Army Veteran Seeks Government Grant To Make Ends Meet

by Louis Nelson
(Norwood, NY, USA)

My name is Louis. I'm 24 years old. I have a beautiful wife and two adorable children ages 2 and 5.

I recently received an honorable discharge from the United States Army I was in for almost four years. During this time I was deployed to Iraq twice. I have been diagnosed with PTSD and severe depression

I have always been a good hard worker. I grew up in numerous foster homes. Nothing has ever been given to me. I have always worked hard for everything I have, which is not much, but it's all mine.

As much as I love the Army I could not stomach another year away from my children for I have already missed so much in their lives.

For this reason and this reason alone, I hung up my beret and stored my boots. Although the army had helped me get out of the welfare system and become more independent, I fear that if I don't reenlist I will find myself right back at square one.

I got back from my second deployment on September 15, 2009 by November 18. I was done with the army and I have been on unemployment ever since.

Making ends meet on unemployment is pretty hard. I have been looking for work and will continue to do so, but where I live in St. Lawrence County, NY, there are not a lot of opportunities here especially with the economy being how it is.

I have enrolled in SUNY Canton in hopes of one day being a psychologist. If all goes well, I should start in about two weeks.

With the help of the post 9/11 GI bill, I should not have to pay for college, which is great and they will even pay me $1050 a month for this area as long as I am a full-time student.

This is where a grant would come to some good use. Even a no or low interest loan would be extremely helpful.

I make around $1800 a month on unemployment and I'm barely making ends meet. To be honest, I fall short of making ends meet with the passing of each month. At least one bill will not get paid.

Even with a credit score of 644, it's so difficult to get a loan in these times. The bills are backing up and I'm worried I will end up losing everything I worked so hard to achieve.

I'm not looking for a handout, but any info that is helpful would be appreciated because with each passing day my dream seems to fade.

I truly love my country and I would die to protect this great land and all the people in it. Thank you for your support and understanding.

Learn More About What's On This Page

Enter search terms related to the page content. If you're not sure, start with "disabled grants" or "social security disability" or similar terms.