“You see that man over there, Ray?” said Russell Day, pointing to Veteran’s Ministry volunteer Greg Esslair. “I want what he has. He’s been through some of the same things I have, but he has peace.”

Ray Green, Senior Chaplain for the Orange County Rescue Mission, and Greg were visiting Russell in his new apartment, recently acquired through the help of OCRM’s Strong Beginnings Program. As Ray pondered those words, I want what he has, he reflected on the trauma which typified the greater part of Russell’s life and the psychological impact which had for decades made peace so elusive...

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With a family history filled with physical and sexual abuse and an adolescence marked by time in juvenile hall (which, in many respects, was no different), Russell joined the Army in 1966 at the age of 17. If he ever entertained the notion that life in the military would provide him escape from the specter of trauma that haunted his life, Russell was in for yet another disappointment.

The ink on his boot-camp diploma was barely dry before Russell took his first steps on Vietnamese soil, steps that would lead him to witness death hundreds of times over, both from the hand of the enemy and from his own. To this day, he carries fragments of shrapnel in his body, reminders of the deeds which earned him the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and the Silver Star. In 1969, Russell was discharged from the Army at the age of 20. His tour of duty was over, but his quest for peace had just begun.

“Lots of drugs, cars and fightsx” were Russell’s first attempt to quell the nightmares of bloody conflict in the jungles of Vietnam that plagued his sleep on a regular basis. By 1992, at age 43, his excessive drinking landed him in the hospital where he was given the doctor’s ultimatum: “Stop drinking or die.”

Russell Day did not want to die. He comes from a long line of soldiers stretching back to the Civil War. He’s a fighter. He’s a survivor. But Russell had also come to the humbling realization that he could no longer “go it alone.” In 1994, he took the opportunity to enroll in a PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) program. This, in Russell’s words was a “breakthrough” in dealing with some of the emotional scars sustained on the battlefield and elsewhere. He was able to stop drinking and led a relatively stable life, acting as caretaker for his mother from 1995-2002. However, Russell gradually succumbed to the internal turmoil he had struggled with for so long. He returned to drinking as a means to cope and, by early 2002, found himself homeless.

After about a year on the streets, Russell was referred to the Orange County Rescue Mission through the MHA (Mental Health Administration) in Santa Ana, which assists many homeless people with low-income housing vouchers. Ray helped him with move-in costs, furniture, food, and clothing and now Russell is getting acclimated to his new surroundings. Greg, because he is likewise a Vietnam Veteran, was able to develop a relationship with Russell in a way which no one else could.

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“Well, Russell,” Ray replied. “Would you like to find out how he got that peace? Why don’t you ask him?” Ray called him over and Greg shared with Russell how Jesus, the Prince of Peace, freed him from the nightmares of his ordeal in the Vietnam War and gave him hope for the future. Since then, Ray and Greg have been a tag-team of support for Russell, encouraging him through his moments of doubt and despair.

Russell has a difficult time believing that the help he is now receiving will prove any different from the many betrayals he has endured throughout his life. “Please don’t become a mirage,” he says. He’s afraid that, at a time in his life when he has finally made himself vulnerable enough to receive help, he’ll be let down. Well, we won’t let that happen.

Russell Day still has a long way to go before he'll be able to enjoy the fullness of what God has in store for him—but who doesn't? With your help, we’ll be able to provide the help, physically, emotionally and spiritually, that Russell and so many others like him need on a daily basis. Thank you for partnering with us!