Gulf War vet says heart surgery led to homelessness before USVETS

Gulf War veteran Thomas Garrett Jr. returned home to celebratory parades, but years later, he found himself homeless after undergoing heart surgery.

Garrett’s efforts to rebuild his life after becoming homeless are highlighted in Fox Corporation’s sixth annual “Make Camo Your Cause” campaign with U.S.VETS, a nationwide initiative ahead of Veterans Day aimed at helping end veteran homelessness.

“The homecoming was a phenomenal event,” Garrett said Saturday on ” Live.”

“I became homeless after having heart surgery. So that changed everything about my dynamic in life,” he added.

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U.S.VETS, a national nonprofit dedicated to ending veteran homelessness, provides housing, food and career help to service members in need. According to the organization, it assists more than 20,000 veterans and their families each year. To date, U.S.VETS has served over 500,000 meals, provided 418,000 nights of shelter and placed 3,000 veterans into permanent housing.

Quandrea Patterson, executive director of U.S.VETS, explained that Garrett’s experience reflects a broader challenge facing veterans as they transition from military to civilian life.

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U.S.VETS executive director Quandrea Patterson appears on ” Live” on Saturday to discuss the challenges veterans face when transitioning from military to civilian life, including the risk of homelessness. (Screenshot/” Live”)

“A lot of times when veterans are in service, they’re told, and they know exactly what to do because they’re mission-focused,” Patterson said. “And then during that transition from active service to civilian service or veteran status, a lot of the information, a lot of the things to expect are unknown.”

The uncertainty surrounding that transition can leave veterans vulnerable to homelessness, Patterson said. 

For Garrett, U.S.VETS offered the structure and support he needed to move forward.

“U.S.VETS is a new starting point for veterans,” Garrett said. “It’s a square one to where you can build up your life the way the veteran themselves need it. It gives us good structure. It gives us a good routine to begin and to build from there.”

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Ahead of Veterans Day, Patterson stressed that honoring those who served requires more than celebrating them once a year.

“Freedom isn’t free, and for the freedom that we’re experiencing, that, there is somebody out there volunteering to put their life on the line and to navigate the unknown,” Patterson said. “When they get out, we should wrap our arms around them to make sure that they know that that service was appreciated in more than just words, but in deed as well.”

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Fox Corporation’s sixth annual “Make Camo Your Cause” campaign is in partnership with U.S.VETS. The initiative aims to raise awareness and funds to help combat veteran homelessness across the United States. (Screenshot/” Live”)

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FOX is the founding media sponsor of the campaign, which aims to bring visibility and awareness to the tragic issue in the United States while transforming what it means to wear camo here at home. 

Over the past five years, the campaign has driven significant donations to U.S.VETS and greater awareness of the critical work it does.

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Viewers can “Make Camo Your Cause” by donating or shopping online at the link.

Digital’s Brian Flood contributed to this report.