Meet the Staff: Nick Popejoy

Fisher House Foundation is comprised of many passionate and talented people. Each issue, you’ll meet someone who helps contribute to our mission of supporting our military, veterans, and their families.

Nick Popejoy, Hero Miles Program Administrator

I come from a typical military family. My dad served in the Army and my mom has been working in the Department of Defense for as long as I can remember. Our family is extremely patriotic, and the most important days of the year growing up were Christmas, the Super Bowl, and July 4th. We moved from place to place, all over the country. The Popejoys made sacrifices for Uncle Sam, but I will never forget the weeks where Uncle Sam made a sacrifice for our family in return.

We finally settled down in Virginia Beach. It was hard at first, but I learned to love the city as my home. It had everything I could ever want, from spending summer days at the beach or going to the arcade at Pungo Pizza. The only thing missing from Virginia Beach was my dad. My father deployed to the Middle East after 9/11. We knew what he had to do for our country, and we were proud of what he was doing. That was the first adversity our family faced that I could remember, and we were not ready for the second.

Hurricane Isabel did not seem like a big threat at first. My dad’s side of the family is from Florida and we had experienced hurricanes and tropical storms before. I didn’t realize yet that Virginia Beach was not as equipped to handle major storms. My mom discussed with other family members whether to evacuate ahead of the storm. It was a decision my dad would typically have made.

My sister and I were at our neighbor’s house after school a few days before Isabel was set to arrive. Our neighbor, Mrs. Angela, told us that morning we were going to have a surprise for us after school. I honestly guessed it was watermelon. After school, my sister and I got to Mrs. Angela’s house and were told we had to wait. I thought

Nick Popejoy, in the white shirt, celebrates with friends in Virginia Beach, Virginia as a young man.

to myself, “I’ve already been waiting all day for this watermelon.” I was never happier to be wrong. My dad was waiting for us downstairs. We rushed down and gave him a big hug. I knew my family was going to be safe.

Hurricane Isabel came and flooded Virginia Beach. Trees were everywhere and the winds looked unstoppable. Our house had a generator, but power was out everywhere in the neighborhood. Regular power didn’t return for almost two weeks which seemed like forever. I was happy though because school was out for longer and I got to spend that time with my dad, mom, and sister. As a family, we made it through Hurricane Isabel.

I am proud to work for Fisher House Foundation. It’s a place that values service members, veterans, and their families above all else. With our families by our side, we can accomplish anything. As a military brat, I am glad I can play a small part in this organization to do whatever we can to help military families.