FAIRFIELD, Ohio — Homebound military veterans now have a new way out. Student volunteers are building wheelchair ramps for them as part of “Operation Ramp It Up.”
Coming outside might not seem like much but to 89-year-old Robert Netherland, it means everything.
“To me, it’s a symbol of freedom,” said Netherland.
Netherland, once an active army soldier in the 1950s, lost his mobility as he got older. He was diagnosed with a list of health problems.
“My heart valves don’t work right, plus every other gland in my body is rotted,” said Netherland.
He was given six months to live, it’s been 18 months.
He survived but spends most of his time in his Fairfield house because he’s worried he won’t make it past the steps.
“I have to walk very slow and make sure someone’s within earshot if I fall over. I can die just like that,” said Netherland.
That’s when volunteers stepped in.
Badin High School students like Carter Meischke volunteered to build him a wheelchair ramp.
“I just feel like it’s a great cause and I support that cause,” said Meischke.
The student volunteers are a part of “Operation Ramp It Up.”
It’s a group that helps put in wheelchair ramps for military veterans across the country.
It’s a group Greg Schneider started.
“I started volunteering several years ago and one of the things we did, we put up a ramp eight years ago, and it was so rewarding to do. And I said ‘I wanna do this, but not just where I live, I wanna do this across the country,” said Schneider.
It’s all an effort to help veterans.
That help is what Netherland said is getting him through.
“We’re all in this together,” said Netherland.
