American Legion benefit Saturday for Overton vet

Troup's American Legion Auxiliary Unit #418 is having a pulled pork supper this Saturday to benefit Army veteran Tommy Guinn, pictured above with wife Bobbie. The Overton native was injured and paralyzed from the waist down while serving in Pakistan.

Troup's American Legion Auxiliary Unit #418 will have a fund-raiser Saturday, March 17, with proceeds to help a paralyzed veteran build a handicapped accessible home.

It was just over a year ago that Overton native Tommy Guinn suffered the accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. A helicopter flight engineer, Guinn was injured after a helicopter blade knocked him off of the top of the aircraft he was working on, snapping his spine and cracking his skull.

Guinn was in a drug-in- duced coma for about a month before waking up and discovering he was no longer in Pakistan, where he had been assisting with earthquake relief.

"It took a while to grasp it all," Guinn has said of that time. "They told me I'd be in the hospital for two to three months. I was able to leave after a month."

Guinn and wife Bobbie and their two children are back in Overton and have been staying with family. Although the government provides medical care and some money for new housing, a home that will accommodate his needs and his family will cost much more.

At one point, the Guinns were candidates for TV's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, thanks to the efforts of the Adopt a Soldier Now organization, which supports soldiers on duty and helps returning soldiers with housing needs.

When the Westbrook family with two wheelchair-bound members came on the scene, the Guinns bowed out.

"We feel like there's people out there worse off than we are," Bobbie said at the time of the decision. "Gene's injuries are worse than Tommy's, and with their son being in a wheelchair, this needs to go to people like this."

The Overton VFW held a fund-raiser for the Guinns a while back; the Troup American Legion made a donation, but decided to do more.

"I met him for the first time at their benefit," said Commander Jim Chustz. "We were just so impressed by him, we decided to have one over here."

The American Legion Auxiliary's fund-raiser will be Saturday from 4-8 p.m. at Troup's American Legion Hall, 302 E. Magnolia St.

Cost for the pulled pork supper benefit is $7 for adults and $3.50 for children. The meal includes pulled pork, beans, potato salad, dessert and iced tea.

A silent auction is also planned, with items such as jewelry, a skillsaw, a variety of gift certificates and miscellaneous automotive supplies up for grabs.