Success Stories

Inspiring Veteran Success: Real Lives, Real Impact!

We are glad to share with you The Lost Vets Rescue's Success Stories page. Here, we showcase the inspiring journeys of people we have been fortunate enough to help in Tennessee.


These stories are about hope, strength, and how a little support can make a huge difference. Every person we have assisted has their own unique story to tell.


It's a story of overcoming challenges and how our work has made a positive impact on their lives. Reach out today at (865) 315-5978 and let's make a difference.

Homeless Navy

Living on the streets, he'd lost his job, car, and apartment. Unable to get help through the other Veteran's organizations, he turned to A Home 4 Heroes.

Our Homeless Navy Veteran enlisted in 1990. He attended boot camp at The Naval Training Center in Orlando, Florida. He continued corpsman training at the Hospital Corpsman School at the Naval Training Center in the Great Lakes. And then onto the Field Medical School in Fort Sam Houston, Texas. As a Designation 8404 Field Marine Corpsman, he was assigned to 1st Battalion 8th Marines, deployed to Fallujah (1990-1991), assigned to the VMFA 312 on Theodore Roosevelt (1992-1996), and deployed to Panama for "counter-narcotics operations" (1994). He received his Honorable Discharge in 1996.


After He returned to the States, He went to Cleveland, Ohio. Afterward, he moved to Oak Ridge, TN, for a fresh start. He lived and worked for 7 years before a traffic violation got him incarcerated, resulting in his loss of transportation, work, and a home. After being turned down by most Veteran Organizations, he turned to A Home 4 Heroes for one last shot and was accepted with open arms. We could put him in a hotel room and soon into a house. He now has a job and is working hard to complete all the court's requirements. We provide transportation to and from work and to all of his medical and court appointments. This is his success story.

Air Force – Homeless and Abused 77-Year-Old Vet

Gordon grew up in Maryville, TN. He joined the Air Force in 1961. He was stationed at Clark Field in the Philippines. Gordon was an aircraft mechanic on the flight line. Gordon served honorably until the end of 1964, when he was discharged.


Gordon returned home to take his place in civilian life and worked a regular job until his retirement. Gordon was married but never had kids! He became a good friend to others and was able to construct a good life all the way up until he reached his 70s. In 2014 Gordon's wife of many years died, and he began to suffer from loneliness. Gordon had a good retirement, two houses, and several cars. In 2015 Gordon met a lady 35 years his junior. She told him she wanted to take care of him and did that alright… Fast forward 3 years.

Gordon is sleeping under a bridge or in a basement, on the floor, or in the woods all alone until his check comes, and then he is pampered for a few days until his money of $1400.00 Plus $500 is gone. Two houses gone, all cars gone, dentures broke, ribs broke, hearing aids destroyed. This lady broke and destroyed him. By this time, Gordon has become confused and disoriented.


With nowhere to go, he is found by a homeless outreach ministry which brings him to us here at The Lost Vets. We took him, and after several days of us putting him up in a motel, we heard that the lady was looking everywhere for him! At this point, our director decided that Gordon needed 24-hour protection from this monster who was searching frantically for her gold mine. Willie (Our Director) took Gordon home with him and set him up in his and his wife Nancy's home, where he has everything he needs. We have re-established his insurance, resulting in new dentures, hearing aids are on the way, and he has clean clothes!


NOT OVER YET!


Although we had Gordon in our care, a time ago, when he was to receive his money (the first money he has had in three years), we found out that his card, the one the Social Security office uses to disperse his payment was compromised and was no longer valid. This lady who was "taking care of him" had access to all of Gordon's information. She had called to report his card lost, and a new one was issued. It was sent to her address, where she proceeded to activate the card and drain $1460.00 off it with just two transactions only one minute apart! We visited the Social Security office only to find out they could do nothing because they had deposited the money in the bank, which was the card issuer.


A police report has been filed, and we are awaiting the outcome of the investigation!


Please check back; we will continue to post updates as they come in!

Her Name Is Michelle!

She served in the United States Military along with her husband. They were stationed at one point in Germany, where she had to undergo surgery on a portion of her skull. A Steele plate was installed. So after leaving Germany, they moved to Knoxville in Dec. 1989. On July 4, 1990, Michelle's husband was killed in a motorcycle accident!


Undaunted by her misfortunes, Michelle continued to forge ahead… Raising 3 girls and maintaining an important job at Comcast from 2007-2015, at which time she was terminated because she began to have seizures.

Today Michelle is in a state where, although science has some promising breakthroughs! There is just no guarantee right now with her prognosis!


We can't change that!


That said! There are some things we can change, some things we CAN help with!


Michelle cannot continue living in her current environment, and she will not allow her 16-year-old daughter to be with her because the area where Michelle currently resides is unsafe for a 16-year-old female. Her illness makes upkeep and care just too taxing, and having a safe, clean environment is crucial to quality of life! Michelle's desire is to have her daughter with her!


We can't fix her current house adequately. We just can't! But what we can do is build her one by Christmas! And she has asked us to!

Michelle didn't ask for a cruise, didn't want a trip to Disney, didn't want a new TV or meet a celebrity.


Michelle asked us to give her a "Tiny Home"! A home she can share with her daughter, come what may!


We WILL build her a "Tiny Home"!

Will you help?


God is always looking for ways to show His love… and His miracles!

Please, please, help us do this for Michelle!

This is Samantha!

Samantha is a navy Veteran who found herself in an abusive relationship with a man who caused her much pain and suffering! Her boyfriend made her stay at home alone and even went as far as beating her. She called the authorities, but with nowhere else to go, she was forced to stay in their small mobile home with her boyfriend's brother and fiance. They would turn off the heat in Samantha's room during freezing weather and turn the power off to the water heater. She had all her money stolen by this same guy, and her car was disabled!

She has a small son and tried everything to remove her from the situation. Enter The Lost Vets! Per her request, we removed her from this situation!


She now has her own place and works part-time at A Home 4 Heroes with a plan of starting an art therapy class for those needing an outlet! Helping others heal through the expression of art!

Meet Victor!

Victor is an Army Ranger who has been living in the woods around Knoxville, TN, for the last 6 years. When we first heard about Victor, we immediately went in search for him… It's a good thing we did! When we finally found him on top of a little mountain, he was suffering from an infection due to MRSA! We had him admitted to the hospital for almost a week. After discharge, we put him in temporary housing at a local motel! 

Victor is a hard-core case for us. He just doesn't like being around many people! His war stories are as interesting as anything you have ever heard! Victor dropped off the map several times on us, but we kept looking! We would find him and put him in another temporary situation, and the next thing you know, he would be AWOL again! We are currently still looking for Victor… No Alcohol or drug issues… He just likes to be left alone! We will be there when he gets ready to come in from the cold! Thank you, Victor, for your service!

Help Us Transform Lives, One Story at a Time

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