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A frigid, 28-degree morning was not enough to stop a local veteran from helping another.

A OK Septic owner Tommy Stanfill, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, crawled from underneath World War II veteran Wesley Hay Sr.s house Friday on East 14th street in Columbia.

Hay, 94, tried to fix several water leaks under his home earlier this year using Scotch tape. He has had several problems with people swindling money from him for promised work to his home.

Stanfill read a story about Hay in The Daily Herald and came into the office Wednesday and volunteered his time to fix the plumbing problems. He visited Hays home last week to assess the situation.

I just have a heart for it, Stanfill said about why he helped. I am a vet, too.

Hays home had several broken pipes that were leaking water, requiring at least three hours of work to fix, Stanfill said.

Its not that I felt sorry for him, but hes an older gentlemen. He isnt asking for help, and he is trying to do it on his own, Stanfill said. He is not out here asking for a handout. You can help people who want to help themselves and not feel bad about it.

Hay was shipped to Hawaii in 1942, after the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. He served in the South Pacific from 1942-46 as a mechanic in the U.S. Armys 509th Ordnance Heavy Maintenance Company.

After leaving the service, he returned home to Tennessee and ran Hays Repair Shop in Columbia for about 40 years.

Joy overtook Hay when asked his feelings about getting help.

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