Tony was just 17 on his first tour of Vietnam.
“It changed me,” says the U.S. Navy veteran. “I’ve seen and done things that would give you nightmares. Nothing can prepare you for that. You have to grow up real quick — either that or you die.”
Still, Tony considers himself lucky, “because I came back with both legs and both arms, though I do have some shrapnel here and there in my body.”
Those harrowing memories are enough to paralyze a person emotionally, and Tony has certainly had his struggles. But he says he found some good medicine when he discovered Help Heal Veterans about eight years ago.
Tony had been an avid woodworker much of his life anyway, but once he started building the HHV Therapy Kits, he discovered “an artistic side of me I didn’t know I had. I am thankful for what HHV and these kits have brought out in me.”
They bring out not just artistic ability, but can help improve fine motor skills and manual dexterity. Additionally, the kits that you’ve made possible are helping vets find a peace that passes all understanding.
To donors, Tony says, “What you give, you can’t see.” He elaborates: “Working on the kits gives mental stability to veterans who might be lost. It not only gives us something to do with our hands, but also with our minds.
“Vets might be thinking about their physical and mental problems, but these kits take us a world away from our problems. It really makes a difference.”
God bless you for helping vets like Tony find peace. Your kindness helps them recover physically, mentally, and emotionally. Thank you!
