VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Holiday spirit was obvious to a family from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 as about 30 sailors and their families spent their Christmas holiday building an addition to the home for a family of nine Dec. 30.
Electronics Technician First Class James Williams has three children, and adopted three from his relatives who had fallen on hard times. At the unit Christmas party, Williams mentioned his father-in-law had passed away last week and his mother-in-law had to move into their 1,100 square-foot home.
“I could tell this sailor had shouldered some pretty serious responsibilities, so I wondered if we could help a shipmate out,” said Capt. Tim Rudderow, commander of EODGRU 2. “I’ve been in the Navy for 34 years, and we’ve always helped our own. We ended up with about 30 volunteers over a couple of weeks and we all felt great about giving our time and talent. It’s what Christmas is all about. Giving!”
The project required a lot of giving. Sailors and their families from EODGRU 2 donated more than a thousand hours to the family. “We wanted to have it done before Christmas, but there was too much to do,” Williams explained. They got the addition framed and sealed, and a new roof on the main house.
Williams started the project last spring and after discussions with realtors and builders, he determined they couldn’t afford to sell and couldn’t afford the cost of an addition, so he decided he had to do it himself. “I’m the kind of person who needs a project, so I knew I could do it,” Williams said. “I just needed to learn how.” So he started seeking advice.
“After I talked to a few sailors I work with, some other friends and relatives, and got some books and videos about building, I started to work on the addition myself,” Williams explained. “The addition wasn’t a ‘want’ any more; it was a ‘necessity.’” Several of the guys in the group came over, offered some advice, and then offered to help. They talked to others, and the day before Christmas we had about 25 people helping with the addition and putting on a new roof.”
“James is the kind of guy who always helps everyone,” said his wife, Venesta. “We’re glad that it comes back around and people are helping us.” She added that their faith is stronger; after volunteers helped get the initial structure up, everyone in their weekly prayer group was amazed at the progress.
Besides a Christmas miracle providing more living space, Williams said, this is a wonderful learning experience for his children. “We teach them values of caring and giving to those who need help, but now they know how it feels as they watch their home get bigger! It’s a wonderful lesson.”
Naming all the volunteers is almost impossible, Williams said. Many people have helped over the months with everything from advice to material. Many sailors pitched in, including Seabees, part-time contractors, the commander, and family members. People and companies in the community have contributed too.
“We’re so humbled to get all this help,” Williams admitted. “My whole family knows we won’t be able to pay back these wonderful friends, we’ll spend our lives helping others who need help. To me, it just shows that we’re all family in the Navy.”
| Date Taken: | 12.30.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 12.30.2011 13:49 |
| Story ID: | 81919 |
| Location: | VIRGINA BEACH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 45 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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