With the Help of Volunteers, Ortley Veteran Returns Home

It took months and the efforts of countless volunteers, but Michael "Mickey" Gavala’s U.S. Marine flag again proudly flies at his family’s Ortley Beach home.

The dozens of volunteers who helped to rebuild the Third Avenue home of the disabled U.S. Marine Corps veteran and his wife were honored during a Wednesday afternoon flag raising ceremony. Gavala served from 1956-59. 

“You made our house a home,” said the couple’s daughter Denise Gavala in front of onlookers at the home that was badly damaged by Superstorm Sandy.

The Gavalas have owned their Ortley home for 52 years, according to the Paying It Forward Foundation, which helped to coordinate its rebuilding. The couple celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary in April. 

A color guard from the Marine Corps League Reynolds Detachment 203 of Freehold placed Gavala’s flag on a newly installed pole in the back of the home. It had been found in the shed, covered in mud, after flood waters receded.

“The old saying, ‘once a Marine, always a Marine,’ really applies,” said Mayor Thomas Kelaher.

Volunteer groups included Bona Responds, Calvary Chapel Relief, Calvary Chapel Teens, Habitat for Humanity, Portlight Strategies, Sandy Weekend Warriors and Seton Hall Prep, according to the foundation. They’ve assisted hundreds of homeowners recover from Sandy, including complete rebuilds in Lavallette and Ortley.

“Paying It Forward has been part of the recovery since the floodwaters receded,” said Gina Cavallo of Paying It Forward Relief in a statement. “This is an important moment for this family who now returns to their home, but also to their many neighbors who are still displaced. Together, we can help get residents back into their homes.”

Kelaher commended the volunteer efforts and credited them with helping to get many Ortley families on the road to recovery.

“It’s not something that will happen overnight, but we’re dedicated,” he said.