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"The first time I got evicted and I didn’t have a place to go and I had a bag of clothes. I hid them in the bushes where I slept. And that’s when the bathrooms used to be open all the time. And that’s how you’d take your shower… you’d get cleaned up – you didn’t take shower, you got cleaned up or you washed your shirt with – if you had a bar of soap. That’s how I lived." What is it like to be you? "I try to be… I’m happy. I don’t get mad. I can’t get mad. I can’t. And that’s me. If you see me sitting down there by Mr. Subs and I’m out there sitting, I’ll wave, if you wave, I’ll wave. I’ll smile I don’t care. I’m not going to come up to somebody and say, oh, I’ll give you whole list of what’s wrong today. No. Who’s going to want to hear it? Nobody. Nobody will." You use the word homeless, do you feel at home anywhere? "You know, for me, I’ll speak for myself, I have a place now – I can’t be in it. I’m not used to, for once, to have something where I could say ‘Oh man, this is mine.' I see the sun come up – I’m gone. I’ll go, ‘Why in the hell are you doing this here when you could to at home?' No. Because I know, in a couple minutes it could be gone – and then where am I anyway?" Howie Moritz, 57, was born in Watertown and returned here after serving in the military. During his life he's been homeless off and on for eight years. He shared this experience of being homeless and how he navigates his life. He found a home this year on January 29. His story coming soon on North Country Public Radio. ‪#‎homefrontfortdrum‬ ‪#‎findingamerica‬ #homelessness #veterans #veteranstories #homelessveterans #military #militarystories #militaryportraits #Watertown #northcountry (at Veterans Memorial Riverwalk)

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The menu at The Black River Drive-In. #homefrontfortdrum #findingamerica (at Black River Drive In Theatre)

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"I mean, when I came off heroin last time, it made my flashbacks ten times worse. But, like I said, being addicted to the heroin is what numbed my senses, my feelings, my awareness to that pain. We lost one guy in country. We’ve lost triple that here state side from suicide, drug addictions and BS here state side." When did you know you were addicted? Is it a moment? "You never know that you’re addicted. Because if you did, you would never become addicted. I don’t mean to say this to you or belittle you in any way, because I understand that you’re trying to find out information and get different points of view with the situation – but if we all knew that we were addicted, who would be addicted to cigarettes? Who would be addicted to alcohol? Pot? Coke? Crack? It doesn’t matter because once you realize that you need it every day, you’re already screwed because you’re to that point where you need that to survive, to complete your day, to make you feel complete. Thirty years old, I was twenty nine when I did it. The first time I ever did it, guess what? I’m a grown ass man – raised my right hand, signed myself up for the army. I got children. So guess what? At the end of the day, I let somebody put that needle in my arm." I met Jonathan Dugin in Watertown, NY. He was in the Army until 2007 and saw some of the heaviest combat in the military while deployed. He was six days sober from heroin when we talked. He shared with me about his experience of dealing with the daily struggle of staying clean and what keeps him going. Listen @ncpr hear Jonathan's story. Coming soon. #findingamerica #homefrontfortdrum #ftdrum #ftdrumny #fortdrum #veterans #veteranstories #ptsd #addiction #heroin #Watertown #northcountry #humansofthearmy #humansoffortdrum

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"We met in Germany in a laundromat. That’s a classical situation. I never went to the laundromat, but my colleague’s washing machine had broken down. So we decided to go and here he was. At first I thought, I don’t care, I don’t want an American. But then he invited us both for dinner that same evening. Very classy.” What was it about her? “I don’t know. I just liked her. I just liked everything about her.” Will and Christa Harris met 26 years ago in Germany while Will was stationed there in the military. They live together in Watertown, NY where Will came to work at Fort Drum. Will suffered from injuries and PTSD as a result of his combat deployment during the Gulf War. He earned a Purple Heart for his time there. Returning home, Will and Christa spent years working through what wasn’t even known as PTSD. “The military didn’t recognize it at the time. We had to figure it out on our own.” #findingamerica #homefrontfortdrum #germany #military #humansofthearmy #humansoffortdrum #fortdrum #ftdrum #ftdrumny #portraits (at Watertown, New York)

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We got up at 4:30 am for this shot. Great weekend of following Tonia Russell around and learning her story. #findingamerica #homefrontfortdrum

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This is legit documentary, folks. #findingamerica #homefrontfortdrum

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They're here!!!! #FindingAmerica #homefrontfortdrum #Repost @aircurator with @repostapp. ・・・ It's like Vermont but bigger. On our way to Watertown, N.Y. to learn more about @homefront_fortdrum with @mereturk #findingamerica #roadtrip #upstate #bluesky #highway #logging #driving (at Watertown, New York)

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These Public Media Angels are here. #FindingAmerica #homefrontfortdrum @aircurator (at Canton, New York)

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“I saw the towers fall from my office building. That’s what made me want to join the United States Army. I couldn’t believe it was happening in our back yard, actually our front yard. I was outraged. I wanted to do something." Alexander Marmer signed up for the United States National Reserves on October 10, 2001, less than a month after witnessed the September 11th attacks in New York City. Marmer was born in eastern Ukraine in Donetsk. He served in the compulsory Soviet military just before Ukrainian independence in 1991. Months after independence he left to Israel and eventually the United States. “We also had a lot of death in the family. My cousin died in Israel in one of the suicide bombings in ’96. He was 16 and on a bus to visit his sister and a suicide bomber blew up the bus.” Marmer spent the last three years in the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Drum waiting for the appropriate medical designation to exit the Army. Here he is on the second to last day of his stay at Fort Drum. More coming at @ncpr and ncpr.org/homefront #homefrontfortdrum #FindingAmerica #fortdrum #ftdrum #ftdrumny #nny #humansofthearmy #army #veterans #foreignveterans #ukraine #soviet #donetsk #september11 (at Fort Drum Warrior Transition Unit)

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“I hold close the memories and stories my grandmother, who was full-blooded Indian, told me. She always told us, ‘Be proud of who you are. Never let anyone change it.’ She came from the Mohawk reservation in Hogansburg, New York. I would die today to let people know I’m Native American Indian. When I went in the military back in 1978 as a young kid I let everybody know I was a Native American Indian. But I also let them know I came from the United States and I was proud to be an American. Now, I don’t feel proud to be an American like I used to. It started when I left the military. I had the VA tell me the medicine I need to stop my blackouts cost too much. So I can give my life for them, but they can’t give me a medicine that will save mine. And so, I’m disappointed in our nation.” Ricky Gates served in the US military from 1978 - 1989. He has lived in upstate NY all his life, and is now retired. #homefrontfortdrum #FindingAmerica #militaryportraits #army #humansofthearmy #nativeamerican #nativeamericanveterans #veterans #veteranstories #military #mohawktribe #american (at Watertown, New York)

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"We didn’t make friends because you might get killed the next day. Some nights you sleep and some nights you don’t. I wrote letters home on the barks of trees. You do what you can when you don’t have anything else." Jim Duprey is a 96-year-old Army veteran from Pine Camp, before Fort Drum was Fort Drum. He left the Army in 1941, but was called back in 1943 during WWII. He had to sell his home and all his possessions when he was called back to service, because he couldn't afford to pay for them while away at war. (Photo by: @bnhanson) #FindingAmerica #homefrontfortdrum #pinecamp #fortdrum #ftdrum #ftdrumny #veterans #wwii #wwiiveteran #veteranstories #military #militarystories #militaryportraits (at Watertown, New York)

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"He's like an angel to us. He makes my days. In my eyes, a child like that can't do nothing wrong." Abe Garcia spends every morning and afternoon with his grandson Kaleb. Kaleb has a developmental disorder, but doctors aren't sure which one. Abe gets Kaleb on the bus every morning and waits for him after school. In the morning Kaleb gives his "Pappa" a hug to start the day. Abe is an Army veteran from Pine Camp, before it became Fort Drum. He came here from his childhood home in New Mexico. After leaving the Army he stayed and raised his family, which now includes 14 grandchildren. #homefrontfortdrum #FindingAmerica #pinecamp #fortdrum #ftdrum #ftdrumny #carthage #northcountry #military #army #veterans #veteranstories #humansofthearmy (at Carthage, New York)

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This is how I spent my Sunday. #veterans #Watertown #homefrontfortdrum #FindingAmerica #wings (at American Legion Post 61 Watertown)

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Maybe new event spot? #FindingAmerica #homefrontfortdrum

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Sunday = wing day at American Legion hall. #homefrontfortdrum #FindingAmerica #militarystories #Watertown (at American Legion Post 61 Watertown)

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The stellar @bnhanson taking portraits of veterans at Feed Our Vets in #Watertown #FindingAmerica #homefrontfortdrum #veterans #military #militaryportraits #militarystories (at Feed Our Vets Watertown)

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Last supper + American patriotism = today. #homefrontfortdrum #FindingAmerica #military #patches #Watertown