Do you know me?
After three tours in Iraq, my wife told me I had become an angry person and she didn’t me to be around our children because she was afraid I would hurt them. Wow, that struck me harder than the leg wound I got overseas. I told her I would go to counseling; but, she said it was too late for me to make things better, especially as I was scheduled for another overseas tour. She left and took the kids with her. I was so bad off, emotionally, I tried to kill myself. Another soldier saw me sitting on the ledge of a building, came up and sat beside me. I admit that he talked me out it, but the doctors were not a lot of help in getting my mind back to normal. I got a medical discharge and, without any job prospects, I just started to roam the streets. When my funds ran out, I found myself here. Being able to sleep in a shelter does help during the winter, but sometimes I really can’t take the odors. I’m a lot less angry these days, but still a lost member of society.
Can you see us? We are some of the many faces of Fairfax County’s homeless community. Please help the homeless be seen. This link will bring you to a page to find out what you can do to help the homeless in Fairfax County.