One of Those Vets

All he wanted to do was serve his country. Instead, his fellow seamen served him. In the course of three weeks, he was raped, discharged, and kicked out of his home, and he tried to commit suicide. And he was still seventeen years old. Homeless six times. Fired from jobs more times than he could count. Depending on the kindness of “friends.” Too white for Black people. Too straight for gay people. Too conservative for liberal people. A man without a country. Yet while still in a homeless shelter, he obtained a license in skin care then a license in manicuring. Then he became a makeup artist. This is the story of one of those vets. From American nightmare to American Dream.