The Vet Hunters Project

We personally know this Super Hero, USMC Family. From advocating on topics such as Burn Pits, Homelessness, Autism, Caregivers and much more, they tell their story and that of others. The stares they get from people, you know the same ones that will say, Thank you for your service, don’t always have the nicest things to say when they see Brian, the Marine. Inappropriate stares are just as bad, maybe even worse. Brian and his lovely wife are the type of Family that are more... than happy to answer any questions when asked. I myself would be pretty embarrassed for people to see me yet alone be within the media but not Brian. He knows the story must be told so people understand the true cost of WAR. It isn’t always the clapping for the Troops as they return back home at the Airport... you know, as seen in commercials. For this beautiful Family it’s daily advocacy, opening up their lives and trust me, it isn’t all beautiful and easy. However, you wouldn’t know it if you had the HONOR of meeting this Family and that just like them. They are always happy and out on the streets serving our homeless Heroes in the Shadows. If you can, take the time to see the documentary. To all of you that help care for another Military or Civillian, to the point your own personal life has changed, you are true Heroes. The Marine Corps did well with this Warrior. For most of us Veterans trying hard to hide the wounds of WAR, USMC Disabled Veteran Brian doesn’t have that liberty but I tell you what, he still wakes up every morning, loves his Family, laces his boots up and hits the streets to Honor our Fallen by serving the living. To the side of him, his lovely wife and Family.

I recall the day we helped this warrior. He had tears of joy, he was finally able to get around and spend time with his family because of his amazing donation of a top of the line power chair. This was 4 years ago, you can imagine all of memories he was able to make with his kids, grandkids and great grandkids. Recently we were notified by his family that he been called to Post Everlasting, he is now with his soulmate. It was our honor to have served you sir. We will be helping to assist this family secure with an honor guard as a tribute to his service & sacrifices. Rest In Peace SGT Leon

Pretty emotional post for us at Vet Hunters Project. No... it is not a vehicle donation. It is something even more special. When we first met Kathy, her home was under the freeway. To see the word homeless melt away has been a special thing for us. Kathy now spends her days in her own house while continuing to work with the homeless community as she provides resources, guidance and showers to those experiencing homelessness. Today, she bought her dream truck all by herself. I...t wasn’t easy either. It was a long journey but she never gave up. Even while she was homeless, she made sure to advocate and assist women who fell into homelessness. When someone new arrived at the homeless camp, their community, they went to see Kathy. She would give incoming homeless, many times cared young ladies their care package which included a tent and sleeping bag. Her motivation was to ensure those new to homelessness didn’t stay homeless. Honesty, sure there were times Kathy could have accepted housing but she knew in her heart she was needed in the homeless camps. Kathy often made soup for those hungry. The dealership wondered why there was a large gap in her credit history. Imagine having to explain Well... I was homeless under a bridge between that time. The dealership made sure to do everything possible to ensure this young lady at heart got her truck. Not only did she get approved the dealership threw in extra items at no cost for Kathy. My point to all this is don’t give up! Kathy believed in herself and each day worked towards housing, a full time job and now, her own vehicle. We are proud of you Kathy! Vet Hunters Project has been extra special the day you joined our Family. So wants in store for Kathy... well, she says using her new truck to help the homeless community by bringing resources to the much needed areas. That is a Humanitarian heart! Thank you Mountain View Chevrolet (Upland) for going above and beyond for this beautiful soul. You picked up the phone and called banks personally to ensure an approval. Simply amazing!

This took place Facebooks livestream. The worst part about the suicide was random people reposting it over and over again all over social media. Wasn’t it enough for his Morher, Family, friends and those Ronnie served to see it once? We often hear of the Suicide after the fact but to witness it and not have the power or means to stop it is a whole different level to the tragedy. The Veterans friends also posted messages conveying their futile attempts to stop him from taking his life. I tried but apparently it wasn’t quick enough to reach him, another said.

Together we can.... 22,21,20,19,18,17,16,15,14,13,12,11,10, 9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,0....

In all my years of being involved with efforts to combat suicides especially those of who have served, I wish I had the magical words to prevent them. This is why we launched our suicide intervention courses in hopes to zero out suicides for all we were able to impact personally. Unfortunately and with a heavy heart, we can’t save them all. PTSD impacts people differently. I can go on and on about my thoughts and opinions but this isn’t the posting to do so. Right now we ha...ve a Family asking why.... what would make their loved one with a significant other expecting a child at a young age where life has just begun, to do what we fight so hard to prevent. Family and members of his unit have raised money but still have a balance of 6k. The mortuary at one point would do payment plans but have stopped for their own reasons. Please, this post isn’t about judgement... it’s a request for help. The go-fund me goes directly to his mother. This has been vetted by his unit POC. Family has till Wednesday to ensure the services go on schedule. COVID-19 has impacted so many financially. Please, if you can donate even a dollar, every bit gets the Family closer to their goal. With your help, we can give the Family some peace of mind as you can imagine how hard the loss of a loved on can be. If you need a write off for your donation, send us a message. Thank you for taking the time to read this message. Our condolences to the Family and members of his military unit.

Oh how this scenario resonates loud and clear with me. Just two days ago we received a call that a man on a property appeared to be drunk and if we could assist. We immediately responded to the call to avoid a possible police response. Make a long story short, the gentlemen suspected of being drunk, was a Vietnam era Veteran, pretty senior in age. This warrior was far from being drunk. He sustained a brain injury which like this video, led to a slur when he spoke. He was vigi...lant and answered our questions quickly. We are educated the site staff on our findings and they were pretty embarrassed to have judged so harshly. We made an amazing new friend as we learned from one another. This video hit me hard because I had just experienced the substance behind the video. Sometimes.... okay, most often than we care to mention, judgment can be immediate without most cases looking into it. Depending who the person is making the judgement call can either be positive or that needs improvement. The world would be surprised what we can learn from one another is we just take the time to have conversation with an open heart and mind.