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A Sense of Purpose
ON THE INSIDE The latest happenings in our area Page 2
November 12, 2015
by Linda Scott
SPECIAL TO THE TRIBORO BANNER
When you first meet retired Army Staff Sergeant Harold Strickland you notice his warm smile and his gentle nature. But there’s more to him than that. He grew up on the streets of Newark, New Jersey, and now lives in Old Forge, where he spends his days helping the less fortunate. “There was not a lot of opportunity in Newark,” he said. “I could hang out on the streets with my friends or get out of that situation,” he said. At the age of 18 and graduated from high school, he attended boot camp at Fort Jackson in South Carolina. It was to be the start of his Army journey “My dad Willie was a Korean War vet and my Uncle David was a vet of World War ll,” he noted. “He would tell me stories of the ships and storming the beaches of Normandy. We have a long family history of military service and I spent 20 years doing things for my country.” Strickland continued onto Fort Huachuca in Arizona to receive training in intelligence work. He served a tour of duty in Iraq during the First Gulf War and also served in Afghanistan. He also served with the Department of Defense in the Criminal Investigation Command. One incident in particular sticks with him. “It was during the Gulf War that American troops met a man who was from the United States but also had Iranian citizenship. He was trying to leave the country to study in America and could not leave. “When we got to him, he said, ‘thank God you are here.’ and fell down on his knees and said, ‘get me out of here!’” Strickland was able to help him. “I felt good about that,” he said. He was working at the U.S. embassy in the Philippines when he met his wife Donna. Their daughter, Colleen, 14, was born in the Philippines. He also served at the embassy in Costa Rica where his son, Sean, 9, was born. They also have a 4-month-old son, Miguel. “My purpose is to be here with my husband,” Donna said. “I have family back in the Philip-
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Strickland graduated from basic training in 1990.
pines, including my mom and several brothers and sisters, and I miss them,” she said. Strickland was injured while on active duty in Iraq by an IED. He injured his back and also has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. His memories brought him back to the things he saw and did serving his country. After he left the service, he and his family were living with his parents in New Jersey. “We knew some people in the Scranton area so we came here,” he said. “We were living in hotels for a while, until we found a home,” he said. Three days a week Harold drives a food truck for the Friends of the Poor. He visits local stores to pick up bread and pastries. He then delivers them to Valley View Terrace. “Working with Friends of the Poor gives me a great sense of purpose, knowing I helped someone else. It is great seeing the faces of the family as I give them bread, but it’s more than
bread I deliver. It’s hope and a sense of being and purpose,” he said. “Harold is a very faithful volunteer and he gets food out to the people who need it,” said Sister Ann Walsh, director of Friends of the Poor. “He is dependable and kind to all the people we serve.” Harold likes to sing and dance, and he sometimes sings karaoke with friends. He enjoys taking his children for walks in the park. Some day, when the children are older, he dreams about someday returning to the Philippines. In the mean time, he is writing down his life experiences. “It’s therapy for me for the things that happened in my life,” he said.
The Friends of the Poor have men’s clothing available for work, job interviews and special occasions. For more information call 570-348-4429.