Warless & Homeless: Pt. I

“SUPPORT OUR TROOPS” is what many bumper stickers say. Nowadays, our troops need more support than ever, especially when the very country they took an oath to serve and protect does not support them back. In my drive around my city of Baton Rouge, I see so many homeless people. In fact, “Matt” is the reason why I'm writing this article today.

Like clockwork, if you go to the McDonald’s near my house, you can find Matt there every morning with his bike and a small bag of his belongings. I was in a rush to meet my dad for a doctor’s appointment when I first saw Matt. He was perched up against the brick wall outside the McDonald’s trying to shield himself from the light rain that was falling. He had that 'homeless look'. Easily identifiable because I had seen so many around my city that I knew what the “homeless look"actually looked like. As I sat in the drive-thru line waiting to order, I watched one car after another pass him by as if he was not there. At this point, I was compelled to order an extra pancakes and sausage breakfast for him. But as soon as the thought entered my mind, I tried to dismiss it. I didn’t really want to believe this man was homeless after I had just left the comforts of my own home. I told myself. . .What if he really wasn’t homeless, but was just simply trying to stay out of the rain for whatever reason? But as soon as I heard “May I take your order” over the speaker, I ordered that extra pancakes and sausage breakfast while I wondered what his story was.

I made my way back around to where he was standing and held the bag out my window with his breakfast in it. It was during the exchange of food, that I noticed he was wearing a camouflaged military jacket with patches on the sleeves. He seemed a bit shy as he slowly accepted my offer. That was the moment I asked him if he had been in the military. He told me, "Yes" and thanked me for the food. As he turned away, I quickly told him my name and asked him his name. He hesitated at first, but finally answered. I’ll just call him “Matt.”

It turned out that “Matt” had been discharged from the military after an injury he sustained in Desert Storm in 1991 when the U.S. invaded Kuwait. Prior to that, Matt had been in the military for 4 years. He was very proud that he had served his country. But my curiosity still got the best of me and even though I was pushing for time, I had another question to ask. “So why ARE you homeless Matt? Where’s your family and why isn’t the government doing better by you?” Matt continued eating, looking past me, I figured into his past as he explained.