CIBOLA COUNTY, N.M. – Last week the Cibola Citizen reported on veteran Don Rogers whose home burned to the ground before the holidays. Rogers lost everything, from his life savings to his life’s work, in the inferno.
Rogers had finally found a place he liked well enough to call home in Cibola County. After purchasing land, he went straight to work building up the community near his home – a legacy he had hoped to share with his daughter.
The day his house burned was the same day he had donated food and clothing to residents of Cibola County who were in need. Rogers has spent all his life helping others, sacrificing himself for the betterment of the communities where he has lived and for his country.
Rogers had one night of sleeping in the cold before his neighbors, the Hoisington family, rallied to support him. Tim and Deanna went straight to work setting up a GoFundMe account and asking around for extra help. That support has come through.
A local hardware store, Diamond G, is donating building materials; and the American Legion Post 80 is offering to provide building supplies along with a crew of volunteers to help him rebuild. Two different Home Depots in Albuquerque, N.M., have also agreed to donate building materials.
Rogers expressed his gratitude for all the support and said, “The Hoisington’s – best family in the world – bought me food, clothes, boots – they brought me boots! They gave me money and would not let me refuse it… the GoFundMe will help a lot. I get Social Security and [Veteran’s Affairs] benefits but that only goes so far,” explained Rogers.
Originally from Texas, Rogers said that he ran into issues with people intentionally scaring him and throwing lit firecrackers near him. After erecting an Honor Wall for veterans in Hubbard, Texas, to recognize not just his friends from the service but all men and women across the country who fought for freedom, he moved to New Mexico after finding the perfect place to settle down.
Rogers had built many houses before, and decided he was finally going to make a home for himself, calling it his “masterpiece.” Rogers purchased a plot of land and built his entire two-story home by himself.
Prior to the fire, Rogers called Cibola County Sheriff Tony Mace to ask for support in giving donations of food and firewood to fami lies in need. Rogers quipped that he was cutting down trees on his property to lower the fire risk and had a lot of spare firewood that he was happy to share with people in need.
That night Rogers got up to let his dog outside, and as he was getting back in to bed, he heard a loud noise. He went to investigate and discovered that his bathroom was ablaze. The fire consumed the home quickly; Rogers had time to grab his wallet and put on some warmer clothing before escaping the burning building. The homeowner explained that the fire was likely caused by a leaky propane valve he was using to keep his pipes from freezing during cold weather.
Within 30 minutes the house was completely engulfed in flames, Rogers explained, firefighters arrived as quickly as they could and spent the entire night fighting the inferno. Nothing was salvageable. He had gold on the property that was melted from the fire, all his tools and important documents, extra money, and other priceless items were lost that night.
Despite the destruction the homeowner maintained a positive attitude, saying, “The Good Lord has been good to me.”
While he expressed his disappointment that his magnum opus had been destroyed, he was mostly disappointed that his daughter would not be able to see the work he put into the home.
“I was doing this for her,” explained the veteran.
The night after the fire Rogers slept in a travel trailer and said that he froze, but his situation was remedied when T. Hoisington, a county resident and neighbor, took him clothing and money for buying replacement tools. Rogers said he is trying to build shelter to keep his dog warm at night.
The Hoisington family have been helping Rogers out as much as they can, with friends and community members from across the county, people from Texas and in some cases from across the country coming together to provide support.
As of press time the GoFundMe account has raised $13,645 out of a $25,000 goal to help Rogers rebuild, with 97 individual donors and 104 donations.
The GoFundMe account can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/homeless-vet-don-rogers?member=7554130&utm_source=twilio&utm_medium=sms&utm_campaign=contacts-v2-invite-to-donate