What had been a potential Black Friday disaster for VFW Vesle Post 418 in McKees Rocks had a happy ending, thanks to the kindness of strangers.
The VFW lost power and all of its food around 4 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, but the problem wasn’t discovered until the following morning. After it was determined the issue was not Duquesne Light Company’s responsibility to repair, the mad rush was on to find an electrician to fix the problem, find and buy very specific parts for the repair, find an electrical inspector to sign off on the repair and get the electric company to return and turn the power back on — all in time for the VFW to open at 4 p.m. that day.
A tough order on a holiday, according to VFW Commander Ed Carter. “I need a hero,” he said.
As if things weren’t bad enough, a 50th birthday party for 100 people and the Steelers game on Sunday were looming large.
Because it was Black Friday, all the parts stores were closed and no electricians or certified electrical inspectors were working that day.
“[It was] people loving veterans, God’s hand in there, kindness of strangers, luck. But I know without any one of them, this never would have happened.”
– Ed Carter, McKees Rocks VFW commander
According to Carter, an electrician who was hunting literally came out of the woods to help him with the organization’s predicament.
Then, the VFW’s contractor put Carter in touch with electrician Jamison Graney, from Jamison Graney Electric in Canonsburg, who stopped what he was doing and got his friend to open his warehouse to buy the necessary parts.
The parts were then installed, but then came the tallest order — finding an electrical inspector to do the safety check so Duquesne Light would restore power.
“I exhausted every resource that I usually have in my bag of tricks,” said Carter.
So, he started cold calling a series of electrical companies, hoping to find an electrical inspector. Finally, he got a call back from Edgar Electric, which put him in touch with an electrical inspector from P & D Home Inspection Services, who normally doesn’t work outside of Butler County.
Turns out, that inspector just happened to be working on an emergency call in Pittsburgh, 32 minutes away from McKees Rocks. Carter caught him just in time and 33 minutes later, the inspector arrived, and the lights were back on by 5 p.m.
“I’m glad that I was in the area and I was able to help them out,” said Patrick Gauselmann, of P&D.
Why did everything suddenly fall into place, on a seemingly insurmountable problem? “People loving veterans, God’s hand in there, kindness of strangers, luck. But I know without any one of them, this never would have happened,” Carter said.
When the owners of McKees Rocks pizzeria Doughboy’s Pizza learned about the food loss, they donated eight pizzas and 200 wings for the 70 people gathered to watch the Sunday football game.
Two years ago, VFW Post 418 overcame another mounting problem.
According to Carter, the building was falling apart. It needed a new roof and a new bar, among other things.
Thanks to $540,000 in grants, the roof, the bar, the hall and the kitchen have been remodeled. The parking lots, air conditioner and furnace are also on the list, paving the way for the VFW to plan and host more events for the community.
“We have something special here,” Carter said, reflecting on how “everyone seems to come together to make sure this VFW is a success.”
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