Veteran's Day: Joel - A Homeless Veteran in Downtown Decatur.

I met Joel back in May when I began this blog. I was sitting on a ledge in the square, when he initiated the conversation about photography. He never asked me for a dime, and still doesn't today. I make it a point to stop and chat with Joel on each visit to Decatur.

With his Morgan Freeman voice and slight physical resemblance, Joel isn't your typical homeless man panhandling for cash.  He feels that no one owes him a thing. Joel is always dressed nicely with clothes he receives sometimes from the church or nearby thrift stores, and makes every attempt to not appear homeless to avoid conflict with the law. He separates himself from most other homeless on the street that he feels have a tendency to self destruct. He attends church regularly at Decatur Presbyterian and has a close relationship with the pastor and many of the local residents.

I have to wonder how many of the troops returning home from Iraq will be confronted with the current job market. Will the businesses like Halliburton and Lockheed Martin that so passionateley supported the troops going off to war support them at home with prosperous employment?

Downtown Decatur