Navy Vet Paul Jedlicka In Need Of A Car

America, Meet Navy Vet Paul Jedlicka!

I've wondered from time to time, what ever happened to Paul after high school? My friend Paul Jedlicka joined the Navy in 1984. Like many other brave men and women, he committed himself to serving our country. Like so many he was willing to lay down his own life to defend our country and our freedom. He had dreams of serving in the Navy for 20 to 30 years.

In 1986 , he was a passenger that was involved in a terrible motorcycle accident. This accident drastically altered his dream of serving in the Navy. The crash left him with a crushed left forearm and elbow. Several medical procedures saved the arm and made it possible to have relatively good use of it over time. When the time came for him to board his ship he was not allowed to board and was placed on medical hold. The elbow was still the size of a softball. Sadly, he was medically discharged from the Navy before he was ever able to board. He was devastated. He had no secondary plan. His dream of serving in the Navy was gone.

Not only was he facing physical challenges, he faced emotional challenges over this devastating news. On top of all of these challenges there was something else. An underlying un-diagnosed disorder. He self medicated to try to cope never knowing exactly why he was feeling this way. All of these things happening at once became overwhelming and the self medication became more severe. He became hopeless, was often times homeless and even suicidal. He attempted suicide. I thank God he wasn't successful. Lately I've thought of all of the awesome conversations we've had in the past few weeks that would never have happened had he succeeded.

It's a terrible thought. Watch the video above if you would like to hear Paul discussing his challenges in a story released by WCCO-CBS Minnesota in October of 2020.

Thankfully he asked for help and received the help he needed. Through his commitment , hard work and the grace of God, he has been sober for twelve years. He finally got the correct diagnosis and is being successfully treated. He is currently living in a Veterans home in Minnesota for the past two and half years. His doctors and social workers say that his progress has been so great that it has put him in a position to begin an exit plan. This is great and very exiting news!!

Paul worked as an electrician before things in his life got really out of control. He very much wants to go back to work and move out of the Veterans home. He wants his own place and his independence back. He needs a car to get back and forth to his job as an electrician.

This is the purpose of me setting up this page. I want to raise enough money to put Paul in a position to buy a car. I believe he has earned this chance and is ready to take this step. A step toward his independence. He needs our help. I am asking you for your help. I have set a goal of 5000.00 to be raised on Paul's behalf. I believe this Navy Veteran deserves our support. This amount should allow him to purchase a reliable vehicle, license plates, some money toward auto insurance and hopefully even some gas money.

Please Please Please donate any amount you can. Every bit helps us to reach our goal. This will be so so appreciated! Let's help my friend Paul, Let's help this Navy Vet! Let's help him regain the independence he deserves! Thank You! And God Bless! #navyvetpj