Homeless Gulf War Veteran Finds Shelter and People Care

Homeless Veteran Finds Shelter in His Truck, Help from His Friends
KSTP News
By: Beth McDonough
February 20, 2015

"A lot of veterans get fed up or exhausted or feel like there's no hope and they stop," he said. That's why Hammill put his pride aside and came forward with his struggle so other vets in need know it's OK to get help.

Roughly 200 veterans are without a home in the Twin Cities metro. They sleep wherever they can in the frigid cold.

For one veteran, that means his truck. Matt Hammill, a 31-year-old Navy veteran who served in the Persian Gulf, describes his life during the past few months as "hell" before being overcome with emotion. Hammill, an aircraft mechanic by trade, is homeless.

"When you don't have anywhere permanent, you just stay and kind of live out of your bag," he said.

Or in his case, his truck, which has become his home over the winter. After struggling through a night of 6 degrees below zero, he said, "I went through half a tank of fuel. I'd start it up and fall asleep, start it up, let it get warm."

He hardly slept because "there's no heat." He didn't want to go through another night like that. Out of desperation, he reached out to his military friends in another state. They rallied by starting a GoFundMe site and reaching out to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.
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