Content provided by Volunteers of America…
“I was in Desert Storm. We were waiting on the border. We didn’t think there would be a war. Surely they would back down. Then we heard the war had started and we were getting engaged that night. We were surprised, but of course we did our duty.
“Things didn’t bother me when I first came home. It took about a year for things to change. I wasn’t the same person. Alcohol and drugs were the only thing that allowed me to clear the thoughts from my head and so I could sleep.
“I just snapped and lost my mind. As the amount of drugs and alcohol increased, I was basically killing myself slowly to make myself feel better.
“This place here (The Arthur B. Huot Veterans Housing located in Maine and run by Volunteers of America Northern New England) probably saved my life. I am just so grateful to be alive. I’ve done so well and I am so happy here.
“The staff is incredible… It is easy to talk with other vets because they have lived through the same things. I just want to get to the point that I don’t make those bad decisions any more. I want to take the steps necessary to be happy again. It has been so long.”
Jason was a chef after returning from Desert Storm and has begun his own catering business at the Huot House. Huot House is also generously supported by grants from The Home Depot Foundation.
America’s Angels tells stories of how Volunteers of America helps our nation’s most vulnerable. Learn more at voa.org/guideposts.
