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Home >> United States & Canada >> Economics & Trade With Expected Upsurge in Homeless Veterans, Joy Junction Vets Give Advice to Their Comrades Returning Home Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. - 2/12/2008 According to a Nov. 7 2007 story in the New York Times, more than 400 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are homeless, and the Veterans Affairs Department and other service groups are expecting a new surge in homeless veterans in the years to come. MikeMike, who fought in Granada while in the army, suggested that vets having a hard time coping make use of the free counseling offered by the VA. He also suggested that they turn to God. Mike said, "With God in your life, life's pain goes away, and with His guidance, life gets better." Mike, who now works for Joy Junction, knows what he's talking about. He received "an other than honorable discharge for the good of the army," and a reduction in rank. He said, "For the next 20 years I bounced around from job to job, relationship to relationship and in and out of jail, just running from myself not wanting to admit I had any problems. Whenever things got (too bad), I would just pick up and run." It wasn't until Mike came to Joy Junction and met Jesus that he stopped running, and with the Lord's help, started to get his life back on track. Mike told me about some of the events in his life that led to his homelessness. Mike, also known as “Gator,” said he joined the army when he was 17. He said the main reason was so he could go to Germany and see the place of his birth while he was still young. He then went to a variety of training schools (including jump school), and “jumped” right into the Grenada conflict. Grenada is an island nation in the southeastern Caribbean Sea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grenada). Mike said his company’s mission was to secure the airfield. He said, “We did a 300 foot jump over the airfield. As we were coming down, the enemy was shooting up ... I realized my pant leg was wet. It was blood; mine. I had been shot in the knee. After I woke up the doctor told me I was very lucky. The round entered at such an angle there was no extensive damage to the knee itself; however I would be carrying parts of it for the rest of my life. I applied for the special forces and was accepted.” After Mike’s training in marksmanship and other things, he was sent to different parts of the world and into situations that left a lot of scars – most of which he said were mental. It was during this time while trying to deal by himself with these mental scars that things began to go very wrong for Mike. He said, “I had a lot of issues I was dealing with but couldn't, and wouldn't, talk about. I started drinking very heavily, got into a lot of fights and was busted down in rank.” Mike said one day he was yelled at incessantly by his platoon sergeant. Mike snapped, hit the sergeant and ended up shattering his jaw. That led to Mike’s exit from the army and two decades of floating from job to job. He said, “My last job was working for a traveling carnival where the owner and I just didn't see eye to eye. When we arrived in Albuquerque, he fired me and refused to pay me. I managed to come up with enough money for a motel room for two days. (As we didn’t know anyone here), my wife and I called Joy Junction. It was the only shelter that took couples. We joined the (life recovery) program, a six month commitment, and now my wife and I work for Joy Junction and try to help in whatever way we can.” JudyJudy, who was a vehicle driver and dispatcher while serving in the air force, advised vets to stay on top of their benefit information. She said, “At some point you will need your benefits. Find out how to use them to your full advantage. Paper trail everything. It is not real if it is not documented. Ask the VA to help you find (what you need). Don't ever let the government blow you off. Use what you earned and never be too proud to take what is (owed) due to you. You are a vet. Be proud.” Judy said she became homeless through difficult family circumstances and losing three jobs. There's a poignant irony in her advice to her fellow vets about staying on top of their benefits. While researching what she was eligible for, Sadler said she discovered her veterans benefits would only cover her death. Judy told me some more about her life before becoming homeless. She said that while stationed in the air force in Germany as a vehicle driver and dispatcher, she drove vehicles ranging in size from a sedan to a 45 passenger bus. Judy said she transported a variety of people who included enlisted men and women, officers and sometimes members of the military from other countries. Upon returning to the United States in Oct 1984, Judy said she and her family were stationed in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The first six months she spent driving to missile sites. The next 18 months, Judy taught a class on the correct way to handle a military vehicle. That class helped reduce military accidents by over two thirds. Judy had enlisted in the military to feel better about herself, she said, and to enjoy new and rewarding experiences. And she did, but during the last 18 months of her enlistment things took a turn for the worse. Judy went through serious medical issues, divorce and single parenting. Judy ended up living in Denver, and working three jobs, which she lost within a few months of each other. With her granddaughter having serious medical issues, Judy decided to move to New Mexico to help her daughter and husband with their very hectic life. Judy said, “I was able to get a job at AOL. Shortly there after it all fell apart. My son-in-law said, ‘Thanks for helping with the care of our children, and paying for rent and groceries But you have to leave.’” That was in July 2007, and it was then that Judy realized she was out of alternatives and came to Joy Junction. Judy is doing the best she can to save up money and get reintegrated again into mainstream community life. AllenJoy Junction resident Allen, who served in the air force as an aircraft mechanic, also suggested counseling. He added, “Vets should also take the advice of others who have been where they are. They should also join a group to talk about fears or needs as they arise. They could also seek out the advice of a chaplain at the nearest VA.” Allen has had a difficult life, with a near fatal stabbing and alcohol abuse resulting in a drunk driving conviction. After the injury, Allen said he tried treatment programs, but nothing seemed to work. However, after many years, he and his wife arrived at Joy Junction. With help from the Lord and shelter staff, they are learning new and successful ways to deal with life's problems. Allen told me a little about his life before coming to Joy Junction. In addition to his work as a mechanic, he also worked with disaster preparedness. He said, “While I was in (the air force), we trained Iranian pilots on how to fly. Due to politics, the Iranians were made to leave the U.S., so we quit training pilots. During that time we had 13 US prisoners in Iran prisons. They were held captive for 444 days. All US military bases were put on alert.” Allen said, “.My family was scared that I might get shipped out of the US to protect our overseas bases in case of an uprising. I'm glad that didn't happen, so was my family. I served for two years, eight months and three days in the air force.” After Allen’s tour with the air force, he returned to his family. However, the constant bickering with family, and the loss of job after job caused Allen’s life to spiral downward. All these situations led to losing his home, and transportation. At this time he also lost touch with his children. “All of this led to the bottle that had no bottom,” Allen said. “Due to the drinking I lost relationships that were important to me ... (The issues arose) mostly over money and my inability to maintain employment at the time (and pay my bills on time).” Allen said that after that, he just didn’t keep in regular contact with family members. However, since staying at Joy Junction, life has changed for Allen and his wife of eleven years. He said, “Now that my wife and I have joined the program my they are (his family) very proud of us, considering my past with them.” Allen shared that although he had already accepted Jesus into his heart when he arrived at Joy Junction, he was able to “fine tune” his relationship with the Lord through the shelter’s life recovery classes, as well as by talking with other Christians. Allen learned some valuable tools to help him respond appropriately to difficult situations. He explained that he is now able to express his feelings more freely than before, and also to better communicate with people who in the past he would have had trouble dealing with. Allen said he is now in a position to help others deal with problems that once plagued him. He credited this success to Joy Junction’s life recovery program, and the support system he found while going through the program. America’s VeteransThe critical situation of America's homeless veterans has also gotten the attention of politicians. In his speech following the January 3 Iowa caucuses, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said, “And tonight, 200,000 men and women who wore our uniform proudly and served this country courageously as veterans will go to sleep under bridges and on grates. We're better than this”( http://mediamatters.org/items/200801170016). Edwards’ estimate of homeless veterans is supported by the Veterans Administration, which states on its web site ( www1.va.gov/homeless/page.cfm?pg=1) that about one-third of the adult homeless population have served their country in the Armed Services. The site says that population estimates suggest that about 195,000 veterans (male and female) are homeless on any given night, and perhaps twice as many experience homelessness at some point during a year. The VA site further comments, “Many other veterans are considered near homeless or at risk because of their poverty, lack of support from family and friends, and dismal living conditions in cheap hotels or in overcrowded or substandard housing.” The national media have also covered the crisis of homeless veterans. Recent stories can be found at www.nytimes.com/2007/11/08/us/08vets.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1200873963-irD8xMQtNxZaXsPGpWG8XA and www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-01-19-homelessvets_N.htm?csp=34 Joy Junction and Homeless VeteransJoy Junction has always opened its doors and its heart to our homeless veterans. We are proud of the sacrifices these precious men and women have made for our country and for each and every one of us. We will do everything we can to help those who stood in the gap for us, overcome their fears and failures, and get back on their feet again. We hope you think they’re worth it. We certainly do. |
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