Vietnam veteran grateful to no longer have roof worries overhead

by Mandy Loehr, Bellefontaine Examiner

A Logan County veteran and his wife now no longer have to worry when it storms and quickly move 5-gallon buckets inside their home to catch water leaking from the roof.

Thanks to the generosity of a local business, the couple can rest a little easier with a new roof that was completed at their home several months ago.
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Mike Anspach of Lakeview was the recipient of Lee’s Roofing Inc.’s first free roof giveaway specifically for veterans, offered in recognition of Veterans Day 2021.

“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.