38,000 veterans eat from garbage cans every day. Here's how we can end veteran homelessness
New Korean War movie ‘Devotion’ shows how our veterans need a helping hand
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}When Lt. Tom Hudner, 26, deliberately crashed his aircraft on a North Korean mountainside on December 4, 1950, he risked dishonorable discharge and disgrace.
But he had a reason.
Hudner was the wingman for Ensign Jesse Brown, 24 — America’s first Black naval aviator, and Hudner’s best friend. Moments earlier, Brown’s plane was shot down as he flew in support of ground troops at the battle of the Chosin Reservoir. His fighter smacked hard into the frozen tundra. Landing gear ripped away. The engine broke free and cartwheeled.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TEXAS VETERAN SURPRISED WITH TOWN PARADE FOR HIS 95TH BIRTHDAY
The Corsair came to a rest in a snowbank, but Brown’s leg was trapped in the wrecked fuselage, and fire began near the fuel tank. Rescue helicopters were far away. The crash site lay 17 miles behind enemy lines. It was minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit, and a frigid wind blew. With the plane’s engine gone, so was Brown’s heater. If help didn’t arrive quickly, and if he wasn’t captured, Brown would either freeze or burn to death.
Jesse Brown (Jonathan Majors) in Columbia Pictures' "Devotion." (Courtesy Sony Pictures)
As Hudner orbited in the sky above Brown, he faced a dilemma: he could either watch his friend die or attempt history’s most audacious one-man rescue mission. He concluded he had one chance of saving his friend’s life. He needed to crash land nearby in hopes of freeing Brown from the wreckage. Together, they might stand a chance against the elements and enemy.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"All he needs is one good tug," Hudner thought.
Recounted in historian Adam Makos’ bestselling book "Devotion," now a major motion picture from Black Label Media and Sony Pictures, their story reminds us that much of life’s battle involves being a person that others can count on. But that requires something.
Imagine yourself in Hudner’s position. A friend needs help, but obstacles clutter the way. Helping won’t be easy. It’ll cost time, energy, and resources. What do you do?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}You roll up your sleeves and help.
In a similar way, the military personnel who fight for the cause of freedom deserve honor, which goes beyond us saying "Thank you for your service." One specific way we can show this honor this new year is to help end veteran homelessness.
Right now in America, some 38,000 homeless veterans are eating from garbage cans and sleeping under viaducts. We send our nation’s military personnel to serve and protect, to take bullets and wounds that go unseen. But we often fail to support them when they return home.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The reasons for homelessness are myriad. Specialist Kinjia Ross served multiple deployments in the U.S. Navy over seven years active duty. But after returning home, she struggled to adjust to civilian life. She faced PTSD and divorce and had young twin daughters to care for. Ross turned to alcohol to cope with the pressure. She ran out of money. For a season, she and her twins lived in a car.
U.S.VETS is led by Stephen Peck, son of legendary actor Gregory Peck. A veteran himself, Stephen Peck fought with the Marines in Vietnam, and considered a career as a filmmaker, but after struggling with PTSD decided to devote himself to helping other vets. "The problem is solvable," Peck said. "Providing housing and jobs are part of it, but that’s the easiest part. It’s the maladaptive habits a person may have picked up to cope with trauma that are hardest to overcome."
E-5 Malcom Harvey served for 11 years as a sonar technician in the U.S. Navy, where he witnessed the death of his best friend aboard a ship in the Indian Ocean. When Harvey came home, he struggled with grief and substance abuse. He ended up living on the streets for 10 years, waking most mornings in a cardboard box.
Fortunately, both Ross and Harvey were helped by U.S.VETS, the nation’s largest nonprofit provider of services for homeless veterans. Ross became sober, completed her bachelor’s degree, and is reunited with her family. Harvey also became sober, completed a master’s degree, and is now employed in a career development program.
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U.S.VETS is led by Stephen Peck, son of legendary actor Gregory Peck. A veteran himself, Stephen Peck fought with the Marines in Vietnam, and considered a career as a filmmaker, but after struggling with PTSD decided to devote himself to helping other vets.
"The problem is solvable," Peck said. "Providing housing and jobs are part of it, but that’s the easiest part. It’s the maladaptive habits a person may have picked up to cope with trauma that are hardest to overcome."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lt. Tom Hudner receiving the Medal of Honor from President Harry Truman. (Courtesy U.S. Navy)
According to Peck, the problem of veteran homelessness is improving. In 1993, when his organization began, some 240,000 homeless veterans lived in America, a number that U.S.VETS, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other groups have driven down since then. But our nation can do more.
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This new year, Peck encourages people to wear camouflage clothing as part of a campaign to raise awareness to end veteran homelessness. They call it "Make Camo Your Cause."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Whether you wear camo, volunteer, donate, or simply spread the word, it’s more than standing by and watching. You’re following in the footsteps of Hudner.
Sometimes all a vet needs is a helping hand.