Street Sense vendor Jake Ashford joined the U.S. military at age 18 looking for a job. He completed basic training in Missouri, attended school at Fort Lee, and was then stationed in Germany for 6.5 years where he worked with army supplies.
Jake progressed to E5 sergeant status and was promoted to warehouse supervisor. He said going before the army board to obtain his E5 status was his proudest moment. But three months prior to the completion of his military service, Jack was discharged after one of the men under his supervision damaged an army-issue vehicle.
When Jake left the military, he stayed in Germany another 14 years working for Department of Defense contractors and making as much as 10 to 12 times the amount he was making in the military. During this time, Jake was married to a German woman, and they had a son. In 2000 the two divorced, and Jake moved back to the U.S. alone.
In 2001 Jake came to Washington, D.C. where he hoped to have access to his veteran’s benefits for a head injury and frostbite he suffered during his service. One year later Jake was told by the Veterans Benefits Administration that his records had been destroyed in a fire. After almost 10 years of waiting, to this day, Jake has only received 20% of his benefits.
When Jake first moved to Washington, D.C., he worked for a short time as a warehouse supervisor at the Washington Hospital Center. He then took a job in the dining services at the VA Medical Center. After losing his job at the medical center, in 2003 Jake started living on the street. In 2004 Jake heard about Street Sense from a vendor, and he began selling the paper. Jake says he finds relief in writing about his situation in the paper. Also he has met people through Street Sense who have helped him along the way. For example, one day Jake sold a paper to one man who invited him to attend services at the Calvary Baptist Church. Jake went, and while at the church, was introduced to a man who works at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. For 10 years Jake’s claims for veteran benefits have been denied, but after this fateful meeting, he recently received a letter announcing an appeal on his claims.
These days Jake is living in his own apartment and has been living “on the inside” since February 2009. He continues to sell Street Sense and is waiting for the date of his VA board examination to be scheduled. In the meantime he still attends Calvary Baptist Church on Sundays and is looking forward to seeing his son who is studying to be an electrician.
Jake would like to leave Street Sense readers with the following message: “Life is hard, but it’s worth living. I enjoy the new challenges that come with each new day.”
