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| Earl at HVAF |
“The first time I realized I wanted to protect and serve my country was in High
School. I was in ROTC, but my grades were suffering. The Army was my ticket
out. Also my uncle, Cecil, served in WWII and drove the M4 Sherman tank and
that was another piece of inspiration. I admired Cecil.”
Earl
served in the U.S. Army when militant students supporting Iran’s Islamic
Revolution stormed the U.S Embassy in Tehran and took scores of hostages.
Earl
was injured during service and 70 percent of his body was burned. He suffered
from PTSD as a result. He is still seeing psychologists today and takes medication daily.
Earl
became homeless as a result of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after his
service. Homelessness struck when he fell on hard times. Earl turned to drugs
and alcohol to cope. His tendencies, he says, caused a strain on his family and
other relationships, and he was left with a pile of child support bills that
grew larger and larger, and so did the medical bills. Earl has been in and out
of jail 12 times because of his inability to pay child support. He also struggled
to find employment.
He
turned to HVAF for help. He completed the organization’s recovery program on
March 7, 2017 and currently resides in our transitional housing.
Earl is an inspiration in what a veteran
can accomplish against all odds.
