Army Veteran Christopher Cole grew up in Paragould, Arkansas. At seventeen, he joined the Army and served with the 1st Calvary Division, as a 63 Bravo (all-wheeled vehicle mechanic). He was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas for two years until he was deployed to Iraq in 2006.
After returning home, he married and had five children. Two of them are deceased. “I was married for eight years. She was sober and trying to get me to get sober as well. My addiction lost me everything, my wife, my relationships.”
“I was paroled to St. Francis House. I’ve been to prison several times and honestly, everyone else had given up on me. St. Francis house gave me a place to go, a chance to get back on my feet and I’m making the most of it. I’ve learned that I lose control after the first time. I would stop, get clean, and then it wasn’t a problem….until it was.”
“Today I’m trying to focus on what I’m doing and be OK with where I’m at. I’m trying to restore broken relationships, talking to my seventeen-year-old daughter, and eventually, I want to get in touch with my thirteen-year-olds. It hasn’t happened yet, but it will come. I’m working on myself, trying to be a better man, better husband, better father than I was. I want to stand on my own two feet again and have a healthy routine, not an unhealthy one. I need to rebuild my foundation.”
Mr. Cole is hoping to move home and find a place to live. He’s hoping to find work, go back and finish school, and perhaps get his CDL eventually. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but now I’m doing my best to make things right.”