Mike, but what does speak loudly is the condition of his home. Willard is a hoarder, and he has it to a severe extent. I don’t totally understand hoarding, but I do understand wanting to hold on the mementos and memories of a good life. And I can certainly see how someone could fall into a trap of leaning too much on past books, clothing, or memories. In Willard’s specific case, it is hard to convey with words just how packed his house was. We ended up donating two truckloads of clothing to Goodwill, filling the largest available dumpster to the brim, and there was still much more left. We had to clean up his house, in order to remove asbestos from his basement, fix his windows, and complete the rest of our scope. It was something that needed to be done, even if it was painful for Willard. We left him with a healthier house, and hopefully a healthier state of mind.