Disabled veteran and his family need help

Posted in Mom Stuff
by Lorain County Moms

LORAIN — Army National Guard Sgt. Matthew Kieswetter of Lorain has a Christmas wish — to keep a roof over his family’s head this holiday season.

Iraq war veteran Matthew Kieswetter, 33, holds his daughter, Madeline, 1, with Phoenix, 6, wife Shana and 3-year-old daughter Caitlin at his side. Because of his war injuries, Kiewsetter has had difficulty finding employment, making it a trying time for the family this year.

Kieswetter, 33, twice was deployed to Iraq. He was injured after his first tour when he was too close to a vehicle that blew up and was thrown, head-first, into a truck by the blast.

The results were lower spinal and knee injuries that make his former work in construction unlikely these days.

Also complicating his job search are the post-traumatic stress disorder, severe headaches and nightmares that stem from his brain injury, Kieswetter said.

Regardless, he’s tried hard these past 10 months to take care of his family.

He applied for assistance through the Disabled American Veterans in Lorain, contacted the Lorain Veterans Council and the county Veterans Commission and recently applied through the county for food stamps and health benefits.

It was his initial contact with disabled veterans that alerted Susan Majcher, former AMVETS Auxiliary 47 president, to Kieswetter’s plight.

“His cause is very, very dear to me,” Majcher said. “It could be any one of our children.”

His wife, Shana, and their three girls, 6-year-old Phoenix, 3-year-old Caitlin and 1-year-old Madeline, had to leave their larger house with fenced backyard and two-car garage for a much smaller apartment when Kieswetter couldn’t find work. They recently lost their car insurance.

One bright spot was the AMVETS Christmas party that gave the three Kieswetter girls a chance to see Santa Claus and get a Christmas gift, Majcher said.

“The Christmas party was great,” he laughed. “My girls had a really, really good time. My 3-year-old sat on Santa’s lap for the first time and didn’t cry. They had a really fun time.”

But the financial struggles are getting harder, Kieswetter said.

After taxes and child support for two other children are removed from his unemployment checks, Kieswetter is left with $240 a week plus a small disability check. In four weeks, the unemployment checks stop. He also will lose his health insurance because he’s not on active duty.

“I joke around with my wife’s sister because she donates to the Homeless Veterans Association, and I told her it was good she does that because I might be one soon,” Kieswetter said. “We try to be positive and upbeat. It’s just so hard. In seven months, I applied for 82 jobs, but I’ve been told because I’m in the military it’s not feasible and the disabilities hurt because there are things I can’t do.”

While his daughters will have a couple gifts to open Christmas morning thanks to help from friends and family, it will be a lean holiday for his family, Kieswetter said.

“I want a job,” he said. “I want a job that will let me pay my bills. I’m not asking for a job that will make me rich. I just want a job that will let me pay my bills and not worry how my kids are going to eat and what’s going to happen and are we going to lose our cars. I volunteered for a third tour just so I could have an income and pay my bills. I jumped through hoops to get medically cleared, but, ultimately, that didn’t pan out. How is it that I can go over and spend 27 months putting my life on the line and I come home and I’m worse off?”

Kieswetter said he’s come across a lot of hesitancy from employers who don’t want to hire someone in the military and don’t want to hire someone with a disability, despite experience in human resources and finance he got during his eight years in the Army.

“Don’t discriminate against disabled veterans,” Kierswetter said. “I can help out in the workplace. I’ve got leadership experience. I had five guys who depended on me for everything — to keep them alive for a year. It seems like my leadership experience doesn’t count for anything because it’s not in corporate America. If I can keep five guys alive for a year, I can manage a store, I can work.”

Despite the stress and worry of what will happen next month, Kierswetter isn’t giving up and appreciates what he does still have.

“I’m very thankful for my family and friends and the organizations that have been able to help and have stuck by me through my deployments and have been there through all the rough times,” he said. “It’s nice to have some support.”

Anyone who wants to help Kierswetter can call him at (440) 320-9549.