Hi, thank you for taking the time to read my story.

I’m a former soldier who served with The Rifles. In 2007, I deployed to Iraq on Operation Telic 10. While on deployment, I was injured, and later diagnosed with severe PTSD. Those injuries eventually led to my medical discharge from the Army.

For the past 20 years, I’ve been homeless — living out of cars, tents, and halfway houses, sometimes staying with kind strangers who took pity on me. Every single day I’ve battled severe mental health struggles and a permanent leg injury, all while trying to survive with no real support.

A couple of months ago, something finally changed. I scraped together every bit of money I had and bought a boat — my first real chance at having a safe, permanent home.

The only problem is that it was a very cheap boat, and it needs substantial work to make it truly livable and to get her running. I’ve already poured every penny I had into restoring her. Recently, in a desperate push to keep going, I even sold my car to buy more parts and materials.

Now I’m at a critical point. I’ve run out of money, and I desperately need help to finish the restoration so I can finally have the stable home I’ve been fighting for over the last 20 years.

Work still needed:

Engines: I have a couple of kind mechanics helping me get them running, but their time is limited. We’ll need parts for anything seized or worn out.

Outdrives: Both are completely seized and require a full refurbishment.

Any donation — no matter how small — will go a very long way toward getting into a safe and stable environment. Even if you can’t donate, sharing my story or offering skills, cheap parts, or professional help would mean the world to me.

After two decades of homelessness and struggling alone, this boat represents hope. With your support, I can finally turn it into the secure home I’ve dreamed of.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading this far. Every bit of kindness helps more than you know.

KB

Former Rifleman