Meet United States Air Force Veteran Horace Renfro. Horace, who lives in a homeless shelter in Memphis, Tennessee, has trouble speaking. He was able to state, “I had an accident that left me unable to say what I am trying to say.” It took about five minutes to get that simple sentence out. It was as if every word was on the tip of his tongue, but he could not push it out of his mouth.
During our conversation he ran into the shelter to retrieve a book. He quickly turned the pages to a photo of a U.S. Air Force fighter plane. Two other homeless men gathered around and one stated, “He used to be a pilot!” Horace smiled nodding his head up and down, up and down.
Thirty years ago Horace was only 26 and was literally on top of the world, according to the excitement that he showed when looking at the photo of that aircraft. Today, Horace lives in a shelter after years of fast paced living and an accident have taken a toll on his body.
I thanked Horace for telling me his story and walked away.