Vietnam Veteran faces eviction from hurricane ravaged home: 'I (have) a whole village'
VALRICO, Fla. - A local veteran is struggling to stay in his hurricane-ravaged home in Valrico.
He's now facing eviction.
Now, other veterans and the community are trying to ensure he has a home for the holidays.
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"The next big blow might just take it out," Army Veteran Brad Harper said, pointing to his Valrico trailer in the Oakhill Village.
Brad Harper, an Army veteran facing eviction after his home was damaged by hurricanes.
Through the terrifying nights, Harper rode out Hurricanes Helene and Milton in his trailer, his loyal dog Buddy by his side.
"When you hear screeching like the devil's demons and the wind, and you can't stand that because the winds push you," Harper said.
Milton moved the trailer three inches off its foundation. The roof of his trailer was sucked up, and the windows were sucked in.
"It rained in the house. Everything was soaked," said Harper.
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Harper has spent the weeks since trying to patch his trailer back together.
Harper's home after the hurricanes.
The repair costs ate through his rent money, and he fell behind.
Now facing eviction, his greatest fear is being separated from Buddy.
"Now I’m going to cry. I said I wasn’t going to do that," Harper said.
Harper is no stranger to hard times.
He grew up in Illinois during the Vietnam War and enlisted in the Army at age 18.
"I said, ‘I’m volunteering’ because at home, there was no work. It was a desert. I didn’t get picked up to play college ball, and I certainly couldn’t afford to go to college," Harper said.
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He was shipped off to boot camp in Fort Hood, Texas, which, he says, may as well have been like Mars.
"A lot of people don't know about homesickness. The smell of popcorn to this day still reminds me of grandma," Harper said.
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The 62nd combat engineer lost one home in a fire. Now, he faces losing another.
As Harper looked for someone to shelter Buddy if he ended up on the streets, word spread to veterans at the Elk’s Lodge in Brandon.
Buddy, Harper's dog.
"The people, the men and women who served in Vietnam, weren't welcomed home the way that they should have been, especially with the sacrifices that they made," said Cheryl Barker of the Elks Lodge. "So, at this stage in their lives, I really think we need to step up and help in any way that we can. We owe that to them not just as individuals but as a country."
Barker is working with Harper’s landlord, trying to raise $4,000 to cover the back rent and asking the community to help repair her damaged home.
They're about a fourth of the way there.
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"We can't have anybody homeless for the holidays. Baby Jesus wasn't homeless, and no one should be homeless at Christmas," said Barker.
Lately, life has felt as lonely as it did back at basic training.
"I don't have nobody that I can say. I need to use your couch. Can I have 20 bucks?" said Harper.
But as it turns out, Harper is far from alone...
"I (have) a whole village," Harper said.
A village, trying to keep him home for the holidays with Buddy.
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