In August 2022, a violent storm swept through Blount County, ripping the roof off of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5154. For 20 months, members of the VFW have been working to rebuild their home.
On April 5, they rang in their official reopening with live music, food, drinks and smiles.
The road has been long to get the building back into order and not without difficulties.
Jim London, House Committee Chairman, explained that due to the age of the materials in the 75-year-old building, insurance would not cover much of the damage. That left the rebuilding to the members, who had to get creative to prevent any more damage from water leaking in.
During the event, London honored a core group that was instrumental in putting the pieces back together — their average age is 70 years old. Those highlighted were Dominic (Doc) Brooks, Johnny Campbell, Dan Dyell, Jeff Tegzes, Phil Malach and Billy Batson.
“We had about 100 buckets in here with water just pouring in,” said Batson. They also used 35-gallon trash cans to collect water, he said.
London said in the beginning, they also used tar and tarps to prevent leakage.
According to London, insurance recovery was approximately $38,000, but damages were well over $400,000.
During his speech, London said that each core member “spent well over 1,000 hours a piece working on the building.”
With tenacity and fortitude, they started to piece the building back together. The group was working with minimal supplies. They repurposed windows, wood and whatever materials could be salvaged.
London mentioned they also received help from the local community and businesses, Anderson Truss Company, McGuire Roofing and Home Depot.
Larry Lonsdale and Tucker McGuire from McGuire Roofing said instead of reaching just one veteran, they could reach 360 by helping to repair the building.
It was clear that VFW 5154 is more than just a building. It is a place where veterans who have served in combat can connect, talk about their experiences and share a sense of community.
“This is not your typical VFW,” said London, “This is a place of healing.”
For some who have served in combat, it can be a healing process to talk about what they have gone through with other veterans who understand.
“We’re all brothers,” said London
The VFW members meet once a month and did not stop when the roof was ripped off the building. They couldn’t, said London, “we have a lot of community programs we deal with.”
The VFW 5154 also hosts meetings for different organizations in their building. Combat Vets Motorcycle Association, Marine Corps League, Blount County Veterans Association and Vietnam Veterans Association were just a few mentioned.
“We had to continue the work that goes on here,” said London, “we just have to live through it.”
The group also holds social events for its members. Game nights, karaoke, Nascar Sunday, cornhole tournaments, pool and dart leagues are just a few of the events members look forward to.
They also hold a veterans’ breakfast on the last Saturday of every month, which is open to members and their family and friends.
London was the primary organizer of the rebuild but passed the torch onto Building Committee Chairman Dan Dyell to continue repairs and renovations.
Dyell explained that future renovations will include refinishing the bar top, repairing the flooring and repainting the walls in the meeting area. In the kitchen, Dyell hopes to redo the flooring, install a new water heater, repaint the walls and replace the ceiling tiles. He also mentioned that their downstairs bathrooms will need renovations.
These repairs are all funded through donations.
As Dyell walked through the newly repaired building, his care and connection to VFW 5154 were evident.
In fact, Dyell was married last September at the VFW building, which was still under construction and had no ceiling. A VFW member cooked the food, and London, who is licensed, administered the wedding
“Helping the veterans is the number one thing,” said Dyell.
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