By Hamilton Richardson
Elmore/Autauga News
Top Photo: Marcus Williams
For one local veteran, helping others who have experienced difficulties since leaving the military is a top priority as well as letting others know about the struggle vets face and pointing people to important resources.
According to Michelle Cheesman, Senior Account Manager with Sturges Word Communications, Marcus Williams is a Marine vet who was born in Selma and now lives in Prattville working with an initiative called #StillServing.
Williams is also National Chaplain for Theta Nu Beta Veteran Fraternity, whose mission is to empower veterans to reach their full potential through personal and educational resources and engage veterans with intentional experiences that inform them of their rights and privileges owed to them due to their honorable service to our country.
The #StillServing campaign is a Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) initiative that was launched in March, 2020 to recognize the many veterans who continue to serve in their community after the military.
“Williams specifically works locally to help Prattville area veterans who need housing or assistance applying for medical benefits through the Veteran’s Administration,” said Cheesman in an email communication. “He is currently trying to start an Alabama chapter of Theta Nu Beta.”
Williams began his military career in the Navy on October 15, 1996.
“I joined the military because I wasn’t doing anything with my life in Selma,” Williams said. “One of my football coaches sent a tape up to a Christian College in Rhode Island, but I didn’t even try to go and check it out. I had a friend and cousin that pushed me through school because they knew I could do it and I did. But I loved the streets until I went in front of a judge. I knew then I had to make some changes in my life and that’s what I did.”
Williams, who is a retired disabled vet, is married with five kids. He has a degree in Biblical Studies and a degree in Arts. He will will be working on his third degree in Business this fall at South University in Montgomery.
“As a veteran, we always want to look out for our brothers and sisters, because people don’t know what we go through,” said Williams. “They might think they do when they see us with our hat or shirt on. When they say, ‘Thank you for your service,’ that means a lot.”
Williams explained how he began helping other vets.
“I suffer from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and one Veteran’s Day I was having a bad day and I told myself I was just going to Walmart and get something to put on the grill,” Williams said. “But as I was walking out of the store this little girl saw me and said, ‘Excuse me, sir, I just want to say thank you for your service and happy Veteran’s Day’. Out of all the people that saw me in that store, this little girl wasn’t any more than four or five. I couldn’t do anything but cry right there. So that is why I take #Still Serving to the heart because I’m always going to help my brothers and sisters in need.”
The local veteran said that the #StillServing initiative impacts vets and the community in many ways.
“If we work as a team, we can do more to help each other out,” he said. “There are so many vets out there that have so many skills that they got out of the military, but we can’t use them on the civilian side because we are over-qualified. I have vets right now who can’t find jobs because of their job skills in the military. Don’t look at our job skills, look at the person that comes into the interview.”
Another way the program helps is by providing basic information that vets may not know exists.
“Coming back home as a vet, a lot of us don’t know about the benefits that are out there for us and our families, if we are married or if we have kids,” Williams explained. “So, as a veteran to another veteran, I’m going to help my brother or sister get on the right path to get the help they need. Because that is what happened to me when I was home on terminal leave, someone helped when I had a breakdown and almost committed suicide.”
According to the website, www.todaysvfw.org “the VFW encourages veterans and service members to share stories on social media with #StillServing to show how they continue to answer the call to serve in their communities. In addition, family and friends can use the hashtag in social media posts to honor a veteran in their lives who continues to serve.”
Williams said community recognition of vets is a great way to start helping those who are struggling.
“Continue to be the patriots you are every day, not just on special events or days that make a big difference to us because the love you show us means a lot,” he said. “I even tell my brothers and sisters still in uniform, thank you for your service.”
Those interested in supporting the #StillServing initiative, can go online to www.todaysvfw.org
