When The Shooting Stops: Unemployed Army Vet Sells Medal On eBay

Friday, June 22, 2012

Unemployed Army Vet Sells Medal On eBay

It's no secret to anyone paying attention that, in addition to all the other challenges faced by our men and women returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, unemployment has become chief among those.

So it was tough times for Bill Shephard, an Army Veteran from Woodbury, New Jersey, who came home from Iraq in 2009, when he lost his job at Best Buy and was unable to find continued employment to support his family. This prompted the 43-year-old Shephard to make the incredibly difficult decision to raise money for his family by selling his Army Achievement Medal on eBay.

"Instead of going under a bridge with a sign, 'Will Work for Food,'" Shephard said, "I decided to place the award online for a bid."

Shephard has three children — two boys, ages 4 and 8 and a 12-year-old daughter — and he reached a point of desperation after his unemployment checks ran out in October.

"I served my country from 2008 until 2009 in support of operation Iraqi freedom. When I returned home I immediately went back to work at BestBuy to support my family, BestBuy closed the department that I worked in so, like many Americans, I found myself on unemployment," wrote Shephard in his eBay post. "I am still unemployed and have three beautiful young children that are counting on me for support, I have used numerous VA agencies to help seek employment and also have resumes posted with all the top career resume posting websites."

"I have now decided to sell my award I received during my deployment in hopes that it will generate a generous financial response with the intent on using the income to support of my wife and three wonderful children that sacrificed alot while I was away."

But this story, while sad in what precipitated it, has a happy ending.

Shephard's medal "sold" on eBay yesterday for $5,200 in a move that was undoubtedly more charitable than an effort by someone to acquire an Army decoration. He hopes to use the proceeds from his medal to buy a lawnmower to start a landscaping business.

Others offered donations to Shephard and his family.

The unemployment rate for America's Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans hovers consistently at four to five percent over the national average so there's no quick fixes for Shephard or any other unemployed Vet. But it's nice to go into the weekend with an inspiring story of people stepping up in a way that goes way beyond slapping a support-the-troops sticker on their car.

Here's more:

UPDATE 06/22/12 6:30 PM EDT: The Gloucester County Times (NJ.com) is reporting that the first buyer for the medal (at $5,200) has backed out on the offer. Why would someone do that? You can go here to read more.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Why This Blog?

I spent a lot of the last decade pissed off -- really pissed off. And my writing at the time reflected it: Angry, pointed and focused like a laser on everything I did not like about the previous administration and, in particular, the war in Iraq, which as a military Veteran, left me fuming more days than not.

My opposition to the Iraq war was specifically because of having been in the military and my unshakable belief that our men and women in uniform were serving honorably and with tremendous courage in a war that was not worthy of their sacrifice. I stand by every word I wrote during that time, but I would be lying if I said there were not some things that I wish I could take back. Thus is the lot you draw for yourself when you are angry and where most of what you care about is what you are against, rather than what you are for.

This web site and my upcoming book, When The Shooting Stops, will be all about what I am for: Our newest military families who have sacrificed so much over the last 10 years, the people who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and our duty as a nation to see that what they gave -- and what they risked -- is honored and never forgotten.

I can't promise I will never take a political tone -- can any of us ever swear to that these days? What I do promise is that I will damned well try to keep this blog about the people who are wearing the uniform, those who have served and their families. I may call some people out, but I will try to make the criteria for that criticism what they do for or against the interests of our military people and Veterans and not what political party they belong to.

After feeling at odds for so many years with my more conservative friends, it feels good to come back to something that, at its core, is something most people can agree with -- our military families and Veterans gave to us and we must remember to give back to them.

Thanks for reading.