TEMPO.CO, Pennsylvania - Robert Freniere, 59, should not be taken lightly in the US Air Force. He was special assistant to General Stanlet McChristal, former commander of the US Army in Afghanistan in 2003-2005. He has served in Somalia, Haiti, and Kuwait. Today, he is homeless, living in a car because of unemployment.
His applications have been turned down although he has references and three diplomas in politics, crime, and national security and strategy. When asked why he had not applied as a janitor, Freniere replied to Philly.com, as reported by Daily Mail, “Well, I’ve tried that.” He is now living in a minivan in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
Freniere served the military for thirty years and retired as a colonel in 2006. He subsequently worked as a security contractor until 2012. Although he was rewarded with a US$40,000 pension a year, he spent the money to pay debts, to send his children to college, and to pay a divorce with his wife two years ago.
“How many applications can you fill out in a day? And it takes you six or seven hours, and then you don’t hear from any of them. You start getting hopeless,” said Freniere, as quoted by Daily Mail. However, he stated that he refused to give in to the situation. “You stay calm. That’s what we were trained for when I went through survival training,” he added.
DAILYMAIL | RAJU FEBRIAN
