One Veteran’s journey from homelessness to honored caretaker

By Shawn Liu, National Homeless Program Manager, VHA Homeless Programs Office

July 21, 2026

For James Barger, joining the Air Force at 18 felt like a way to build a future and see the world beyond the small town in East Tennessee where he grew up. Inspired by his grandmother, who worked as a civilian switchboard operator for the Air Force during World War II, Barger enlisted in 1995 shortly after high school.

After serving four years in the Air Force, he returned to Tennessee and used the G.I. Bill to attend East Tennessee State University. But like many communities across the South during the early 2000s, East Tennessee was deeply affected by the opioid epidemic. Addiction, combined with the recession of 2009, created a cycle of instability that eventually left Barger at risk of homelessness.