LA FERIA — Awesome was the only word Bill Gray could find to express his delight.
“I never knew there were so many nice people,” Gray said holding his Vietnam dog tags covered in green tape.
He had not seen the tags in many years, he said.
“The reason we had green tape around them was so they wouldn’t rattle when we wore them,” Gray said.
One of the many South Texas College volunteers from the Patient Care program had found the dog tags in the midst of his cluttered home they were there to help clean.
His home was being cleaned out for the first time to give him some space and a new beginning. And putting an end to the piles of clutter that took over his home over the years.
Standing in his bedroom with six volunteers, Bill said, “I haven’t seen this room as bright as it is today.”
The cleanup started at 7 a.m. Tuesday and ended today with a ceremony giving tribute to his military service.
The city of La Feria and Steri-Clean also assisted in the cleanup.
Only one dumpster was needed as more than 20 volunteers worked to fill it up with deteriorated furniture, clutter and unwanted possessions.
Gray was the recipient of the all-expense-paid household cleanup. The awarded was given through the Dallas organization, Steri-Clean.
They are the nation’s leading clean up providers from crime scene cleanup, hoarding cleanup, biohazard and decontamination services.
Steri-Clean Franchise Owner Jon Wall said the typical job normally costs $700 to $15,000 depending on the situation of the home.
Wall said the state of Gray’s home fell somewhere in the middle of a typical hoarding situation.
“Our whole objective here is to honor him as a veteran,” Wall said.
Gray was selected as the recipient to get his home cleaned at no charge because of his service in the Army and Navy.
The volunteers packed and picked up Gray’s things and carried everything out of the house.
Much like an episode of the A&E television show “Hoarders,” outside, they asked Gray if he wanted to keep this or throw away that.
All his possessions were out in the driveway, and ranged from music compact discs, books, cups with coins in them, and boxes of stuff he collected over the years that turned old and dusty.
Monica Garcia called for Gray, “look at this?” She was carrying a wooden smoking pipe in her hand for him to see.
“It’s probably dad’s,” he exclaimed.
While Bill rummaged through his things outside after the clean out, Angelica Mendez and Alexandria Quintanilla were smiling as they shuffled through Gray’s old family correspondence and photos of his family and time in the service.
“Oh toss them,” he said to the volunteer asking what to do with a box of old floppy discs.
“I found a lot of old coins and a lot of old history,” Gray said.
