What a fantastic, hart-felt gift to Veterans. Since 2010, the founders have invited Veterans and family members from nearly every state in the U.S. to experience the peace and beauty of the Maine forest. ~Bill
By Nick Sambides Jr., Bangor Daily News Staff
LEE, Maine — The last time Paul House saw his son, he was dreaming, and the happy encounter sadly was brief. In his dream, Joel House walked up, sat down next to his father, hugged him and, with his arm draped around his father’s shoulder, said, “Dad, I don’t get to see you often enough.”
A Protestant of deep faith, House believes his son is with God, eight years after an improvised explosive device killed the 22-year-old U.S. Army 1st Cavalry Division sergeant in Taji, Iraq.
“When you lose somebody, you never lose that contact,” the 59-year-old House said recently. “Joel is always in my heart, he is always on my mind, and how he lived as a soldier and as a son is a great influence on my life. This would not be happening without losing him.”
“This” is the ongoing construction of an 80-by-90-foot lodge for House in the Woods, A Military and Family Retreat. Several construction crews are working as volunteers to build the lodge at an estimated cost of about $1.1 million. Construction began last fall.
House in the Woods is a nonprofit organization formed by Bill and Quie Emery and Paul and Deanna House. Both from Lee, the Emery and House families were bonded by the tragedy of war — U.S. Army Sgt. Blair William Emery, 24, was killed Nov. 30, 2007, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Baqubah, Iraq. His death came slightly more than five months after Joel House was killed on June 23, 2007.
“All the work and effort that’s being done belongs to my son and Bill Emery’s son. Joel and Blair are the ones doing everything. What we are doing here is nothing compared to what they gave,” House said.
House in the Woods gives veterans and their families free guided trips in the Maine woods. The program does not feature professional counselors, but allows the beauty of the woods and the bonding that comes naturally from shared experiences — including ice and open-water fishing, turkey, bear or partridge hunting, kayaking, canoeing, hiking and bird or moose watching — as a form of healing.
Since 2010, 450 veterans and family members have experienced Maine with House, a professional guide, and other volunteers. They come from every branch of American service and most of the states, House said.
“Every year we add a couple states from different areas,” House said.
Marine Corps League Detachment 1151 of Bangor has funneled three returning veterans into House’s program, and had about 25 members help House in the Woods with projects since 2010, said Reginald C. Earley, detachment commandant.
“Let me tell you, a family that loses a son the way they did, and then turns around and gives back to help other veterans, these people are saints. He and Bill Emery. One of my members is a contractor and he is over there volunteering now helping Paul with the project,” Earley said. “When I talk about it, I get chills and goosebumps. This family is so outstanding.”
Volunteer efforts have been a mainstay to the construction project, said House, who declined to name major contributors for fear of unintentionally slighting others.
“It will be quite a building. It is a dream come true for us, to have a place that we can come to,” Bill Emery said. “There are volunteers coming out of the woodwork and I am sure there will be more.”
“The donations have been a great step forward for us, whether it be materials or money that comes in,” House said.
The program does a great deal to help veterans regain some emotional or psychological equilibrium in what is sometimes a lifelong fight against the traumas they endured in combat, said U.S. Army Capt. Ron Gooding of Charleston, South Carolina, who has sent 17 veterans to House in the Woods through his own program, Hunting With a Hero.
“For people who have PTSD it is a way to get out and relax. It helps to build conservationists and to build a bond with people who really care,” Gooding said. “It’s an excellent way to repay people for their sacrifice and it shows that there is a bond between those who are serving and those who have served.”
“We have had some families who call us and say [of the program], you saved my marriage. You saved my life. Some of the guys, their wives are there and their kids call Paul and tell him, what a change you have made,” Earley said. “If you have veterans, you let them talk amongst themselves and that’s the therapy they need. Paul understands that.”
The volunteers hope to finish the new building this fall, House said.
Anyone wishing to donate to House in the Woods can email Paul@houseinthewoods.org or visit its website at houseinthewoods.org. – original article –
Additional Helpful Links
AZVHV – Arizona Veterans Helping Veterans – Discount and Referral program for home buyers and sellers, and home related services.
Heroes Home Advantage – Cash back credit when you buy or sell a home. Teachers, Health Care Professionals, Firefighters, Police Officers, Emergency Response Personnel, Veterans and Active Military Members.
