JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — This 12 Who Care recipient spent his career in service to our country and now serves those who serve.
Col. Len Loving served in the Marines and now as the CEO of Five Star Veterans Center cares for servicemembers who are long removed from the battlefield.
"There are certain standards that they have to meet to be able to come here and be a resident and participate in the Passport to Independence Program," said Loving.
Always the commanding officer, Loving never really slowed down after his active duty in the Marine Corps came to an end in 1989. For the last 12 years he's spent essentially every day of his life at Five Star Veterans Center giving veterans the resources they need to turn their life around.
Loving served during Vietnam and is familiar with the pressures that war can put on a service member.
"I know what you're dealing when you're in combat," said Loving, "you're dealing daily with the potential of death, it gives you a greater appreciation for life."
To help veterans learn that appreciation, Loving and Five Star provide a stable sober housing environment, but their wrap around care also includes mandatory mental health counseling to get to the root of the issues that led veterans to either homelessness or substance abuse.
"Just a matter of understanding what their problems are and how do I overcome those problems and let me know what my triggers are that causes me to do what I'm doing that I shouldn't be," said Loving.
Justin Bean served in the Army from 2004-2013 and was deployed to Iraq. After being medically discharged from the Army and suffering from PTSD, Bean found his life spiraling into a dark place.
"I acted out, I drank, I drove, got pulled over," said Bean, "I lost pretty much everything I had built in my life and I didn't know where to turn, I literally thought I was going to be homeless."
Bean was admitted to Five Star within a week after describing his situation to a substance abuse counselor in October of 2023. Like nearly 500 veterans before him, Bean began to turn his life around through the services and stability of Five Star Veterans Center.
"I feel like I have the support I never had before, it's like a family I never knew I didn't have and now that I have it, I don't know how I'd live without them," said Bean, who also doesn't live without his two dogs.
"They go everywhere I go," said Bean, "they go kayaking, paddleboarding, the arboretum, to the beach."
The dogs even go with Bean to meet the horses in Five Star's Equine Therapy Program. One of the dogs is being trained as a future service dog to help another person in need. But until then, they're both part of the process to help a veteran in need transition to a better life through Five Star Veterans Center.
"I want to be the best version of me when I finally leave this place and take everything that Five Star has given me to utilize that to help myself," said Bean.
The companionship of a dog is a familiar site at Five Star. With his faithful secretary Athena by his side, Loving continues to keep watch over his servicemembers.
"We're taking care of people that have a need and using the old cliche, a hand up instead of a handout," said Loving, "and it works very well."
Forever the commanding officer, and that's why Loving is one of our 12 Who Care.
To learn more about the services provided by Five Star Veterans Center, visit their website.