Micheal Alan Haley served his country as a Marine from 1989-1990. A native Arkansan, he grew up in Van Buren. “I come from a military family. My grandfather was in the Navy in the Korean War, my father was a Marine and my uncle was in the 101 Army Airborne. I was in the Second Marine Recon, Search, and Recovery. I was injured offloading equipment and got a medical discharge.”
After leaving the service, Mr. Haley worked as a welder and electrician, eventually moving into production welding, fabrication, and industrial mechanics. “I also worked on racing engines which was a lot of fun. We got to go to the races, meet the drivers.”
He married and had a son. Two step-children completed the family. “We eventually divorced and I got custody of my son. I realized that we were basically high-functioning addicts. We kept jobs, and the kids got to do all their school activities, but behind the scene, there was a lot of other stuff going on. “
Mr. Haley took a job on the road and his son went to live with his grandparents. “In 2007, I went off the deep end, working all day, in bars at night. In 2013, I started getting sober. It’s been a ten-year roller coaster. In jail, get sober, back out … and then starting it all over again. But one day I woke up and realized I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life this way. When I got out this time, I came straight to St. Francis House.”
Mr. Haley is learning about his VA resources and putting his work history together. “I’m lucky to still be healthy, to live every day and I’m internalizing what we talk about in groups. My son is with his grandmother and I want to take care of him. I want to get my CDL updated and in five years, I’d like to have some land and a house. I’m working on being a person again.”