The 92-year-old World War Two veteran called the police after his tools were stolen. When an officer arrived and entered his home, she made a troubling discovery she couldn’t ignore. After walking into the kitchen, the cop realized the elderly man had bigger problems than the thief.
Lewis Hicks, a 92-year-old World War Two veteran, was rightfully upset when he discovered a thief had stolen his tools from a shed behind his home in Austin, Texas. Hoping the cops could help, Mr. Hicks called 911. Officer Chasidy Salazar was sent to the scene to complete a report, but the call would take a turn after she entered the residence.
When Officer Salazar stopped by Mr. Hicks’ house to complete the report, she became more concerned about what the elderly veteran was up to than she was about the thief who had rummaged through and burglarized the old man’s shed. Inside the kitchen left the cop deeply troubled, and she knew she couldn’t ignore what she had seen.
In front of Mr. Hicks’ gas-powered range was a portable fan, and Officer Salazar immediately recognized that the veteran was using his stove and oven to warm up his chili. Home. After turning on the kitchen appliance, the fan would blow the hot air into Mr. Hicks’ living room. Of course, this was a huge safety concern for the officer who immediately knew she had to do something.
Salazar contacted her co-workers at the Austin Police Department and filled them in on the troubling sight she had found in the home. With the help of Austin Cops for Charities, Austin Police Association, and St. David’s Foundation, Officer Salazar was able to get the veteran a heater free of cost. “That’s just what we do as police officers. I had realized that he’s using the oven; I know that’s not safe; his gas is on,” Officer Salazar said.
Along with fellow officer Beno Kadena, Officer Salazar delivered Hicks’ new heater. When the two cops arrived to install the free electric fireplace, the elderly veteran was taken aback. “I’ve never had no one do nothing for me,” Hicks said with a shaking voice, trying to hold back tears. “After my mother passed away and left me to take care of my two sisters, nobody never did nothing to help me.”
Prior to using his gas range for heat, Hicks had been using an old heater, but when it burned a hole in the floor, he stopped turning to his stove and oven as a source of warmth. “Instead, you hate to ask anybody cause sometimes they’ll frown on you, and I’m a true veteran. I wouldn’t ask when tasked,” Hicks said.
Fakes isn’t the only one who benefited from the ordeal. Officer Salazar is grateful for the opportunity to serve a man who served his country. “He’s just offered me a lot of kindness too, so to know that he’s also served, and now I’m able to serve and give back to people like him,” she said, according to KVIE.
Thanks to these two Austin police officers and several organizations, the elderly veteran will be able to sleep both warmly and safely. But their generosity didn’t end there. Proving they too are all about service to others, the Austin Police created a wish list of Mr. Hicks’ other needs. The community was quick to step up, with someone even bringing him lunch, coffee, and some goodies from TIF Streets, a bakery in Austin. Austin Cops for Charities also revealed that they have about ten heater units left to donate, encouraging those in need to visit austinc4c.com.
In addition, a GoFundMe was created for Lewis Hicks, raising over ten thousand dollars in just two weeks’ time. Of course, the humble veteran is grateful for everyone’s generosity. “It means everything. The things I’ve been trying to do since the ’40s,” Hicks said, explaining that the help he had long hoped for just came in.
The Austin officers proved to be more than just police. These angels in blue were the answer to this veteran’s prayers. “We have to agree with Mr. Hicks who declared, ‘God is good. Indeed, God is good all the time.'”
