World War II Vet Puts Up Billboard Asking for Sandy Relief
Brigantine WWII vet, 88, puts up backyard billboard appealing for post-Sandy aid http://t.co/BnjjzpP7DO #acpress pic.twitter.com/7fcRQXLATu
— Steven Lemongello (@SteveLemongello) July 14, 2014
An 88-year-old Brigantine man has put up a billboard in his backyard asking for Superstorm Sandy relief, saying that almost two years on he still doesn’t have enough funds to fully repair his house.
B.J. Byrnes also put a giant toilet on top of the billboard because that’s the only thing that could be salvaged from the first floor after the late October 2012 storm.
Byrnes is looking for donations to fix the rear siding and windows in his house, which he says still leak.
Here’s the full text of the sign:
“WWII VET,” the sign proclaims. “President did good. Governor did good. Fireman, Police and City Workers did excellent. Mayor (Phil) Guenther in his infinite wisdom built the senior center and was a life support for all of Brigantine. He saved the people that didn’t leave for the storm. When the others returned, he fed, clothed and gave all types of aid. I am asking for contributions. I am 88 years old, and a veteran of the WWII. I don’t want to die and leave my wife not safe. Please help me fix my house. Make checks payable to ‘BJ Byrnes Flood 45 Heald Road, Brigantine NJ 08203.’”
I appreciate how this reads like a grounded version of a Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap label. Byrnes $250,000 flood insurance paid out less than $65,000. “Obama, he went here, he did what he could,” Byrnes told the Press of Atlantic City. “The governor, he gave me $10,000. How can I knock him?”