I am a 66 year old disabled Veteran, I turned 66 on may 9th. I have a 70% service connected rating. I have had both hips replaced the right one has been done twice. Over 15 years ago and I think the pain from that is telling me that they need some more attention . I have had my had surgery on my right shoulder and hand. All of these makes it hard for me to get around some days. I graduated from the USAISD (United States Army Intelligence School Devens) at Fort Devens in Ayer, Massachussetts.
I never thought the day would come when I was on a website like this begging for money. I got out of the Army to come home and help my Father on the family farm. He had congestive heart failure an renal failure. He was a farmer the crop he grew was Pecans. Almost every year I would take leave during the fall or winter to come home and help him with the harvest. Not long after I got out of the service he passed away. Then the medical problems started with my Mother and she passed. After my Father’s passing I went to work for a company that processed (shelled) pecans and sold to different baking and confections companies. I was the main buyer of the inshell pecans. I did good I knew all of the pecan growers all the way accross the pecan growing areas from Georgia to Arizona. I went into business for myself and did really well at it. My wife at the time was diagnosed with Colorectal cancer. For 5 years I worked from home being by her side every day. Countless trips to Doctors and the hospital. She was given the all clear sign from her Oncologist. About the same time all of the pecan shelling companies in the Southeast moved out West to ElPaso, LasCruces or Mexico. The labor force in the Southeast had become undependable and to expensive. The lure of plenty of eager employees at a cheaper rate of pay inticed them to move. That took away the companies I had been selling the pecans that I purchased from local people that had trees in their yards and farmers. I could have shipped them to the Southwest to shelling companies but the freight costs took any profit to be made out of the equation. After the lengthy sickness of my wife and the bills that went along with it just about all off the funds I had been abe to put aside for the future were gone. Then after the close my business because there was no profit to be made I guess she had all she could stand. We divorced, there was no cheating, abuse, drinking or drugs. I filed with the VA for disability. I could have done it years earlier but I didn’t the way I looked at it was that I didn’t need it financially and there were Veterans that needed it more. In a few months I received my rating and started getting a check every month. $1,721.00 a month is now what it is up to. I was renting a house to live in ever since I got divorced in 2019. 3 years ago the owners of the house sold it. I moved into the office of my empty pecan warehouse and lived in it until I fixed up a little concrete block building (24 feet x 40 feet) to live in. I sold my warehouse because I could no longer make the payments. I then bought an 1986 well used 5th wheel camper 24 feet long for $1,500.00 that had a lot of repairs that needed to be done. I put the camper in the woods on land that a friend owns for free. There is no water or electricity where it is or even close to it. I do the best I can with solar panels and a generator. The $25 to $30 a day for gas was killing me and the batteries I really needed for the solar panels to work properly are to expensive so it didn’t do much good. A little over 6 months ago during a severe thunderstorm with lightning and high winds, tornadoes had been spotted within 10 miles of my location. A big oak tree split and half of it fell on my camper. Buster and I got out and went to my pickup which had also took a big hit from the limbs. I have been doing what I can to repair the camper but my funds have been limited. I have been living in a hotel that charges $1,000.00 a month. Living in a hotel is more expensive due to the fact that when I go grocery shopping I can only buy for 2 days at the most due to the limted space in the waist high refrigerator and the fact that I am not supposed to cook in the room. I don’t know what to do. I have never felt so hopeless and unnecessary. I think back on the pastand I am proud of what I have done for people and my service to our country. I wouldn’t change one day of it. But when you are down you find oiut who your true friends are. It appears that I don’t have any.
I just need enough money to be able to secure housing and make some repairs to my pick-up truck. It would be nice to have a washer and dryer so I don’t have to spend $8.00 just on the washing machine and dryer to clean one load of clothes. When a person is living the way I am in a hotel wtihout the appliances that they would have in a real home it just costs a lot more. It’s a vicious circle that seems impossible to get straightened out. I know I have gone on longer than I should have. If there is something you can do for me it will be greatly appreiated. Thank you and God Bless.
My paypal.Me link is paypal.Me/RONALDBRINKLEY