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Lynchburg veteran spending Fourth of July alone, grateful for military mother visiting with food

Laura Light was one of many Meals on Wheels volunteers helping out Monday

LYNCHBURG, Va. โ€“ United States Army veteran Bill Eubank spent this Fourth of July alone. His wife, Barbara, died in 2019 after 43 years of marriage.

The 84-year-old said he just wanted to be isolated in his own home.

โ€œI didnโ€™t want to get out on the road and go anywhere. I just donโ€™t feel safe anymore,โ€ said Eubank.

Eubank donned a military uniform in the 1950s while stationed in Italy, where he served as part of the U.S. missile battalion.

Now Eubank wears a Life Alert, relying on some help, and heโ€™s grateful whenever aid arrives.

โ€œOh, I just canโ€™t wait until they come to the door,โ€ said Eubank.

What came to Eubankโ€™s door Monday was a shining light.

Laura Light, a volunteer with Meals on Wheels of Greater Lynchburg, was one of many who spent the holiday delivering food to hundreds of residents, like Eubank, to make sure they were not forgotten.

โ€œItโ€™s great for the community. Itโ€™s great for the people. Everyone is so appreciative,โ€ said Light.

And Lightโ€™s appreciative of Eubankโ€™s service, especially as a mother whose own son is in medical school and the U.S. Air Force.

โ€œIt means even more to me now than it did before,โ€ said Light.

On this July Fourth, when thereโ€™s so much division in our United States, there are relationships like this one, too โ€“ a red, white, and blue bond.

โ€œYou become really attached to these people that you deliver to,โ€ said Light.

โ€œIโ€™m thankful, really thankful, that I got people like that,โ€ said Eubank.


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About the Author
Tim Harfmann headshot

Tim Harfmann joined the 10 News team in September 2020 and works at the station's Lynchburg bureau.