James, born in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a Purple Heart and a Silver Star recipient, for acts of bravery in the first Gulf War. He spent one year in Iraq in the Army Special Forces where he did secret missions in enemy territory.
How did you become homeless? I have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and I medicated myself. It is hard getting over the fact of people dying. But I got help for it, and now I am pretty much where I can walk on my own two feet. The dark period is pretty much over.
So what are your plans now that you are in a better place? I would like to be a great writer, and earn an associates or bachelors degree in journalism. I am looking at Liberty University Online. I have a lot to talk about. I’m writing an autobiography about the war. God has been blessing me. I see myself as being law enforcement, and they are working with me. I have a good record. I see myself a supervisor in a law enforcement security type agency. I’m also a personal trainer.
How do you like being a vendor for Street Sense? It helped me as far as writing. I have been bitten by the writing bug now. Reaching out to a lot of people that don’t understand homelessness is good too. Most people I talk to say, “I didn’t know that homeless people are like this, until I started reading the paper, and now I buy Street Sense every day.”
What’s an interesting fact that you want your readers to know? I am trained with a black belt. What’s your favorite food? Fried chicken and watermelon.
What’s your favorite song? Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On?”
