Posted on 01/11/2014 5:32:00 AM PST by Carriage Hill
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. — After a 30-year military career in which he earned three graduate degrees, rose to the rank of colonel, and served as an aide to Pentagon brass, Robert Freniere can guess what people might say when they learn he's unemployed and lives out of his van:
Why doesn't this guy get a job as a janitor?
Freniere answers his own question: "Well, I've tried that."
Freniere, 59, says that his plea for help, to a janitor he once praised when the man was mopping the floors of his Washington office, went unfulfilled. So have dozens of job applications, he says, the ones he has filled out six hours a day, day after day, on public library computers.
So Freniere, a man who braved multiple combat zones and was hailed as "a leading light" by an admiral, is now fighting a new battle: homelessness.
(Excerpt) Read more at yorkdispatch.com ...
I read somewhere, that many of the homeless are indeed, mentally-ill. Don’t know if that’s true or not... some articles:
I noticed that, too. There’s really no confirmation of his claims by the author.
“I read somewhere, that many of the homeless are indeed, mentally-ill.”
I knew this uber-liberal black man who had spent a career in mental health as a nurse. He told the story of a program where they bought houses, furniture and clothes for street people and moved them into free, nice houses. They sold the clothes and furniture and didn’t spend even one night in their houses. When he hunted them down they were mad at him for disrupting their lives.
Another homeless woman claimed she was somebody famous. When he contradicted her, she slapped him so hard he fell over backwards. She shook her finger and said, “Don’t ever contradict me.”
The Connecticut police called him out to certify a homeless guy who had nailed his penis to a tree. He took one look and said, “Yep. He’s crazy. Let’s try and get the nail out and lock him up.”
So true, and sad to waste all the valuable experience which older employees can bring to a business.
Damn; same article with 3 different titles! No wonder it didn’t turn up on a search for me.
Schroeder?
No the wife who is married to a military man and tragically gets divorced receives part of the pension because the view is she sacraficed as we’ll.
Anyone couple that gets divorced can lay claim to pension funds.
I read this book years ago called 'Stolen Valor' or something like that that basically said that a lot of hippies who claim to be (Vietnam) veterans really aren't. Since then, everytime I read a story like this one, I question it.
That might be the “something missing” from the article, which I noticed.
This story stinks of something not told. 30 yr career + degrees makes you a heck of a lot more than $60K per year, even after the gov’t takes 50% or more if there is a state income tax.
Hubby went in in 1958, retired 20 yrs later as a SCPO, taught electronics and worked the flight deck, now they did not pay as well as they do now. He gets $17K pension plus Tricare Life, along with SS and Medicare. That over qualifies him for VA care.
He receives a $40,000. yearly pension. He is paying for two sons to be in college. Most notably it was said he has the gift of gab. Not a bad gift as long as he can wrap it up once in a while.
There is a small population of military retiree “terminal rats” who do nothing more than live at military air terminals and USOs during operating hours between space a flights - occasionally team up to share a room on base between flights. Aka, Space A Bums.
Not a problem IMO. Those were posted days ago and different sources
title articles differently. I just posted the links in case anyone maybe
interested in reviewing the comments on them.
My sister who has been a retired officer now longer than she served knows a former colonel who lives out of his car and drives around the country visiting people. When he comes to see her he stays in a motel. He’s been doing this for more than 20 years. She says she thinks he’s fairly well off.
Just depends on what you are willing to give up to live a certain way...Lots of people live full time in an RV too.
I appreciate your doing that; the comments were good to read.
Can’t you “dumb down” & “experience down” your resume? It seems that most low level jobs don’t do a whole lot of background checking.
It is possible that he is divorced and his ex gets half of his pension.
This is a very sad story - and I know I’m wrong to post this - but surely I can’t be the only one to whom this came to mind..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nhgfjrKi0o
Enough about Hillary and Moochelle...
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