The day after Edmund Flowers graduated from Harper High School in Englewood on Chicago’s south side in 1979, he enlisted with the U.S. Marines Corps. It wasn’t necessarily his first choice, but his parents thought it was his best choice at the time. Looking back now, he’s grateful he did.
He’s also grateful for Catholic Charities’ St. Leo Residence for Veterans where he’s lived and received social services since 2013.
“St. Leo’s is the best part of my life,” Edmund said. “It benefited me because it kept me focused on what I needed to do for myself, nobody could do it but me, and they helped me. I’m grateful and blessed to accept the challenge, it’s an everyday fight. But the best part is, they accepted me here and they showed me you can live sober; you can live happy.”
The St. Leo Residence in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood consists of 141 fully furnished studio apartments, a recreational space, computer lab, a fitness room, and multipurpose rooms for a variety of community meetings. Each resident is paired with a case manager who helps them establish and then work on a plan to maintain stable housing and employment; address challenges including substance abuse, depression, and trauma; and build connections and community. Edmund relies on this support as he turns his life around.
After four years with the Marines — serving at Camp Pendleton, followed by 18 months in the Persian Gulf then another 16 months in Iraq — Edmund received an honorable discharge, but returned to Chicago a broken man.
“I saw combat — I put boots on ground,” Edmund said. “I was scared. I didn’t know if I was going to return back home because I saw a lot of my peers didn’t make it back home.” What he witnessed, he said, he can never forget.
“It’s something that’s in your head that never leaves you and that no one would want to see,” Edmund said. “I was strong enough to come back but not strong enough not to get an addiction.”
He tried to escape the trauma and the images that haunted him with cocaine for eight years. When his family discovered his addiction, they kicked him out. Edmund said he was homeless for six months, then attended a treatment program at the Hines VA hospital, and Wayside Cross Ministries in Aurora which connected him to St. Leo.
Now 16 years clean, Edmund has a new lease on life after St. Leo staff referred him to an Environmental Management Services training program at the Hines VA. He spent 10 days, eight hours a day, training. He passed the drug screen and was accepted six months ago as an EMS maintenance technician responsible for a variety of cleaning tasks, including polishing the floors to a shine. He said he wouldn’t have earned the position without the help of the social workers and staff at St. Leo who pushed him to be successful and an example for other veterans struggling.
“I enjoy it,” Edmund said. “It makes me know I’m doing something people can see. You can change. You can accomplish a lot here, if you want to. They put the opportunity out there for you, it’s up to you to accept it.”
David Dempsey, Program Director at St. Leo, has witnessed Edmund’s transformation.
“He’s come a long way,” David said. “He struggled with a lot of things when he came into the program — he struggled to stay sober and find meaning in his life. Since he started working recently at Hines VA, he has just blossomed. His attitude has changed, and it’s made a difference in his life. He’s a model for other veterans here who may not think they can turn their life around. He’s a great example.”
He said he’s also a great example of why we need to celebrate Veterans Day.
“These men and women have oftentimes put their life on the line to defend our freedom and democracy, they’ve done it willingly,” David said. “They served our country proudly, and they made the sacrifice to protect all of us, our freedoms and our rights. There is no greater thing an individual can do to be of service to their country. We definitely need to celebrate our veterans and thank them for what they’ve done, even during peacetime. It’s a sacrifice.”