ZELIENOPLE — As if facing his fourth overseas deployment wasn’t enough, Army Staff Sgt. Jesse Hogan carried the burden of leaving for Qatar while his wife and young son dealt with the refurbishment of their 1816 house.

Enter Jason Thompson of Knoechel Heating in Zelienople, who donated a new furnace and installation to the family.

The Lennox heat pump system and new ductwork is in place in the home off Route 68 West.

“I was pretty speechless,” Hogan said of the phone call from Thompson telling him of the bequest. “I didn’t know what to say. It’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for us.”

The unit and installation, which includes air conditioning, would have cost $7,000 to $8,000.

Thompson said he got a call from Hogan, who was shopping for a heating system. Upon arriving to check the job out, he noticed Hogan wore a military ball cap.

The next day, as he figured up a price for installing the unit and running the new duct work, the military hat remained on Thompson’s mind.

Thompson met with company owner Bruce Knoechel, from whom he will soon buy the business, and three installers, about donating a furnace and providing the installation off company time.

“Bruce said ‘Roll with it,’” Thompson recalled.

He then called Hogan’s mother to see if Jesse and his wife Candace would be averse to the donation for any reason. He called Candace to make sure the donation would be OK.

“I know she cried,” Candace said about the good news.

Jesse Hogan. a sniper section leader, said knowing a furnace is in their home will ease his mind as he concentrates on his important task overseas.

“For Jason and Knoechel to do that for us was a huge burden removed,” Hogan said.

He will never forget the generosity and patriotism of Thompson and Knoechel Heating.

“It means a lot,” he said.