Servicemen from Marines Aid Veteran in Need with Fence reports All Brush Fencing

(EstateNewsWire.com, November 14, 2012 ) Victoria, Australia- Johnny McCallon felt forgotten after serving his country for 16 years and suffering a traumatic brain injury from an improvised explosive device, which blew him out of a second story window during his tour in Iraq.

McCallon developed post-traumatic stress disorder in addition to suffering back and leg injuries during the blast. As a result of the injuries and event, he was discharged from the Marines in 2007.

John’s PTSD consumed his entire life, and he slowly lost much of his hope in humanity and society, as is often the case with those suffering from the affliction. He found sole solace in his canine companions, which he currently has eight, all packed into a small home in Hubert.

“With Johnny’s PTSD he identifies better with dogs then he does with people,” said Johnny’s fiancée Sandy Tonkens.

McCallon now walks with a cane due to his injuries, making it hard to properly walk each of the dogs. Thus, he allows them to run around his yard; however, the yard is was not fenced and the dogs often ran off the property into nearby neighbors yards, and at times even into the street.

That is when the couple decided it was time to help McCallon out and build a fence around their yard to give the dogs a more secure area to run. Unfortunately, they found that building a fence around the property would cost nearly $22,000 in construction costs.

“It was devastating,” Tonkens said. “We knew we couldn’t get the fence and anything over $2,000 we just couldn’t afford.”

Tonkens knew just how much the fence could meant to her fiancée, and so she began knocking on doors asking for help from neighbors and friends for donations.

One of those who answered the door told Tonkens about the Semper Fi Fund, which provides funds to veterans for their various needs. To her surprise, they provided the money toward the fencing and organized a volunteer project with the United Way of Onslow County and the 2nd Marine Division in order to build the fence around McCallon’s Hubert home.

A total of 90 Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment visited over a three-day period to help build the fence.

“Last week [the Semper Fi Fund] told us there would be a few Marines here to help build the fence; well there was 40 Marines,” Tonkens said. “[Johnny] broke down in tears and his big thing was that he wasn’t forgotten. He felt like he had been forgotten. He felt like he was broken and this gave him new life.”

“The Marines out here, the junior Marines, I think they’re personally getting a lot out of it,” said Sgt. Ryan Burke, a Marine with 2/8. “We always talk about how there’s a brotherhood of Marines ... but (the junior Marines) don’t always think about the outside picture of the brotherhood. We’re able to come out here and say ‘Look, this is what we do for Marines who are no longer in the Marine Corps. That’s what a real brotherhood is.’”

Marines did not only build the fence, but helped clear out McCallon’s large yard, which was full of trash and overgrown grass. They also took the time to pressure-wash his house, and organized his shed, giving him the hope to maintain his home again.

“I think it means a lot for him,” Burke said. “He kind of felt like he was forgotten — that he did his part and no one appreciates him anymore — so for him I believe it sparks something back in his heart to let him know that we haven’t forgotten about him and we’re always going be here for him regardless of if he’s out of the Marines Corps or if he’s still in.”

“Our service members have sacrificed so much for our country and when we can do something like this it’s really not even a fair tradeoff,” Wagner said.

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