The system is broken when it comes to help for our Veterans--can you help a Marine?

There is something wrong with the system, when we look at the growing rates of US Veterans facing homelessness and not having the support needed when they are facing darker times. I can say this based on the experiences I have seen personally over the last 34 years with my dad, Mark Somerville, a Marine Veteran that due to having a less then honorable discharge will not get the help that he needs. He like many others, enlisted young at 17 from Pennsyvania. At the time, he was the oldest of three siblings and due to years of physical abuse he enlisted as soon as he could. My father joined the US Marines, and was a Cook in the kitchen feeding hundreds daily.

Due to an incident that involved a fight between my dad and another marine, his service ended up being cut short after 3.5 years of serving. This made him ineligible for VA benefits, programs or advocacy. My dad is someone who just this week at 64 years old is now laid off after being a Semi truck driver over the last 30+ years. My mom is disabled and on a fixed income of under $800, and the area they live in has a cost of living that requires you to make 110K/year to survive. As the one working outside of the home, my dad is now currently working to find opportunities that will allow him to work from home, such as dispatch and we are currently working together to showcase his achievements, skills and talents for hiring managers.

I decided to make this an article, as a hope that I can connect with VA Advocates that may be able to assist my dad finally get his less then honorable changed to a honorable discharge, and help him get into the programs. I also am attempting to reach #HiringManagers who are looking for fully remote candidates with over 30 years of Long and Short haul trucking, and who would be an excellent addition for a company needed a Dispatcher, a CDL trainer (He has his CDL w/a Triple Endorsement) , or even involved with Safety or Logistics. He has also previously owned a mail store, where my parents shipped packages, managed inventory, provided customer service and ran a budget. He may look like Jerry Garcia, but he is a teddy bear at heart- and is extremally loyal to the company he works at.

My dad lives in WA, and is looking for :

• Remote opportunities, with companies that provide equipment
• Empower and believe in helping Veterans
• A company that will understand the effects of PTSD on our service men and women after they complete their service.

This is the hardest part of the year- but now living in the Midwest while they are the West coast is horrible. Please help me find my parents a miracle.

Mark Somerville's Contact information

• Phone number is 425-321-9516
• Email is [email protected]

Thank you and please reach out to my dad if you are able to help. To get a copy of his resume, please reach out to me at [email protected] with "Request for Mark Somerville's Resume" in the subject line.