Friend wants to honor homeless veteran, help others
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SPRINGFIELD, Ore. - John Presco raised the flag Monday to remember his friend, Hollis Williams.
Presco hopes in the next few months he can raise enough money that Williams' death will not have been in vain.
"He doesn't have a home right now. He's homeless in a morgue and I'm entering my anger stage on that," said a downcast Presco.
It's anger that he's working out with a hammer. Presco mounted a new U.S. flag this Monday, raising Old Glory for the friend he lost Friday morning.
Presco said he found the 58-year-old Williams dead in his apartment Friday - an apartment Williams had moved into only 2 months ago.
According to other vets, Williams was well known in the homeless community who was often at a nearby Safeway store, collecting cans.
Now, a makeshift altar is set up in a vacant Laura Street building that Presco says was briefly used to hand out clothes to the homeless.
Presco wants the memory of his best friend to live on. His dream is for a veterans "stand-down" center that bears the name of Hollis Williams.
Presco said he wants to copy "stand-downs" held in Lane, Douglas and surrounding counties, to connect vets with mental health services, haircuts, job training and more.
"We got to let our veterans know that they haven't fought in vain and that we care for them," Presco said.
He said he doesn't know where he'll find the support or how long it will take - but to remember his longtime friend, he won't give up easily.
"I suffered some homelessness and abandonment and stuff like that," Presco said, "so I'm not going to abandon my friend."
The property and house on Laura Street is being sold, so locating a center there is unlikely. Presco said that's the kind of layout he's looking for.
Services for Hollis Williams will be next Sunday 1:30 p.m. at Campbell Senior Center in Eugene.
Hollis was my friend I let him shower at my house for a couple of weeks! I loved personality! He was very nice and well mannered! He had an addiction to video games, he just had invited my daughter and I to come see his new apt! He used to brag about 3 things! That he was a Native American Indian, and that he was the Nephew to Errol Flynn, and that he did a small voice over of the Emperor on the Original Star Wars! He was an awesome character, every time I would pull up to Safeway he would be out there saying hello, and how ya doing! Then he would always tell me about the new video game he just bought! He would say hey Marinda want to play this new game I got, its about world war II you can shoot down Nazis! haha I would say back its okay Mr. H we'll be shooting down Nazis soon enough! lol He was an awesome character, he also reminded me of the wise Baboon on the Lion King "Rafiki" a wise old monkey man! He use to live under the bridge at the end of the By-Gully bike path, the police would always try to kick him out of under the bridge, they also put Lye down there to make it so nobody would be able to sleep under the bridge! He was my friend and ill miss him!
HUD-VASH at the 7th Ave clinic is working at a fever pitch trying to pull us veterans off the street.
They do real good work but, we got to help and do some of the footwork too...they can't do it all.
It takes a village and then some...because what we're dealing with here is much more then a bunch of soldiers that can't find a home.
I know what I'm talking about..I was one of those veterans...lost and alone, out in the cold.
What is wrong with this picture? This is just another example of how sick this country really is. The flag-waving patriots & recruitment centers are so anxious to get these people to enlist & serve--why the heck aren't we serving those folks when they return? No jobs. No homes. No food. No compassion. We treat them like they are lepers.Â
I recently visited a Vets' Clinic with my dad. I was browsing the brochure racks & I was shocked to see that most of the pamphlets were about suicide, depression, PTSD & addiction. Now that's depressing. The clinic itself had police guarding the facility because of potential "incidents".  However, most vets don't even make it to these clinics & other services because they are in such a state of distress that they are unable to make that connection. Â
Shame on us for abandoning these precious people who really need to be appreciated, loved & paid back for their service. Thank you, John Presco, for your service & for standing up for your dear friend.