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CARING FOR THE VETERANS & THE NEEDY

I've always said, once a soldier, always a soldier.  We have had to make some tough decisions in our 65 years on earth, but having to dissolve Veterans Helping Veterans & Others, Inc. was one of the hardest things I have had to do in civilian life. We were helping hundreds of Veterans, their family members, widows, and widowers of veterans who were trying to make it on little or nothing. For ten years we have given them food, clothing, financial help, shelter, helped them set up housekeeping, helped them get their benefits and file their claims which amounted to thousands of dollars and lots more. They have left our office in tears thanking us and saying they had no idea there was a place as Veterans Helping Veterans & Others. Veterans across the country were calling for help and asking if there was an organization like ours in their area.

 

 

It was our hopes and dreams to have the organization spread across the country where veterans in need could come to get help for them and their families when in need.  When a Veteran and his/her family would move across the country looking for work or relocating, they could stop by any V.H.V.O. location and get help with the proper Identification.  As a veteran from the Vietnam Era, we know how hard it is in getting started or getting help after being discharged.

 

Perhaps someday and somewhere someone will have the same compassion for our veterans and reopen Veterans Helping Veterans & Others.  I may not be here to see it, but I pray it happens.

 

 

We first began our work at our church, New Life Family Worship Center.  Our veterans and others owe the church a great deal of gratitude for helping us get started. Being in the military and working with the public for many years, we pretty well knew the state our community was in.  We were tired of seeing the way our veterans were being treated and we knew how the children were doing without and going hungry and we were looking for a way to help both of them.  We had a meeting with our veterans and civilians, including my pastor.  To make a long story short, we formed our organization and called it "Veterans Helping Veterans & Others" and incorporated it.

It takes a lot of time, effort, work, volunteers and prayer to do what we have done over the years as volunteers.  The slideshow at the left has a few pictures of the work that went on at the church.

We ran out of the room at the church and we moved into a two-story house owned by my sister, Joy.  See slideshow to the left.

This was our third and final location before we closed after ten {10} years of service to our veterans and their families. Portsmouth Times has asked for help to support the families of our National Guard families left behind as their husbands/wives are off fighting for our country. It is too bad V.H.V.O. had to close their doors, our veterans and the military families would still have a place to get food, clothing, financial help and help to file claims.   We are thankful for being able to help all those we could who came to us for help and those who gave their support over the years.

Army Cadet Nicholas Drake Foster salutes all the homeless, needy veterans and their families of Veterans Helping Veterans & Others.  They say a picture is worth 1,000 words.  If this is the case, there is a lot of words in the slideshow to the left.  There were 1,000s of people affected by the work that went on in V.H.V.O., not just in our area, but across America and in other countries.

 

The Lord asked Satan one time where he came from, as the Lord was speaking to a group of people.  Sateen said from going up and down and to and fro in the world. Satan's job was to kill, destroy and do all the damage he could do in the world because he knew his time was short.

 

I think Satan stopped by Portsmouth on his journey and dropped off one of his angels named poverty.  It seems like, not only in Portsmouth but everywhere.  Times are hard for everyone. It broke my heart when we had to close the doors due to the lack of support.  I will never get over it.  We had such big hopes and plans for the organization that would help people all over the country for a long time to come.

Veterans Helping Veterans & Others, Inc. was a branch off AMVETS.  Chaplain Foster start a Christmas Program for the needy and the veterans in the area.  He also started a food pantry through the Post as well.  The Post had no place to house such work and Chaplain Foster branched out and founded Veterans Helping Veterans & Others.

 

Chaplain Foster's work began and over the next ten years clothing, food, furniture, and financial help into the thousands of dollars was given out to veterans and the needy in the community. 

Click on picture for Slide Show

Sometimes veterans

feel they have outlived their need,  They are no longer appreciated.  When something like this happens it lifts their spirits and makes them feel pride in their service to their country.

Veterans Day 2014

Today on Veterans Day my son called me and said Mike Bell, a very near and dear friend of ours, was having a breakfast for all veterans at the community room in New Boston. We had biscuits, gravy, eggs, hash browns, fruit, bacon and the whole nine yards. The food was great but better than the food was the grade school children from New Boston came to sing for us and honor us for our service. It must have been a busy week for them to get ready for this special event. They wrote letters to every veteran that was there and made pictures for us. I can't speak for the veterans that were there, but I have worked with homeless and needy veterans for the past ten years I have never been honored like these children did today. I felt like breaking down in tears. I am sharing my letters and pictures I was given by the children and the Honorable Mayor Jim Warren of New Boston. You may have to enlarge the letters to see them. Thank you Mike Bell for such a wonderful morning, you made it worth getting out of bed. God bless you for being a blessing to all veterans. We love you.

 

I accept my letters and pictures in honor and memory of Bro. Dave Barker who spent his life serving his country and fellow veterans, Bob Wells who traveled from county to county as a volunteer helping veterans receive the benefits they so much deserved, Tom Gifford, David Potts, my brother-in-law Raymond Skaggs who gave his life for our freedom in Vietnam, Lance Cpl. Jonathan E. Etterling who gave his young life in Iraq for America, Bro. Arnold Stephenson who served in WWII and served his fellow veterans in Veterans Helping Veterans & Others, and all those veterans of V.H.V.O. who served their country bravely before passing.  For all veterans and those who passed away or K.I.A. who have served and those who are still serving the greatest country on earth.  Most of all, I thank my Lord and Savior who gave His life for all mankind.  We salute you on this Veterans Day of 2014.

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