Meet U.S. Army Veteran Juan Bran
This is Juan Bran, United States Army Veteran. He has had experiences in the military that only other veterans can truly understand. Specialist Bran served as a specialized mechanic in refrigeration and air conditioning. To most civilians, this sounds like his job may have been to fix air conditioning and refrigerators on base, but a fellow veteran will know that this meant Juan was in charge of fixing the equipment in the morgue. With this duty came a lot of trauma, and seeing fallen friends on their way to their final resting places.
It may be hard for some of us to imagine what he may have seen, but for veterans, it is simply part of the job. Juan says “I have seen enough to last a lifetime.”
While Juan was serving active duty, he married his high school sweetheart. But when he came home after 4 years of service, he found that he could no longer connect with her or other people that he was once close with. After all that he has seen and been through, he felt like a stranger to all of them and they felt like strangers to him. This period in life for most people who have been exposed to trauma is extremely difficult to process, especially if you do not want to worry or scare your loved ones.
For several years after, Juan struggled to get his life in order. He and his wife divorced, he got in fights, turned to alcohol, and crashed his car into a wall while “driving crazy.” He realized the direction his life was going, and Juan decided he needed to turn things around.
Healing & Building a Future in a Veteran Enriched Neighborhood®
He has now spent the last 10 years working on getting his life together. He was finally able to connect with others again and has married and created a family with a wonderful woman. He wants more than anything to be able to provide for his family and give them a safe place to live. He, his wife, his stepson, and their two children are going to be homeowners in the first phase of our Veteran Enriched Neighborhood® in Palmdale.
Juan, like many veterans, realized that he would only ever be able to talk about his experiences with other veterans and knows that being surrounded by other veterans who understand him will help him continue to heal from his trauma.
Without the support of the community, the City of Palmdale, trauma-informed programs, and people who give back every day like you, Specialist Juan Bran could not have this opportunity. Juan worries all the time about losing what he has now. “I already lost everything once before with my last wife, I don’t want to lose everybody in my life ever again.” He has been working on coping with his PTSD and he and his family are excited to get started on all of the programs Homes 4 Families offers.
Give Back to veterans like Juan who have served for our freedom
Please help support Juan and his family today by giving back. Veterans like Juan have served for our freedom. As we celebrate our independence and our country this 4th of July weekend, we ask that you give back to support our veterans. Your donation will directly help Juan and 55 other veterans in need of a little support.
We hope you will consider our military families this week as you celebrate with your loved ones. Thank you for your continued support and kindness, and have a happy and safe Independence Day!