Helping hands

When Jeff Begay read in the Navajo Times this summer about a Vietnam veteran's house being vandalized while the man was in the hospital, he reacted like most people did: with a mixture of shock and anger.

But for Begay it was a little more personal. He's a Vietnam vet too.

"We didn't come home as heroes," he said. "When we came home, we were cursed at."

Reading about the careless destruction of Anderson Benally's house, Begay felt like a Vietnam veteran was being spit on all over again.

Begay was in a position to do more than just be angry. As the business development manager for Bitco-Kitchell Contractors, the company renovating Rough Rock High School, he had a few resources at his disposal.

It didn't take much to convince Ron Baker, the assistant superintendent on the high school project, that Bitco-Kitchell should pitch in to restore Benally's house. Baker, you see, is a Vietnam vet too.

"What do we need?" he asked Begay.

A tour through the house confirmed that they needed just about everything. The vandals had been terribly thorough, not only doing the usual stuff like breaking windows and spraying graffiti, but tearing light fixtures off the ceiling, smashing a toilet tank, kicking holes in the walls and stripping parts from the stove. Even the electric meter had been damaged beyond repair, and the interior doors had been removed from their hinges and carted off.

Begay and Baker found allies in Senior Project Manager Lee Andrews and Senior Superintendent Dan Swann, and several of Bitco-Kitchell's subcontractors also jumped on board to patch, paint, plumb and wire.

Meanwhile, in Chinle, Navajo Nation Veterans Services Officer Tom Gorman had also read the article. Gorman mobilized the close-knit Central Navajo Veterans Organization and its newly formed All Veterans Auxiliary, and they were soon on the scene scraping graffiti and clearing the rubble of broken furniture and appliances the vandals had left in their wake.

Rough Rock Chapter's Public Employment Program pitched in labor and materials, including building a wire fence around the yard to deter future vandalism. A local ironworker is designing a custom-made lockable gate.

The chapter's senior center started cooking for the large crew of volunteers that had started to congregate at the Benally place, with the veterans auxiliary kicking in food.

"It's 'Extreme Home Makeover: Navajo style'," Gorman quipped.

The renovation started the week of Aug. 8, and as of Monday, was almost complete. The home's exterior was freshly painted to cover the graffiti, new windows were installed, and a sand dune that had half-buried the propane tank had been excavated.

The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority has forgiven the unpaid bills that had stacked up while Benally was in the hospital, and switched the lights back on.

Ferrellgas filled Benally's propane tank free of charge, and an employee of Ganado Painting was busy taping the interior so he could paint over the graffiti and drywall patches inside the home.

New doors and light fixtures graced the house, courtesy of Bitco-Kitchell.

All that was missing was Benally.

Reached at an Albuquerque motel shortly after being released from the hospital, the 57-year-old partially blind veteran said he is "anxious" to get home and move into his restored house. He needs to stick around Albuquerque for a little while for follow-up appointments, and is looking for a relative to give him a ride to Rough Rock after that.

"I was over there with my daughter last week, but they couldn't find the keys so I couldn't go inside," he said.

Benally said when he saw his home looking brand new, "It really lifted my spirits."

Benally said he will spend his recuperation writing a stack of thank-you notes to everyone who worked on the house, especially Gorman, Jeff Begay and Jason Begay, who wrote the Navajo Times article that touched the hearts of the volunteers.

An artist of some repute whose painting was featured in the poster for the 1990 Indian Intertribal Ceremonial, Benally said he doesn't have much money but if he feels up to it, he would like to paint little scenes for all the workers to express his gratitude.

"You know that movie 'Little Big Man,' where Chief Dan George sees Dustin Hoffman after a long time apart?" he asked. "Chief Dan George says, 'My heart soars like a hawk.' I know what that feels like now."

By the way, there's still time to help out with the project if you feel so inclined. The volunteers are seeking donations of furniture to replace broken and stolen items. If you can help, call Jeff Begay at 602-798-5734.

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