A story involving a Vietnam veteran has turned from heartbreaking to heartwarming.
Last month, CBS News Texas reported the plight of Larry Philip Colvin, who lives in Kaufman County, Texas. Nearly 77 years old, Colvin was still working six days a week, delivering food for DoorDash to help cover his family’s mounting medical expenses.
However, thanks to an online donation effort and the generosity of others, Colvin finally has enough funds to retire comfortably and ditch the daily delivery grind. Since his story first aired three weeks ago, more than $95,000 has been contributed to Colvin’s retirement fund.
How the Story Began
When Savannah Saulters, a resident of Mabank, Texas, noticed an elderly man wearing a Vietnam veteran baseball cap delivering pizza to her home late at night, she thought something wasn’t right.
“I was like, ‘There should be no reason that a 76-year-old man is delivering my pizza at 10:30 at nighttime,’” said Saulters. “That should not be happening.”
Since Colvin was only at her door for a few seconds, Saulters didn’t have time to greet the Vietnam veteran. But she posted the doorbell camera video on social media, and discovered who Colvin was, which kicked off a modest fundraising campaign to help the beleaguered veteran.
“My Social Security just wasn’t cutting it anymore,” Colvin said. “I had to do something, and I can’t hold down a regular job.”
With both his wife and son facing ongoing medical issues, Colvin had to step up and provide for his family, which meant coming out of retirement to deliver food.
A Life of Working
Despite his age, Colvin has never shied away from hard work.
“I learned from my grandfather to work, work, and work,” Colvin said.
Growing up on a farm in Illinois, Colvin was reared on the benefits of an honest day’s work. Then came the military and a tour of Vietnam, followed by a long career as a heavy equipment operator. All that physical labor left its mark.
“Always get a little nicks and bumps and bruises,” he said.
Having earned a healthy retirement, Colvin believed his days of work were over, until his family’s medical bills started piling up. That’s when he hit the road and started DoorDash deliveries.
“Yeah, it was a burden, but it was a burden I gladly took on because of the family,” Colvin said.
To save money, Colvin and his wife even moved in with their son.
“My wife and I, we rented our house out, moved in with them,” Colvin said. “Use that money to help keep their house.”
Grateful for Support
If it hadn’t been for Saulters, if she had dismissed Colvin as just another delivery driver, the aging veteran would likely still be running around for DoorDash.
Her initial efforts raised $8,000, but as the story gained local and national attention, it’s ballooned to nearly $100,000.
“It speaks volumes about the heart of the American people,” Colvin told CBS News Texas.
The level of kindness and generosity from strangers puts Colvin at a loss for words.
“It helps restore my faith in humanity a little bit, based on what’s going on in the world right now with the war, but there’s still a lot of good people,” he said.
And Colvin got an opportunity to meet and thank Saulters, the young woman who, like him, went back to work to support his family, and rose to the occasion to help someone in need.
Now, instead of navigating city streets late at night, dropping off food, Colvin can be at home with his family.
“It gets old being out at 10 o’clock at night, every night,” said Colvin. “Grateful for being able to relax a little more.”
