“I’ve never been homeless before. My last living situation didn’t work out like I had hoped and I just found myself on the streets, simple as that. I needed to take a step back and humble myself but keep my confidence. I’m starting to persevere through all these trials and tribulations instead of just falling back and feeling sorry for myself. I’m doing something about it. I can’t do it overnight, it’s taking time. I have no complaints, though. It humbles me. Struggles are life’s opportunity to for an individual to build character.”
“I was in the Army as a combat engineer, 12th Bravo. I served in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. We clear mine fields, lay mines, pave the way for tanks, all that. Our life expectancy is 3-4 seconds in the field. When we clear mines we couldn’t use metal detectors, we had to use our hands. I was in Iraq for over 2 years. I got three bronze stars and I survived. I still have nightmares but when you survive all that you don’t have too much to complain about.
I do have PTSD. I can’t be around fireworks. I can’t be around a crowd of people. If I go to a restaurant or anything, I got to have my back facing everybody. I don’t like people being behind me. I don’t like nobody scaring me or tapping me on the shoulder. It usually leads to violence. I have an anxiety disorder, I get migraines and I can get paranoid in a split second. I always know my surroundings. I’m always on edge. It is what you make it. Sometimes it’s just you want it to be. I’m living with it and making progress.
“Not everyone in a bad situation is a bad person. Being homeless is rock bottom. Everyone who finds themselves in their own bottom one way or another. I lost my house, my truck, and my land. That’s my bottom. “
