Veteran Roy Edwards, 58, can't pinpoint when his troubles began, but he knows they date back to his service in the Marines during the Vietnam era.

Edwards was stateside as a military policeman, but his duty was stressful and brought him face-to-face with death and injury.  He has trouble discussing the details.  

Like many veterans, Edwards thought he left these difficulties behind when he left the service.  At that time, many veterans did not recognize that emotional trauma, if not faced and processed, can surface and cause problems years later.

Edwards entered civilian life and began a rewarding, successful life.  He worked in security and rose to a director's job at a luxury hotel, which had many high-level responsibilities.  He married and had four children. 

Then, challenges arose and past traumas heightened his emotional distress.  Edwards went to work for FEMA, then got laid off.  He got another job in security, but got injured.  Unemployed, his marriage ended, and he lost his home and his health, undergoing major colon surgery.  Edwards found it hard to cope.  He was homeless, sleeping on the streets.  When he went to the Veterans Administration for help, he was a man with a host of extreme troubles in all areas of his life.    

Then things began to slowly get better for Edwards. The VA referred him to Volunteers of America's Veterans Transitional Housing Program, where the staff welcomed him.  He finally had a roof over his head and support from compassionate, knowledgeable professionals who knew how to help.  "They saved my life,' Edwards says simply. 

The staff guided Edwards as he rebuilt his life.  They helped him stabilize his health and started a search for permanent housing.  They supported him as he worked to reunite his family and, perhaps most important, helped him face the emotional traumas he experienced as a young Marine. 

Edwards says he now understands how counseling can change lives.  He wants his children to get the same kind of help he has received so his whole family can experience emotional healing.  And, he wants to reach out to other veterans, thousands in New Orleans alone, who are experiencing the same rocky road. 
 

Veteran Roy Edwards, 58, can't pinpoint when his troubles began, but he knows they date back to his service in the Marines during the Vietnam era.

Edwards was stateside as a military policeman, but his duty was stressful and brought him face-to-face with death and injury.  He has trouble discussing the details.  

Like many veterans, Edwards thought he left these difficulties behind when he left the service.  At that time, many veterans did not recognize that emotional trauma, if not faced and processed, can surface and cause problems years later.

Edwards entered civilian life and began a rewarding, successful life.  He worked in security and rose to a director's job at a luxury hotel, which had many high-level responsibilities.  He married and had four children. 

Then, challenges arose and past traumas heightened his emotional distress.  Edwards went to work for FEMA, then got laid off.  He got another job in security, but got injured.  Unemployed, his marriage ended, and he lost his home and his health, undergoing major colon surgery.  Edwards found it hard to cope.  He was homeless, sleeping on the streets.  When he went to the Veterans Administration for help, he was a man with a host of extreme troubles in all areas of his life.    

Then things began to slowly get better for Edwards. The VA referred him to Volunteers of America's Veterans Transitional Housing Program, where the staff welcomed him.  He finally had a roof over his head and support from compassionate, knowledgeable professionals who knew how to help.  "They saved my life,' Edwards says simply. 

The staff guided Edwards as he rebuilt his life.  They helped him stabilize his health and started a search for permanent housing.  They supported him as he worked to reunite his family and, perhaps most important, helped him face the emotional traumas he experienced as a young Marine. 

Edwards says he now understands how counseling can change lives.  He wants his children to get the same kind of help he has received so his whole family can experience emotional healing.  And, he wants to reach out to other veterans, thousands in New Orleans alone, who are experiencing the same rocky road.