MIAMI – A U.S. Army Veteran who served two tours in Vietnam found himself on the streets after serving 20 years in the military.
"I lost quite a few buddies there," Freeman Butler said while describing his time in Vietnam. "By being a special forces unit, I mostly did all of my work at night. I was what you call a tunnel rat."
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Butler recalled some of the horrors of war. He served in the U.S. Army for nearly 20 years, enlisting at the tender age of 18. He served two tours in Vietnam, where he received our nation's second highest medal of honor, the Silver Star for an act of bravery and valor that saved lives.
"I will never forget, we got hit from both sides and they were in tunnels. We couldn't see them," he said.
After his lieutenant was killed, Butler was in charge of a squad of 13. He said he will never forget that night in July 1968 when he lost his best friend.
"He was my specialist and he went in the hole, which he shouldn't have, and he encountered an explosive and lost half his body. I went in there under a barrage of fire and pulled his body out," Butler said.
"Everybody was pinned down and I just grabbed the M-60 and started shooting. I didn't know if I was going to come out of it alive or not, and luckily out of the 14 guys 10 of us was gone and four survived."
Thanks to adrenaline, little did Butler know during the fire fight that he was shot three times.
"When I got back to call in support at the helicopter that is when I felt the wounds," he said. "They said, 'but serg, you are shot.' I said, 'where?'"
Butler was hit in the back and legs with shrapnel and it was those debilitating injuries that eventually led to him having difficulty finding a job and eventually becoming homeless.
"You end up staying with relatives and then that is for only so long. Then you stay with friends but that is for only so long and then where are you?” he said.
The silver star recipient who fought and was injured fighting for our country found himself homeless on the streets of Miami.
"Depressing! It was at a point where I cried but had no tears. The pain was there," Butler said. "A whole lotta shame because I was so used to having. So used to doing."
Thankfully the 68-year-old got in touch with the veterans homeless hotline and today he lives in a one-bedroom apartment where his five grown children visit, and he lives with pride and dignity.
"They really came through for me and I got this place," Butler said. "I have been in here for a year and I thank God for that."
Veterans in need are urged to call the veterans homeless hotline at 1-877-994-HELP. Landlords willing to donate apartments to veterans are asked to call 305-499-VETS.
To make a cash donation to help veterans in need visit www.411veterans.com.