Army veteran helps peers beat addiction

Well, the veteran who is the national face of U.S. Vets Made Camo, Your Cause campaign is now helping other vets battling substance abuse problems. Fox 26's Randy Wallace has that story. You're a Veterans Day baby. Yes. You were born on Veterans Day. Yes. You enlisted a little after you turned 17. Right. Right after my 17th birthday. What made you decide to do that? Well, I was living in South Central Los Angeles and I saw The direction my life was heading- How many years did you spend in the army? Six years, from November 24, 1975 till November 27, 1981. What was that like for you? I loved it, I loved it. I love that you know, The kinship, the discipline, I was a 19 year old corporal. I was drinking pretty excessive before I joined the army. And then the army kind of Promoted by me being a non-commissioned officer, the army kind of promoted drinking. The military does that. You ended up being homeless for a time. Yes, I would say maybe between seven, eight years, a homeless career. And my drinking and drug use took me to the streets of Skid Row, downtown Los Angeles. You've been sober now for 33 years. What do you attribute that to your sobriety? The recovery process, the 12 step recovery process. And the part that US vets played in that I was engaged in the recovery process and I was in a safe place. We provide the housing. There's counseling, there's individual therapy, there's group therapy sessions. The, the, the, the, There's wraparound services that supports the veteran while they're going through the challenging because the recovery process is challenging. I would want a person veteran or non veteran to know that they can actually obtain the help that they need But they have to ask for it. If you're a vet with a substance abuse problem or no one, go to usvets.org. Randy Wallace, Fox 26 News.