Veteran Describes Rebuilding His Life With U.S.VETS After Losing His Home

Gulf War veteran Thomas Garrett Jr. told Fox News he became homeless after heart surgery and used help from the nonprofit U.S.VETS to start over. His story is part of Fox Corporation's sixth annual "Make Camo Your Cause" campaign ahead of Veterans Day.

Key points

• His story: Speaking Saturday on "Fox News Live," Garrett said his return from the Gulf War was met with parades, but heart surgery years later left him without a home and changed his life.
• The nonprofit: U.S.VETS offers housing, food and career help, and says it assists more than 20,000 veterans and their families each year.
• Its totals: The group reports serving more than 500,000 meals, providing 418,000 nights of shelter and placing 3,000 veterans in permanent housing to date.
• Transition gap: Executive director Quandrea Patterson said service members know their mission in uniform, but much of what comes after leaving the military is unknown to them, which she said can leave them at risk of homelessness.

Quick take

Garrett called the program a "new starting point for veterans" that gave him structure and a routine to build from. Patterson said honoring veterans should go beyond one day a year and show appreciation in actions as well as words. Fox is the founding media sponsor of the campaign, according to the report.

Read the full story at Fox News.