Army veteran overcomes cancer and homelessness

You served in the Army? Yes, I did. And again, how many years did you serve in the Army? Four. Four years? Yes. Where were you stationed? Took basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia. Left Fort Benning, Georgia, went to Fort Knox, Kentucky. Left Fort Knox, Kentucky, went overseas to South Korea. You have the Army flag right behind you. Yes, sir. What does your service and your time in the service in the Army mean to you? It means a great deal to me because at the particular time that I went in, it was peacetime, you know, but that was an adventure that I felt that I needed to go through, you know I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. In 2023, I went through 28 weeks of radiation treatment. That went well, you know, I'm in remission now. How has the VOA Michigan helped you in your journey? Through counseling, conversations, you know, opportunities, you know, I'm a resident here. The Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program, it's funded through the Department of Labor, Veterans Employment and Training. And it helps veterans that are homeless, or at risk of homelessness, to help them with employment. What's really exciting is we just got this grant. So what I'm doing, along with helping vets, I'm also reaching out to community partners to establish relationships to help them. I'm looking to partner with car dealerships to have a referral program to refer vets because they need transportation. What does it mean for you, for me, that when you have spent most of your life helping others, places like the VOA have been able to help you out? I went into the situation. Thinking and looking for a positive outlook. That's what I did. Did it take time? Yes, it did. It took a little quicker than I thought. I thought I was going to be here six months. They got me out in four. So I felt good, you know Proper planning prevents poor performance. I'm a firm believer in that. You sound like a football player, man. I'm a firm believer in that. Those veterans, they know how to make a plan and get it done, right? All week, we here at Fox 2 are sharing stories of veterans, including Brian Branch. As part of our Fox's Make Camo Your Cause series, you can watch all of our stories on our website. It's fox2detroit.com. And on social media, you can use the hashtag HonorUSVets.