10 Heartwarming Veterans Day Stories

For Stacia McDonough, the widow of a New Jersey veteran, the holiday season wasn't always a bright one. Her husband, John McDonough, who served with the 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, died in 2005.

But Christmas is a giving season. At least that's what she told herself. So, she picked herself up and decided to channel her sadness into something selfless instead—helping New Jersey veterans in need.

This year, McDonough has launched her fourth annual “They Kept Us Safe, Let's Keep Them Warm,” winter clothing drive, which will run until December 23, 2015. All donations and gifts will directly benefit veterans housed at Community Hope's Hope for Veterans VA campus in the Lyons section of Bernards.

Of her husband, she said, “I loved that man more than life itself. Believe me, no words could express how much I loved him and how much I still do. I was really sad, but then I thought, ‘John's not here anymore, but these veterans are. They need your help, and you can do something to help them. You can give them a Christmas,'” said McDonough.

Lance Corporal Andrew Mauney, a former infantryman with Camp Lejeune's 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, died in January 2015 at the age of 53. He was from Virginia and served three years in the Marines before being honorably discharged in 1983.

At the time of his death, he was homeless on the streets of Wilmington and without family. No one claimed his body, but one family, the Thompsons, took him in like one of their own.

When he died, the family said they did all they could to give Mauney a proper burial, but his body wasn't allowed to be released to them as they weren't next of kin.

After all paths had been exhausted by The Missing in America Project to find Mauney's relatives, it was decided that he would be laid to rest by his brothers in arms. That's because once a Marine, always a Marine, and for veterans and active duty Marines, the term “unclaimed" is unacceptable.

“He's our brother,” said Retired Marine Bill Holsclaw. “We don't know him by face, we don't know him by name, we don't know him by actions, but we know one thing…we've walked in his boots and he's walked in ours.”

Mauney was laid to rest with full military honors in early November 2015.

In November 2015, during San Francisco's Veterans Day Parade, a retired Army specialist had a life-changing moment. Jonathan Allen got a free house, with his mortgage all paid up.

San Francisco-based Wells Fargo donated the house to the nonprofit group Military Warriors Support Foundation. The Allens applied for the home three years ago, but had no idea they were actually line for it. It was a complete surprise—even their friends kept it a secret.

After they were handed the keys to their new home, Allen (who was injured while serving) and his wife got to ride through the parade in the Wells Fargo horse-drawn stagecoach.

For veteran Elvin Orville Wyatt, this Veterans Day is extra special. In addition to being honored on November 11, 2015, for his distinguished military career, Wyatt will also celebrate his 90th birthday.

Wyatt enlisted in the military on September 10, 1942, at just 17. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps, where he became a gunner on a B-29 bomber in World War II. He would go on to fight in the Korean and Vietnam Wars as well.

During his 34 year career in the military, Wyatt was shot down twice. The first time, the former fighter pilot was picked up by allies and taken to safety. However, the second time he wasn't so lucky and ended up behind enemy lines.

"When I was shot down, the weather was bad," recalled the war hero. "And a short time after that, the weather turned really sour." That bad weather, said Wyatt, was his saving grace, and helped to shield him from capture until he was rescued.

According to Wyatt, having the chance to visit over 80 countries and being airborne were two of the things he loved most about his military career. "There were some minutes I didn't love," he said. "And those were some difficult minutes, but otherwise the total 34 years was just a good time."

Jerry Snyder was 20 in 1966 when he entered the war. He lost two classmates who were close friends, four men from his unit were killed and he was significantly wounded six months into his tour. He then returned home to slurs and insults. Now at 69, Snyder was about to receive the long overdue gratitude and appreciation for his service to his country that was missing 49 years earlier.

At the Springfield-Branson National Airport, Synder and his daughter, Stephanie McKinney, were joined by 74 other war veterans and their guardians to take a journey to Washington, D.C. on one of 132 established hubs in the Honor Flight Network. (The Honor Flight gives priority to World War II, Korean, Vietnam, and terminally ill veterans who are flown to view their memorials at no cost.)

Escorted by police officers on all four sides of their charter buses, Jerry's group began its journey at the World War II Memorial. Stops would also include the Korean War Memorial, Marine Corps Memorial and Arlington Cemetery. But the one Jerry and Stephanie were most anticipating was the Vietnam War Memorial. As her dad approached the structure, Stephanie said his demeanor changed.

“We got up to the wall, and I saw a totally different person,” she said. “He had this resolve, squared his shoulders back, and his pace sped up.”

“I wasn't sure what to expect. It's a humbling experience,” Jerry said. “Everyone says you get closure, but if you've been to Vietnam and seen all of that, you don't ever really get closure.”

Mary Tollefson was a teenager when the United States entered World War II and she was determined to be part of the war effort. However, her mother nixed the idea.

So, Mary did what she could on the home front and went to work for the phone company. There, she signed up for a new electronics course. She had only attended three sessions before getting hooked. She joined the service and became an electrician with the WAC, as well as a driver and mechanic. Mary learned computers and was eventually part of a team calculating trajectories.

Watch Mary describe her experiences in Mary: The Wisconsin Wac, which was made not long before the former servicewoman passed away on October 24, 2015, at age 93.

Earlier in 2015, WWII vet Johnnie H. Hodges Sr. fell behind in his mortgage payments while taking care of his wife, Flora, who died last year of Alzheimer's disease. Expenses for her care and other costs associated with the disease had drained him financially, and his only income was Social Security.

By summer, Hodges was evicted from his home, which had fallen into foreclosure. A stranger, Greg Elwood, was so moved by Hodges' story—which he had seen on Yahoo— that he set up an online fund drive. The initial fundraising goal of $50,000 was achieved in just a few hours, making it certain that the family could buy back the house, which federal officials had appraised at $46,000. Within 24 hours, the GoFundMe drive skyrocketed to more than $100,000.

Rep. Brian Higgins, who interceded with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said Hodges' story brought out the best in people. “For the Navy veteran and his family, this house on beautiful Humboldt Parkway became their anchor, a steady place filled with family and love for the last 60 years,” Higgins said. “So on behalf of a grateful community and grateful nation, Mr. Johnnie Hodges, welcome home.”

The family's joy was amplified by the sight of Patriot Guard Riders standing at attention with American flags raised. Assemblywoman Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes presented Hodges with a portrait of President Obama and State Sen. Timothy Kennedy's declared to Hodges “that we owe this to you and your family.”

The money raised beyond what was needed to buy the house back will now be used to fix it up.

The generosity of four boys will allow one Vietnam veteran to make an Honor Guard trip to Washington, D.C., next spring. The boys donated $1,200 toward a Hero Flight from Grand Island, Nebraska to the nation's capital.

Sam Beran, Ethan Roby, Brandon Schmidt and Jordan Starman, who are now freshmen at Northwest High School, raised funds for the Vietnam veterans Hero Flight scheduled for May 1-3, 2016.

A total of 162 people will travel in the chartered plane, which will be the first Hero Flight for Vietnam vets in the area. The cost is between $1,400 and $1,500 per person, but the boys' donation will cover most of the fare for one person.

Eighty-three-year-old Normena Welcome is amazed that people who don't know her are helping make her life easier, just because she's the widow of a World War II veteran.

“She's lives alone,” said Rob Demerski, a department manager at Home Depot in Greenfield, Massachusetts. “We were all concerned with her well being when we heard about her.”

A few months ago, Welcome attended a presentation at South Deerfield Senior Center by Upper Pioneer Valley Veterans Services. After that presentation, she mentioned to Sue Corey, program assistant at the senior center, that she desperately needed a raised toilet seat—she has problems with mobility—and wondered if UPVVS might be able to help.

Corey contacted Mark Fitzpatrick, a service officer with the Veterans Agency, and they checked out her home. They soon realized she needed more help than initially she let on. The house hadn't been updated in four decades, so 25 volunteers, many of whom are local Home Depot employees and members of VetNet, a veteran-based, community-centered nonprofit, gathered for two days to clean and update her property.

Normena was married to Percy Welcome, one of seven brothers from Charlemont who were drafted at the same time during World War II. They all returned safely, she said. Her husband died in 1993.

“This was as much for Percy as it was for Normena,” said Fitzpatrick.

Korean War veteran Gordon Page, 85, was in tears as he waded through his New Port Richey, Florida home.

The record rainfall in August 2015 sent water into his house, damaging the structure and much of what was inside. But the community stepped up to the plate and helped Gordon and his wife.

Fuccillo Kia president Billy Fuccillo made a massive donation of $30,000 which got the ball rolling. Countless other groups, organizations and people followed with offers to help, including Marvin Baden. Baden is with a church group mission from Fruitland Park in Central Florida. He and several volunteers are at the Page house painting and working on trim work. He says the group was touched when they heard the Page's plight.

Gordon and his wife can't thank those who've helped him enough. “The first person I want to thank is Billy Fuccillo,” he said. “Without him we wouldn't have been able to do any of this. Without all of these people, I don't know what we would have done.”