Phil Alter doesn’t like to make a fuss about things.
That is why, when he is asked about the dozens of projects he has participated in to help disabled or elderly residents in Lowndes County, his first impulse to spread the credit as wide as possible.
“It’s an American Legion deal and there’s a whole bunch of people who have done this, ” he says, ticking off the names of members of American Legion Post 69 who pitched in on the work and deserve the credit. “It’s not just me, that’s for sure.”
Since moving to Lowndes County from his native Illinois, Alter, 44, found himself with time on his hands. After joining the local American Legion post, he soon found himself involved in a variety of community projects supported by the organization, everything from remodeling projects to landscaping to building steps and wheelchair ramps.
In that time, he has helped build dozens of wheel-chair ramps. Many of those were built for disabled veterans. Alter is both. He served in the Army from 1988 to 1994 and was disabled in 1998 as a result of a motorcycle accident.
On the early evening of Friday, Sept. 11, 1998, Alter and his girlfriend at the time hopped on his motorcycle for a short ride to the local watering hole.
“As we were coming around a blind curve, a car was in my lane,” Alter recalls. “There was nothing I could do.”
His girl friend suffered a broken toe and some “road rash.” Alter’s injuries were more serious. He left leg was crushed and was later amputated just below the knee.
Normally, an injury of that severity would require an extended stay in the hospital, followed by a considerable amount of time in a rehab facility. Amputees must deal not only with the physical scars, but the emotional damage as well. It can be a long emotionally and physically draining process.
But three days into his stay, Alter was already bugging the hospital staff to release him. Six days after arriving at the emergency room, Alter was out of the hospital.
The next day, just one week after the accident, he was sitting on a bar stool of that same watering hole.
“I just got to the bar a little later than I expected,” Alter says with a grin.
It was much the same with his prosthetic leg.
“When you get a fitting, you’re supposed to have all these rehab sessions to teach you how to walk again,” he said. “I walked into the first rehab session. The woman there saw me walk in and said, ‘What is it we are supposed to do for you?’ I told her, ‘I don’t know. I just got this piece of paper that told me to come here, so you tell me.’ That was pretty much the end of my rehab.”
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Alter went back to work, but retired in 2011 at age 40 when the demands of a full-time job had become more than he could manage.
It was then he moved to Lowndes County after visiting a friend who lived here.
“I liked it,” he says. “I liked the home prices, the low taxes, pretty much everything.”
Not long after his arrival, he joined the American Legion Post 69.
And soon after that, Alter found himself as the “go-to” guy for many of the community projects the American Legion took on.
It just made sense, he said. He had plenty of time on his hands and had always been good with his hands.
“That’s part of growing up in a poor household,” he says. “You learn how to do things, mainly because there isn’t money to pay somebody to do it. I’d work with my dad, watch what he did and learn. I did my first full brake job when I was 12.”
Those skills notwithstanding, his best attribute may be in a different vein.
“Really, I think the thing I’m best at is getting people together,” he says. “Usually, we’ll get five or six of us together to do a project. We’ll start at 9 in the morning and, usually, by 5 we’re finished. It’s just a chance to get together and do something for people that need a hand. It’s something we all enjoy, a good way to spend a day.”
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While Alter refuses to “make a fuss” over his role in helping so many elderly or disabled people in the community, William Jones isn’t willing to let him off the hook.
Jones, 70 and a disabled veteran, said Alter was the driving force in building two ramps at his home.
“About a year ago, I approached Phil at an American Legion meeting and asked if he could help get me a ramp,” Jones said. “They built the first ramp about a year ago and then came back and built a ramp at the back door this spring. I can’t tell you how much it has meant to me. I loved to go out back, but had gotten to the point where I just couldn’t do it anymore. It was too painful. Now, I can go in and out as much as I want. It’s great. I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened without Phil.
“So don’t let him fool you. He’s the heart and soul of these projects. If he were to leave, I’m pretty sure the whole thing would die on the vine.”
Even in the face of such testimonials, Alter remains dismissive about his role.
“Really, the credit goes to the American Legion. They pay for all the materials and it’s not cheap. Every time I’ve gone to them with a project, they’ve always said yes. Then, there are all the guys who come out to do a job whenever I call them, guys like Greg and Tyler Harrell, Chuck and Garry Sutton, Ed McCormick, Roger Keesling, Ryan Woodard and my son, Matthew. They deserve the credit, too.”
As for Alter?
He shrugs.
“I just do what I do,” he says.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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