A World War II veteran who lost his home in a fire has the backing of his community — as well as people he's never met — as he tries to rebuild his life.
Paul Roberts, 94, escaped to safety, but found himself without a place to live when his house in Ship Bottom, New Jersey, burned down last month.
“It took everything I have,” he told TODAY’s Craig Melvin in an interview that aired Monday. “And that’s hard.”
But Roberts, who went to Nagasaki with the Marines after the United States dropped the atomic bomb there, has received a lot of support to help put his life back together.
His neighbor, retired firefighter Rich Obermayer, who lives across the street, shares a bond with Roberts. Rich's daughter, Erin, also became close with the veteran when they got to spend more time together during the pandemic.
Erin says she's amazed by Roberts’ sunny outlook in the wake of the fire.
“I love Paul. I tell all my friends about him. I’m, like, ‘Hey, my friend, my 94-year-old friend,’” she said. “Once I came and saw Paul, first thing I said to him, I was like, ‘Paul, I’m so sorry.’ He said, “Not as sorry as I am.’ Who do you know that their house burns down and they laugh about it?”
Erin and her father decided to help Roberts by creating a GoFundMe page, which has brought in more than $137,000, most of which they say has come from people they don’t know.
“It’s so amazing reading the comments,” Rich says, like one that read, "Thank you for serving the country." He mentions that Marines have given donations from all over the country.
Roberts prefers to live on his own and has found a small apartment near his home. He’s considering rebuilding his home but isn’t sure he has the money to do so.
Despite the uncertainty, his positive attitude hasn’t wavered.
“It’s been three weeks. You either live with it or you don’t,” he said, while chuckling. “What are you going to do? You can’t be moping around forever, you know?”
Roberts also considers himself very lucky.
“I always thought I had lived a charmed life,” he said. “I must’ve had a guardian angel.”