Courtesy Photo | Cpl. Mike MeDevitt, 3rd Battalion, 157th Field Artillery, with wife Lee and two sons...... read more read more
Feb. 11 was a typical winter night for most of Colorado. Every passing breeze brought a bitter chill as temperatures barely reached the upper 20s and snow lurked on the horizon. But for one Fountain, Colo., military family, the night sky heated up very quickly.
Lee McDevitt, who is the wife of Cpl. Mike McDevitt, and their two kids Michael, 6, and Nicholas, 9, were home eating pizza when a space heater faulted. The home ignited and a fire spread quickly, said Daniele Miller, a family assistance coordinator for the Colorado Springs, Colo., area and acting liaison for the family,
Mike was serving in Iraq with the Colorado Army National Guard’s 3rd Battalion 157th Field Artillery when the fire broke out.
"Oh my God," said Lee. As flames spread throughout the home the thought of her husband’s reaction ran through her mind.
"I was worried he was going to be mad at me," she said.
Amidst the panic to get out of the blaze, Lee initially thought one of the boys returned to the home to get the family’s dogs. But both boys were quickly found at a neighbor’s house, and the local fire department rescued the dogs.
"I was shocked," said Brenda Wilson, manager of Chancellor's Mobile Home Park. "This is the first time this has happened since being here."
Wilson has been the manager of the mobile home park since 2004. Prior to his deployment, Mike worked as a mobile home repair technician at the park.
"We have a special interest in them," said Wilson of the McDevitts. "My husband was a servicemember, so they are like family to us."
A meeting was set up by the park’s corporate office so they could make an active attempt to find the family a new home, Wilson said. She also expressed her gratitude toward the responding fire departments — Colorado Springs and Fountain — stating that without their rapid response time, things could have been much worse.
With the fire department at work and the blaze under control, Lee immediately notified Laurie Braa, wife of Sgt. Richard Braa, also a 3-157th FA Soldier. Richard was home on leave for military training. Richard and Mike were roommates in Iraq, and their wives had become friends.
"Lee called me (and was) hysterical," said Laurie. "She told me they were fine, but the house was burning down." Laurie explained how her immediate goal was to calm Lee down. She offered her a place to stay while they figured out how to contact Mike. "There was no way I was going to leave her," Laurie said. "I would do it for anybody."
Laurie contacted Sgt. Martin May, a fellow 3-157th Guardsmen and close family friend. (May prematurely returned home from the 3-157th deployment to Iraq in November 2009 after being wounded in combat.)
She then began looking up phone numbers for the local Red Cross chapter.
"When we got the call Thursday evening from Lee it was beneficial for me to start making contacts with the Soldier in Iraq. My wife and Sgt. Braa’s wife drove down to Fountain to pick up the kids while I contacted the (3-157th) rear detachment commander, Maj. (Charles) Zakhem, to get the ball rolling," said May.
Throughout the weekend, the Mays took care of the McDevitt children while Lee stayed in Colorado Springs with Laurie.
"I was more there as a friend, but as an NCO (noncommissioned officer) with the unit, I had to make things happen (and) they worked out. It was pretty quick moving on everyone’s part," said May. "Since I was going anyway, I took the kids to the hockey game. I have three kids of my own, so now I have five. It has been a lot of back and forth between my house and Laurie’s."
Mike was at his duty post cleaning an M2 .50-caliber machine gun when Army 1st Lt. Trinity Camper, 3-157th, told him to report to the command post.
"I was thinking I did something wrong," he said.
When Mike got in the truck for the ride back, Camper gave him the bad news. His only response concerned the condition of his wife and kids. A call was waiting for him at the command post.
"They got a hold of me so fast. The fire department was still at the house," he said. "I talked to one of the firemen and was told that my wife and kids were ok. It sounded a lot worse than it actually was."
Knowing that the home was not a complete loss, Mike was ready to put it behind him and return to duty. His command felt otherwise.
"You’ve done a good job for nine months. Go back and help out your family," Zakhem said.
Mike was granted emergency leave and arrived home from Iraq on Feb. 14; just three days after the fire took his home. He has been reassigned to the unit’s rear detachment and Zakhem has given him time to work out necessary issues.
"Cpl. McDevitt is returning the family to normalcy," said Zakhem. "They are adjusting quite well to the movements and changes to their routine. Paramount in this process has been the support of the May and Braa families. According to Cpl. McDevitt, he is ‘pretty well set.’"
"They are looking at the future and not the past," added Laurie.
The McDevitt’s have been receiving monetary donations as well as support from their friends. The Colorado National Guard’s Family Programs office has provided them gift cards and has began coordination to furnish a new home. The Colorado National Guard Foundation, local distribution centers, and other family and friends of the Guard have chipped in to help with food, clothing and other necessities. Local businesses have offered discounts on supplies to help them rebuild, and the family is receiving a discount on a storage unit and a motel room.
"It’s just amazing all the help that we’re getting," said Lee. "The love and camaraderie that comes from the unit and families — there is just no way I can express my gratitude to everyone."
The boys’ schools even arranged for transportation.
"The foundation is setting up a McDevitt family fund and we will continue to collect for a couple of months," said Miller.
The Colorado National Guard Foundation provides assistance to Colorado’s Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen who are experiencing financial hardship due to deployments, disasters or family emergencies. Information about the foundation can be found at http://www.coloradoguard.army.mil/foundation.html.
"It warms your heart to know that when a tragedy happens, our relationship with the community and the Guard family means people will reach out and take care of those in need," said Maj. Gen. H. Michael Edwards, The Adjutant General of Colorado. "The Colorado Community is outstanding. We have wonderful people in this state and that makes you proud to be a Coloradan."
To donate to the McDevitt family, send checks or money orders to the Colorado National Guard Foundation, 12200 E. Briarwood Ave., Suite 160, Centennial, Colo., 80112. Annotate Fire Support on the memo line.
| Date Taken: | 02.11.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 03.11.2010 17:36 |
| Story ID: | 46545 |
| Location: | COLO. SPRINGS, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 201 |
| Downloads: | 163 |
This work, Blaze unites family and friends, by SFC Joseph VonNida, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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