Thread: For a homeless veteran in Fayetteville, America has changed

For a homeless veteran in Fayetteville, America has changed

December 31, 2010
By Michael Futch
Staff writer



Mitchell Shird blames America for the gloomy mess his life is in.

He holds the nation accountable for the inferior education he received in South Carolina, putting him behind his white classmates in the early days of public school integration. He points the finger at Uncle Sam, too, for a lack of good-paying construction jobs. He says the work has been largely farmed out to the vast numbers of illegal immigrants allowed to stay here and pursue the American dream.

At 49, he's homeless.

The dreams he once had are over.

"This is a sad day for us," Shird said. "We didn't ask for it, but we got it. I want to go back to the America I had. Where a man can go out and make money."

Still, the homeless veteran doesn't want people to pity him.

He doesn't come off as bitter during interviews at the Salvation Army dining hall and inside his temporary place of shelter, not far from downtown Fayetteville.

He has labored all his life, primarily as a brick mason.

He once envisioned his retirement by the time he reached 50. Now, he said, he doesn't have enough change to jingle in his pockets.

"At one time, America was about life," Shird said from a corner bedroom of the vacant house where he sleeps at night. "But now that America is about money, there's not enough for everyone. Being homeless doesn't mean I'm not happy. I'm content. God has given me enough, and this is not my home."

Instead, the abandoned building provides shelter from the cold.

On this Monday night, he's wearing three coats, three pairs of pants and a do-rag to cover his balding head in the 16-by-20 foot room. A drop cord, attached to an outside utility pole, allows him to run a small electric heater. A table saw and a broken television set share space in the room with a small radio, toaster and microwave. Up against a cracked plaster wall is a small bed, upon which are strewn a dictionary, a commentary on Revelations and "The New Strong's Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible."

Not only does Shird build things with bricks, he's interested in rebuilding souls through his ministry. He speaks of starting an evangelical movement in Fayetteville.

This self-described pastor of the House of God Universal Ministries points out that Jesus was homeless. For more earthly nourishment, he goes to the Salvation Army and other places around town where the homeless are fed.

"When I grew up, I could see the chickens through the cracks in the floor and the stars through the ceiling at night," he said. "Yes, I've had new cars and a house. I've had those things. That was the good days in America. I'm going to live. I might not have a cell phone or a Cadillac."

Sue Byrd, who serves as the director of Fayetteville Area Operation Inasmuch, said Shird is no different than many of the hundreds of homeless who roam the streets of the city.

"It's life. It's the economy that we live in as far as jobs go," she said. "I had been hopeful that with so much construction going on in the city and Fort Bragg that vets would be hired. But we're not seeing it. They should have the first option.

"He's really typical of a lot of veterans we see. It's not an unusual story. And, mostly, there's no work."

Shird said a voice and a vision came to him after he turned 26, and that's when he decided to accept God as his savior. It was Dec. 4, 1987, and on the heels of a five-year cocaine habit in which he was burning through $1,700 a week on drugs.

These days, he studies the Bible nightly. He compiles spiral notebooks of his writings and inspirations.

"This is given to me by God," Shird said, as he read aloud from one of these spiritual journals under the intense glare of a work light. "I just write it. You have to obey God."

One hand-written entry, scrawled into a damp reference calendar, reads: "With the Lord in front, don't worry about what's behind."

Another one, dated March 14 reads: "You don't have to cross this finishing line to win the biggest prize; but you do have to cross to win. The prize is not given to the swift or to the strong, but to the one who endures until the end. Run therefore so you may obtain."

Born to sharecroppers, Shird grew up on a farm in rural Florence County, S.C. His father, Obadiah, died of a heart attack at 39, eight months into his wife's pregnancy with Mitchell.

By the age of 4, he was working in the cotton fields to help support the family. In those days in the South, he said, "When Mama went to work, you went to work."

From 1987 to about 1995, Shird ran his own brick masonry business in Pamplico, S.C. At the peak of the operation, he said, Miracle Masonry employed a staff of 17 and was bringing in $6,000 to $10,000 a week before payroll.

After graduating from high school in 1979, he worked for a couple of years in the mills around Florence. Then, he joined the Air Force and became an aircraft specialist stationed at Bitburg Air Base in West Germany.

"After the Air Force," he recalled, "I started laying brick. I engineer brick. I can brick anything."

For more than a quarter century now, he has worked in construction. But most of those jobs began to dry up for him, he said, as more Hispanics secured work from the labor pool. It's an issue that gnaws at the spiritual-minded Shird.

"Those are hard-working people. They'll work from sunup to sundown," he said. "I have nothing against their craftsmanship. But, (in many cases) they're illegals. This is it. This is where it is. This is America."

To survive, he has taken on jobs away from his Florence County roots. Jacquelene, his wife of 20 years, remains behind. They are not together, he said, because of their finances.

"If she came here to be with me," he said, half his face shrouded in darkness, "Fayetteville would have two homeless people."

He moves from place to place for jobs in the southeastern part of the country. He asks that his employer provide him with a place to stay and his meals. In return, Shird said he promises to work at half the cost of what he would normally charge.

When he moved to Fayetteville in May, Shird helped reface the House of God Church on Southern Avenue. He is now renovating the old house where he stays and where he writes daily on what he calls "the rudiments of the world."

"I've gone from $10,000 a week to four jobs a year," he said.

"Where is America?" he is prone to asking. "This is not the America I grew up in. America changed; I didn't change."

http://oneoldvet.com/

www.fayobserver.com

oh my lord... I'll say prayers for ya battle buddy

"After the Air Force," he recalled, "I started laying brick. I engineer brick. I can brick anything." For more than a quarter century now, he has worked in construction. But most of those jobs began to dry up for him, he said, as more Hispanics secured work from the labor pool. It's an issue that gnaws at the spiritual-minded Shird.

"Those are hard-working people. They'll work from sunup to sundown," he said. "I have nothing against their craftsmanship. But, (in many cases) they're illegals. This is it. This is where it is. This is America."

To survive, he has taken on jobs away from his Florence County roots. Jacquelene, his wife of 20 years, remains behind. They are not together, he said, because of their finances.

So I take it this homeless vet is black. We need to forward this to some of those self-appointed "civil rights leaders", who allow the invaders to hijack the civil rights issue. They allow it just because they anticipate more power for themselves in more victims, no matter how it might be hurting the very people they claim to want to help.

Whats black have to do with it?

I'm a disabled veteran who's white and I was homeless for a bit over a year. I couldn't get any assistance from the city, state, or feds because I was male and white. I was able to get after many petitions 2 months of food stamps $50 a month while the standard issue was $100 a month and 3 months. I lived in a homeless shelter at night, ate at soup kitchens. Had to work at day labor jobs making minimum wage no benefits getting maybe 2 days of work a week only after I become well known to the owner. I was also in my late 20's. Worked until I had enough saved to get a nice set of cloths and some other basics like a cell phone (employers don't want any1 w/o a phone). Found a bit better job and got back on my feet temporarily until a relapse. Later with VA assistance got on VA disability as I had physical and mental issues from combat.

I never did drugs, never smoked, or even drank. Along with being male and white these were the issues of why I couldn't get a lick of help from city, state, or feds until the VA.

Yet constantly freebies and handouts to the bad element, illegals, druggies, women popping out children for welfare benefits, those with chemical addictions, and so on.

Hell, one guy I had an interview with for trying to get state assistance in Minnesota suggested I lie and say I had a chemical addiction because as he said because of my sex and race thats they only way he could get me approved.

So I really don't see this guy maybe being black having anything to do with it. Just a government thats more interested in giving to those who don't deserve it.

Originally Posted by Syanis

Whats black have to do with it?

I'm a disabled veteran who's white and I was homeless for a bit over a year. I couldn't get any assistance from the city, state, or feds because I was male and white. I was able to get after many petitions 2 months of food stamps $50 a month while the standard issue was $100 a month and 3 months. I lived in a homeless shelter at night, ate at soup kitchens. Had to work at day labor jobs making minimum wage no benefits getting maybe 2 days of work a week only after I become well known to the owner. I was also in my late 20's. Worked until I had enough saved to get a nice set of cloths and some other basics like a cell phone (employers don't want any1 w/o a phone). Found a bit better job and got back on my feet temporarily until a relapse. Later with VA assistance got on VA disability as I had physical and mental issues from combat.

I never did drugs, never smoked, or even drank. Along with being male and white these were the issues of why I couldn't get a lick of help from city, state, or feds until the VA.

Yet constantly freebies and handouts to the bad element, illegals, druggies, women popping out children for welfare benefits, those with chemical addictions, and so on.

Hell, one guy I had an interview with for trying to get state assistance in Minnesota suggested I lie and say I had a chemical addiction because as he said because of my sex and race thats they only way he could get me approved.

So I really don't see this guy maybe being black having anything to do with it. Just a government thats more interested in giving to those who don't deserve it.

You sound just like my son

Originally Posted by AirborneSapper7

You sound just like my son

How yah mean?

Originally Posted by Syanis

Originally Posted by AirborneSapper7

You sound just like my son

How yah mean?

In his 20s, PTSD after 6 years in Iraq, was homeless (didnt tell anyone for about 6 months) couldnt get help from anyone, even the VA

Yup. Its actually very common now. Combat vets getting out and dumped on the street. Because of our strict training and such we don't fit in well with normal workplaces especially being combat vets and workplaces don't have any tolerance for it among already hard as hell finding a decent job.

Theres little help to be had out there for vets in hard positions except through the VA if your qualify which tends to take a fair bit of time. Now I believe the VA is great and really cares but politicians with other interests and burritorats or (bureaurats) don't want to make it easier. VA is understaffed and underfunded with the country just turning out a new generation of disabled vets when the old generation was just already keeping the system busy.

Then disabled vets get underpaid by between $7-11k a year for current vets as the VA Compensation rules by the government were to pay in disability pay the equivelent of a college grad with a 2-4 degree. Yet while those who proudly served and gave for their country are spit on we have free money for those who don't belong.

I know it .. I went through it.. I am retired from the army after 21.5 years as a combat engineer sapper

I have friends that have gone through it; my son as well... i had my own bout with it and there is very litle help for veterans; many of which are homeless

thats why i have such a big problem with dont ask, dont tell being changed; scarce money can be diverted from the VA to occommodate these flaky programs while disabled vets have to fight for a penny of help

Originally Posted by Syanis

Whats black have to do with it?

I'm a disabled veteran who's white and I was homeless for a bit over a year. I couldn't get any assistance from the city, state, or feds because I was male and white. I was able to get after many petitions 2 months of food stamps $50 a month while the standard issue was $100 a month and 3 months. I lived in a homeless shelter at night, ate at soup kitchens. Had to work at day labor jobs making minimum wage no benefits getting maybe 2 days of work a week only after I become well known to the owner. I was also in my late 20's. Worked until I had enough saved to get a nice set of cloths and some other basics like a cell phone (employers don't want any1 w/o a phone). Found a bit better job and got back on my feet temporarily until a relapse. Later with VA assistance got on VA disability as I had physical and mental issues from combat.

I never did drugs, never smoked, or even drank. Along with being male and white these were the issues of why I couldn't get a lick of help from city, state, or feds until the VA.

Yet constantly freebies and handouts to the bad element, illegals, druggies, women popping out children for welfare benefits, those with chemical addictions, and so on.

Hell, one guy I had an interview with for trying to get state assistance in Minnesota suggested I lie and say I had a chemical addiction because as he said because of my sex and race thats they only way he could get me approved.

So I really don't see this guy maybe being black having anything to do with it. Just a government thats more interested in giving to those who don't deserve it.

IF YOU DON'T MIND ME SAYING, THIS IS NOT A BLACK OR WHITE ISSUE. ITS ALL ABOUT HOW ILLEGAL ALIENS ARE EVEN GETTING HIRED BEFORE THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED THIS COUNTRY AND ARE NOW UMEMPLOYED AND HOMELESS. ITS ABOUT A TIME WHEN VETERANS USE TO HAVE FIRST DIBS WHEN IT CAME TO GETTING A JOB IN THIS COUNTRY. NOW ITS THOSE WHO ARE IN THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY BEING HIRED OVER THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED IN THE MILITARY. THIS IS AN AMERICAN THNG PLAIN AND SIMPLE.