Navy sailors help local veteran - 13abc.com Toledo (OH) News, Weather and Sports

Some Navy sailors spent time with shovels and hammers in hand on Monday. It's just one of a number of community projects they'll be part of for Toledo Navy Week. Several Navy ships past and present will sail into town later this week.

In the meantime, the sailors are spending time helping others and like a lot of their missions, this one came together quickly. They built a wheelchair ramp in a matter of hours on Monday as part of an Ability Center project.

The sound of drills and saws echoed through a west Toledo neighborhood as a group of Navy sailors helped build a wheelchair ramp for a disabled veteran. David Shepherd is a Naval Air Crewman Chief Select, "He served our country, he's disabled now and my heart goes out to him for everything he has done for our country. It's great to be a part of giving a little bit back to him, but this is nothing compared to what he deserves."

The sailors say the service of many vets is quickly forgotten or even overlooked , so the are glad to honor that service by being part of projects like this. This was Navy Personnel Chief Select Randy Alexander's first trip to Ohio, and he's proud to help on this project, "There's usually a great outpouring of support initially, but after a year or two people tend to forget about the vets who have served in a number of wars throughout history. To be able to give something like this back to say thank you , especially when his service was so long ago, is great."

The sailors were quick to point out they were learning a lot on site. In fact, they gave all the real credit to the crew of professionals who were part of this Ability Center project, "They're saying take the drill here, carry this piece of wood there. It sure does look good, but it's all due to the carpenters!"

Along with Toledo Navy Week, events will also mark the Bicentennial of the War of 1812. A number of ships of all shapes and sizes, past and present will sail into downtown Toledo including the US Brig Niagara. The flagship is one of the last remaining ships from the war of 1812, it helped Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry win the Battle of Lake Erie. Of course, Ft. Meigs in Perrysburg was also pivotal in that War of 1812, it was the site of two battles. Carla Lucchino is the is the Assistant for Administration to the Secretary of the Navy,"We're going to give people a chance to talk to US Navy members and marines, and the second half the week we will have ceremonies to commemorate the War of 1812 which really made the US Navy great because they defeated the British, and Toledo played a great part in that exercise."

The sailors will be part of a number of other community projects this week, including helping out at a food bank, Habitat for Humanity and a visit to the Toledo Children's Hospital and Imagination Station. The ships arrive late Thursday afternoon and you'll have a chance to tour them through the weekend.