He hadn’t been able to get stable VA support or access to consistent mental health diagnostics, which are critical after military discharge. His family? Gone. The last place he called home was a parking lot behind a gas station.
Then he popped the trunk. Inside, neatly wrapped in an old towel, were his combat boots, a folded American flag, and a shoebox containing his Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, and a few black-and-white photos of men in uniform—men who, as he quietly said, “didn’t make it back.”
Pete stood there for a full minute, silent. What Pete Did Next Went Viral Pete didn’t just buy him lunch. He didn’t just post a tweet.
He bought Frank a week in a hotel that same day. The next morning, he launched a GoFundMe campaign from his phone, calling on Americans to step up for a hero who’d been forgotten.
“If you’ve got a roof over your head tonight, and you’ve never had to fight for your country under fire,” he wrote, “consider this your chance to thank a man who has.”
Within 24 hours, the campaign passed $50,000. Within 72 hours, it crossed $200,000.
