Many people are called to serve in various ways. Some people are drawn to serve a Higher Power, and many serve their country. One person in particular serves both, calling on his experiences, and appears to be naturally called to help his fellow veterans beyond military service. This truly defines the spirit of one veteran, Leon Hills. The Commons at Garden Lake in Toledo, a newly established living residence for military veterans, welcomed veterans last October. Leon was one of the first to apply and move in.
Leon, a Toledo native, is a Vietnam veteran. As a young man, he enlisted in the Coast Guard in November ‘75. Based in Louisiana, he took advantage of learning new skills and applying them in ways he may not have imagined. He was a crane operator on board the USCG Cutter Pamlico in New Orleans. But when he returned home to Toledo after his discharge in ‘79, he faced the difficulty of finding employment. When he was finally hired, he was simultaneously enrolled in a school/work study program while balancing home life and three children.
Post discharge, he did not wait for someone else to take the lead in molding his future. He successfully pursued and acquired dual associate degrees in business management and managerial accounting. Presently, he is focusing on a degree in computer studies which has become his new passion.
Leon is a nurturer – a gardener of hope and stability. A man of great patience and generous with his time, he serves as the
secretary of The Commons resident council board, a group he developed to help serve the needs of the veterans in a diplomatic manner, and acts as the voice of the residents. Leon, who will turn 59 on August 16, does not feel like he bit off more than he could chew. He attempts to make the residence a caring and encouraging environment. With mentor-like charisma, gentle voice and sincerity, he focuses the vets to be engaged and active.
Leon has always enjoyed taking things apart to see how they work and putting them back together to work better than before. He brings this attitude in serving his fellow veterans at The Commons. His circle of friends range from a spry 91 year-old WWII vet to the young man who recently returned from the Middle East.
“Coming home? Some guys didn’t have a place to call home after Vietnam,” Leon remarked. This disillusionment still plagues many of these veterans who have suffered over 40 years as the government and society turned a blind eye to their distress, leaving many without hope or a future. This man sees the glass half full and is eager to make the residence a stable place that many vets have called home since October 2015.
What makes this man tick? Compassion? Respect for his fellow man? Simply, he understands how a veteran thinks with a deep understanding of their needs in a way only another veteran could understand. This man has never backed down from a challenge. Besides the degrees he already holds, he is now pursuing a degree in computer science technology at Owens College. After applying to Owens and finding the resources that best fit his situation, Leon will begin his studies in the near future. He took the same initiative and focus when applying to The Commons.
His life is a silent manifesto of service and achievement. If you believe in karma, this man would be a cornucopia of accolades. The skills acquired in the service and how he implemented those skills afterwards serve as a testament of the human spirit.
His goal steadfastly remains to focus on the future and not too much on the past to encourage healing from the years of pain and disappointment. Since there was no record keeping of where the vets went after war, if they did not register with the VA, they weren’t counted and consequently lost in a system that was unprepared to address their issues.
Yet, when the sun has set at the end of the day and his daily quest has ended, he prays not for himself…but for others.
For weeks, I’ve trying to find the blog that was written about me! Until today, I didn’t know where to look> So I decided to look at the E-mail that I received from Mrs. Leslie Mestrow. I noticed a link to UNITEDSTATESVET.ORG. I looked under the blog section and found my story on the second page. I finally made it in print, that someone was willing to give me a chance to tell of my ups and downs in life Of my goals that I’m trying to reach and what I’m trying to accomplish here at The Commons of Garden Lake. Living here, I found that other Veterans need my help and advice that I’m willing to give freely. I know have a purpose to really use my skills and training that I learned in military and in civilian life. To bring all the vets living here at The Commons of Garden Lake together as one big community, one vet at a time! TO Mrs. Mestrow, Thank You! Because of you, I’m more driven to face my challenges head on and to reach my “GOALS”