He was nominated by Slayde Wilcoxon of the Ohio National Guard.
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In his nomination letter, Slayde said, “I just got back from Syria for Operation Inherent Reserve/GWOT. During my time there, he (Lee) sent all of my platoon American flags and care packages. The flags were flown on our vehicles during a mission. Now all of my platoon has their own mission- flown flags that came home with us. “

Slayde also noted Lee’s Roofing’s annual veteran’s roof giveaway, which just marked its third year in 2023, and was previously featured in the Examiner.

“He does this because he knows how much our previous service members have done for us. Lee Wilcoxon is an outstanding supervisor and a true patriot.”

“This takes such a big headache off my plate,” the 1991 Bellefontaine High School graduate said Thursday, Nov. 16, while admiring her new midnight plum shingle roof. “My parents moved here around 2005 and my dad had replaced the roof at some point. But it was not in good repair here recently.”

“We were worried about how Mickie and the kids were going to make it through the winter with the roof the way it was,” said one of her nominators, her aunt Samantha Jackson, who also made chicken sandwiches for the Lee’s Roofing crew.

“This new roof is a huge blessing for our family. We’re so grateful for their kindness and generosity.”

Six of Mickie’s family members rallied together to write nomination letters for her for the new roof through Lee’s Roofing and Spouting giveaway, which the company has offered for the past three years at Veterans Day.

“We received a number of very worthy nominees this year, but all of Jackson’s support really made her stand out,” said project manager Slayde Wilcoxon. He is an Army National Guard combat engineer, who just returned from a nine-month deployment with the U.S. Army to Syria, Kuwait and Iraq.

“We also wanted to pick a nominee for whom we could really make a big difference with the new roof.”

Samantha said she heard about the giveaway and started a message thread with her family to encourage them to nominate her niece Mickie, who suffered a massive stroke nearly 20 years ago at the young age of 30, while still active duty in the Navy.

“That was such a scary time,” her aunt recalled of the 2003 stroke. “We thought she was going to die. But she is a fighter and she made it through after several weeks in the hospital.

“While many people would apply for discharge in those circumstances, she continued to serve for another four years in the Navy.”

Mickie, who now works as a security guard with Genric at the Honda Marysville Auto Plant, related that she joined the Navy five years after her graduation from BHS and served a total of 10 1/2 years.

“I had fun doing it,” she said of her military service, which included spending a great deal of time working along South America in counter drug operations.

“I went down the entire East Coast of South America, and went through the Panama Canal three different times.”

As a female serving in the U.S. Navy, Mickie’s talents and persistence helped pave the way for women who would come after her.

“I went in two years after they started putting women on the (combatant) ships. You had to know your job and do a better job of it than the men.

“I was the only female E5 on the East Coast who did the job that I did.”

Her stroke occurred while she was serving active duty in Washington state. Mickie later was medically discharged in 2007, when she began experiencing seizures while she was pregnant with her daughter.

Lee’s Roofing owner Lee Wilcoxon said with all of the worthy nominees this year, they plan to roll over the other nominees for the next roof giveaway for Veterans Day 2024.

“This has been such an enjoyable project for us to be able to honor these local veterans and a practical way that we can extend our deep appreciation for their service,” he said. “We’re looking at getting a supplier on board and making next year even bigger.”

Individuals can submit new nominations for the 2024 Logan County veteran roof giveaway through several methods — via e-mail to e-mail to Office Administrator Joni Burton at [email protected]; mailing to the office at: 805 E. Columbus Ave., Bellefontaine, OH, 43311; or dropping off at business during regular office hours.

The nominations should include the nominee’s name, address and a contact phone number, and participants are invited to provide information regarding why a new roof would be beneficial for this nominated Logan County veteran.

Wilcoxon said multiple individuals nominated Sellars for the program this year, noting the time that he freely gives to the non-profit organization. The Vietnam War era veteran has attended six trips to the nation’s capital with the Logan County Vets to D.C. organization, with the first as a veteran guest and the last five trips as a volunteer.

A 5-ton U.S. Army truck, owned by Sellars’ son and several of his friends, also makes a regular appearance in local parades through Sellars’ efforts.

“We enjoyed hearing about how he gives back to the community,” Wilcoxon said. “His nominators noted how he is so helpful on the trips, helping to push around veterans in wheelchairs so they can enjoy their time in Washington, D.C.

“When I first went out to meet Ross, not knowing yet if we were going to choose him, he said he didn’t care if he won, as he was just happy knowing someone thought of him and nominated him.”

Sellars, a native of Chicago, said he joined the U.S. Navy in 1967, noting he was told, “Join the Navy, you’ll see the world.

“And then I ended up at the Naval Air Station Glenview, located 30 minutes from where I grew up,” he quipped, also relating that his brother served in the Navy and had encouraged him to join.

There at the Naval Air Station, Sellars used his expertise for four years to train service members on a flight simulator to prep them for flying C-118 cargo planes in the Vietnam War.

“We wouldn’t have had the ability to continue the war effort without the cargo planes, which were able to transport the vast amounts of supplies and munitions.”

After his honorable discharge in 1971, Sellars lived in Chicago, and then moved to Wyoming to raise his family in a more rural setting.

The veteran volunteer moved to Bellefontaine in 2006, after one of his sons had located to the area for a job with Honda of America. Then his other two sons followed and they reside around Logan County as well.

Sellars remarked on the strong local support for veterans in the county and the deep appreciation he feels.
“Vets to D.C. is so blessed for all of the support in our community. It costs the veteran guests nothing to go to D.C. to see their monuments for the first time. It’s been a wonderful experience being a part of the program.”

Looking ahead to Veterans Day 2023, Lee’s Roofing & Spouting again is looking forward to announcing a third veteran recipient of its free roof giveaway.

Individuals can submit nominations through several methods — via e-mail to [email protected]; mailing to the office at: 805 E. Columbus Ave., Bellefontaine, OH, 43311; or dropping off at business during regular office hours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The nominations should include the nominee’s name, address and a contact phone number, and participants are invited to provide information regarding why a new roof would be beneficial for this nominated Logan County veteran.
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Throughout the year, the company also offers a 5 percent discount to active military, veterans and first responders.

“Now my wife, Linda, is a lot happier because she doesn’t have to worry about me crawling up on the roof anymore to patch it up,” said 71-year-old Anspach, a U.S. Air Force Vietnam War veteran. “Our roof had been damaged in a wind storm a few years ago.”

Operations Manager Josh Wilcoxon said the business received more than 20 nominations for local veterans to receive a new roof, and it was a tough choice picking a winner. Representatives from the business drove around to the various residences to select the recipient, based upon where they could most fulfill a need.

Anspach was nominated by Amy Ricketts from the Logan County Veteran’s Service Office.

“Now Mike and Linda have a good, solid roof over their heads,” Wilcoxon said, noting that the work was completed just in time for Christmas at the north Oak Street residence and includes a traditional shingle roof and also flat roof portions as well.

“It’s been a real honor to give back to a veteran who has give so much to our country.”

Anspach, a native of Russells Point who attended Lewistown Elementary in his earlier years, comes from service member family, relating that his father, Richard Gene Anspach, served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War.

His father also was a preacher and his family lived in locations all over the country, including in Oregon, where Mike attended college. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1968 at the age of 20 — a decision he made himself, but a short time later, would have been a little out of his control.

“When I arrived at boot camp, my mom let me know that I had received a letter stating I had been drafted,” Anspach said.

He served as a heavy equipment operator in Vietnam through 1971.

More recently, Anspach has resided at his residence in Lakeview for the past eight years.

Looking ahead to Veterans Day 2022, Lee’s Roofing Inc. again is looking forward to announcing the second veteran recipient of its free roof giveaway.

The company is currently accepting nominations for Logan County veterans to receive a free roof. Area residents are invited to nominate their friends, neighbors and family members, or themselves, if they are a veteran. The recipient will be selected in time for the Nov. 11 national holiday.

“Through doing this contest in the fall, we saw a lot of need in the area and wanted to reach out to find another veteran who could benefit from a new roof,” said Wilcoxon, a 1993 Bellefontaine High School graduate said. “Maybe there is a health issue or a financial need that they are experiencing, and a new roof would be a big help to them.

“We wanted to open the contest up to give a little more time this year before we determine the recipient.”
Individuals can submit nominations through several methods — via e-mail to [email protected]; mailing to the office at: 805 E. Columbus Ave., Bellefontaine, OH, 43311; or dropping off at business during regular office hours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The nominations should include the nominee’s name, address and a contact phone number, and participants are invited to provide information regarding why a new roof would be beneficial for this nominated Logan County veteran.