Iraq veteran and family heading into homelessness

We can read about numbers but we don't really know the veterans or the families behind the numbers. Here's one of them. We have a choice here. We can just get really sad reading about another homeless veteran in a few months or, we can do something about it today. If you know someone that can help this family, please share this story with them.

Veteran, family in danger of becoming homeless
By Melanie Tucker

It’s one thing to hold a yard sale to get rid of some old golf clubs or a few dresses you’ve outgrown.

It’s quite another when the motivation is providing groceries for your family.

The Duke family, who resides off East Broadway Avenue in Maryville, set out some items they could do without for a sale on a recent weekend. They sold some and used the extra money for food.

The larger picture, however, is even more dire. Stuart Duke is 55 and a veteran of the U.S. Army, having served in Korea, Germany, Egypt, Honduras and Iraq. The home he bought back in 1995 before he married Beatrice is now on the auction block, set to be sold to the highest bidder on the steps of the Blount County Courthouse. The date — July 24 — is getting way too close for this family of three.

The Dukes are raising their 14-year-old granddaughter who’s been with them since the age of 3. It’s the only home she’s known.

The Dukes said they’ve received the notice of the pending sale from their lawyer, who confirmed the state-mandated legal notice was published in the Knoxville News Sentinel rather than The Daily Times, despite the fact that they live in Maryville.

Proud to serve

Stuart’s military service began in 1975, and he remained in the Army until 1992. He then entered the inactive reserves until 2000 when he became an active reservist. He stayed for 10 years, just recently getting out. His year of service in Iraq was as an active reservist. That was in 2004.
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