Jeremiah McCann doesn't pull any punches when you talk to him about how he got to Vets for Vets (VFV), a Pennsburg veterans services organization. 

        In his easy-going manner, the Georgia native will tell you about his brushes with law enforcement.  He'll talk about his former propensity for alcohol abuse and how it affected his family.  He'll also detail multiple stays at the Veteran's Affairs Medical Center in Coatesville, where he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to his service. 

         McCann, a 28-year-old, served four years in the US Marine Corps, including a 2011 deployment to Iraq.  When he got home, however, he said life was a completely different ball game.

        "I went through a lot after I got out as far as readjustment and getting back into society," he said.  "It was a rough, rough road for me.  In the military you have the mindset of no matter what is going on around you, the chaos, whatever, you have to keep moving forward. 

        "When you get out, some people, like myself, they forget.  Because the chaos isn't there and the civilian world is a different kind of chaos; it's not right up in your face.  But being here (at VFV) really brings that back and, if you accept it, and embrace that, it has a great effect on you."

        McCann, who had two daughters with a longtime girlfriend, said after moving to Georgia to plant their roots, that relationship ultimately broke down.  She moved back up to Pennsylvania.  He later, with no place to stay and no job, took a bus to Montgomery County to be closer to his daughters.

        Here he connected with  VFV founder/administrator Jake Leone.  This past July McCann got sober and found himself at a crossroads.  He said he vividly remembers his first day at VFV's transitional home.

        "I was sitting in my rack and Jake had given me a bunch of chores.  I saw no end; no light of the tunnel.  I had lost my family, everything.   I was looking down, staring at my toes, saying 'I don't know if I can do this.'  That's how real it is here.  You can't just come here and expect things to happen for you.  You are doing the work.  They give you that room to grow.

        "I was either going to go down to the bar or get started on those chores and that's where it all turned around."

        McCann started making some big changes.  He went back to school, at Montgomery County Community College, to study exercise science and wellness.  As a full-time student he is currently pursuing his associate's degree and is also working towards becoming a certified personal trainer.

        He also works part-time at the Upper Perkiomen Valley YMCA, where he hopes to eventually garner a position as a wellness coach.

        In line with VFV's mission, he committed himself to community service projects like doing maintenance at veterans' homes in the area.  Aside from daily tasks at the VFV building, he also volunteered at the Alternative Brew café at the Upper Perk Community Life Center in East Greenville.

         He can't say enough about how much VFV has changed his life.

        "I've learned so much here about character and being a man," he said.  "I love the program.  What I like about this program is it's only a tool if you use it as a tool.  This isn't for every veteran out there.  There are people out there who aren't that committed.  It's only for people who want to change.  Like Jake says, this isn't the VA.  This isn't a shelter where you can come and sit around all day.  Here you're engaged."

        McCann said his goal is, by March, to graduate from the program and to find his own one-bedroom apartment.  That way he will be able to spend more time with his daughters, now 4 and 1.

         "I love Pennsburg.  I just fell so blessed to have landed out here just because it's a little Georgia.  I feel comfortable here; feel comfortable with my daughters here.  This (VFV) is an amazing place; it's just time to get out on my own." 

        Leone said he feels McCann has made the most progress out of all the program's veterans thus far.

        "Not only has he been able to get his life moving in the right direction aligned with his goals and personal expectations, but he also found the personal gratification and fulfillment from our outreach projects in the community. He understands why we do it, and gets satisfaction and paying it forward," he said.  "I have gotten a great deal of personal satisfaction in watching his growth and development. He's a tough kid.  That exemplifies the tenacious outlook and attitude of our veterans!

        "I feel he's going to do great after graduating, because he has not looked at his time at the house as a temporary band aid to his issues. Instead, he utilized the time not only to position himself for professional success, but to focus on his personal development as a civilian, as a father, as a friend, and as a leader.

        "It's been a privilege and an honor to work with him, and sometimes I feel as though I have learned just as much from him as he has from me."

        For more information on Vets for Vets, visit www.soldiertocivilian.org, find them on Facebook or email jason.leone@soldiertocivilian.org.