35 cents
VOL. 3/ISSUE 40
THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2015
Vietnam pilot pays donations forward Mary Kemper FOR VETERAN VOICE
mkemper@veteranvoiceweekly.com
His home sits atop Sugarloaf Mountain, Clermont, at the majestic height of 320 feet above sea level, the tallest in the Florida peninsula. And the home sits right on a road well traversed by cyclists from all over the state — including a lot of veterans from the Space and Treasure Coasts. Back in 2000, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Harry Fenstad, who flew F-4 fighter jets in Vietnam, began building his home, and in 2002, he and his wife, Janice, moved in. Though “only” 320 feet, the mountain is still a steep climb for cyclists, and there are long distances before and after the Fenstad home where no water can be found. “By the time they got to the top, they were pretty thirsty,” Fenstad said. “So we started running a drinking water hose out. Then it progressed to an Igloo by the side of the road.” Many of the thousands of cyclists who rode through wanted to give money to Fenstad, but he refused. In 2005, though, he changed his mind, thinking he could turn that money back around toward helping other veterans. Since 2005, a variety of groups have been helped by Fenstad’s generosity. “I put out a container to collect the funds, and the first one (to receive donations) was the Wounded Warrior Project,” he said. “I collected between $5,000 and $8,000. “Last year, Bill O’Reilly (of FOX News) hosted a tracked wheelchair challenge (through the Independence Fund). “These wheelchairs can go just about anywhere — sand, mud, anywhere. They’ve got tracks just like a tank. They’re much better than regular wheelchairs.” But, they’re expensive. Thanks to the help of generous donations of thirsty bicycle riders, though, Fenstad matched the $16,000 cost, which includes the chair at $15,000 and the carrier at $1,000 (website: independencefund.org). The next project to benefit will be Hope For The
Photo by Air Force Senior Airman Jette Carr/Wikimedia Commons The Independence Fund helps wounded warriors, their spouses and children improve their mobility. Air Force veteran Harry Fenstad, Clermont, gathers donations from cyclists who surmount Sugarloaf Mountain to drink water at his home, with last year’s proceeds going to purchase an all-terrain wheelchair for a deserving veterans. Stetson Bardfield poses with wounded warriors while driving an all-terrain chair Oct. 2, 2014, at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado. Warriors, Fenstad said. “More money goes to actual veterans, not like some of the others. Ninety percent goes to them.” Fenstad said he checked on charitynavigator.org to research whom to donate to, a website that breaks down administrative costs — or “overhead” — versus how much goes to veterans. Hope For The Warriors provides assistance to combat-wounded service members and their families, and the families of those killed in action, with a focus on veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan (website: hopeforthewarriors.org).
After the tracked wheelchair campaign, Fenstad’s wife became ill. She filled the Igloo right alongside her husband up until that point. Sadly, Janice Fenstad passed away July 5. As the word spread, grateful cyclists came from miles around to offer their condolences — around 200 of them — and they took up a collection of $876, which Fenstad rounded up to $1,000. It will of course go to help veterans in need.
See FENSTAD page 3
Thirty years of helping homeless vets in Brevard Patrick McCallister FOR VETERAN VOICE
pmccallister@veteranvoiceweekly.com
Michael Thompson is new, but the Veterans Transitional Facility in Melbourne
has been around since George H.W. Bush was in the White House. “It’s 60-day, 90-day to six-month program with waivers to go beyond,”
See TRANSITION page 6