Fay Observer
By Amanda Dolasinski Staff writer
December 23, 2014
Staff photos by Abbi O'LearyMore than 50 soldiers and other volunteers turned out Sunday to help clear land and build a home for Vietnam War veteran Donald Lee, who had been living in an old camper without heat.
CAMERON - Vietnam War veteran Donald Lee wobbled around with a cane as the sound of axes chopping wood and chain saws taking down trees echoed throughout his 5-acre property.
He occasionally stopped to pet one of his many rescue dogs or to hug one of the soldiers who arrived to join the others already at work.
"This is a Christmas miracle," he said, taking it all in. "In 40 some years, one thing about the military that hasn't changed, brothers and sisters take care of each other."
By 10 a.m. Sunday, more than 50 volunteers - mostly soldiers and strangers who had never met Lee - were sprawled across his property clearing trees and debris to build him a new home.
Lee left the Army in 1975. But the experiences he endured stuck with him and drove him to alcohol.
He shut the world out and found tranquility alone in the camper on his property.
He started to clean up his life in 1999 and has been sober since, he said.
He continued to struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder until friend Amanda Pavone came into his life.
"She kicked me in the butt till I was ready to live again," he said. "I needed it."
Lee met Pavone, a soldier with a Reserve unit, a few months ago through a group that pairs soldiers dealing with PTSD. At first, Pavone was running to get groceries and dog food for Lee and his 12 rescue dogs.
She soon realized that he was living in a small camper off Page Store Road in Cameron that had no running water, heat or even a front door.
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