We sat down with Mr. Robert Singleton, a United States Army Veteran, and listened to his brave story of his time in service.
Giving Thanks to Our Veterans
As the Fourth of July rounds the corner, we thought it would be a good time to shed some light on the veterans that live at Joseph Floyd Manor. One of those residents is Mr. Robert Singleton. He is one of FoJFM’s very first volunteers and he never misses a Thursday. He helps set up the tables, aides fellow residents through the line and always stays until the very end for clean up. We can’t imagine doing Giving Thursdays without him and are not only very thankful for his help but thankful for his service to our country. Without brave men and women like him, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy all of the freedoms we do today. Thank you for your service, Mr. Singleton.
Interview with Mr. Singleton
Sara and Nina sat down with Mr. Singleton in March and chatted with him about his time in the Army.
Transcript of the full video below:
Mr. Singleton: Ah, hello. My name is Robert Singleton and I live at Joseph Floyd Manor and I want to tell you a story that happen to my leg…and made me disability. I went in the deep jungle of South America one day. I was supposed to be coming home from Germany to the United States…we took a left turn and jumped into the South American jungle…that’s when the first suicide bombers came out. I was walking through the jungle…I was radio operator. And I saw a flash and it almost blew my leg off…and I became a disabled veteran. And when I came home I was in the transportation unit in the United States Army.
Sara: What year was that?
Mr. Singleton: Year of the South American Jungle…1979-1980
Nina: What unit were you in?
Mr. Singleton: I was in the 3rd and 7th artillery–3rd or the 7th.
Nina: Who were the hostages?
Mr. Singleton: They were some students that they took from an American University.
Nina: Who took them?
Mr. Singleton: Used to be…South America natives…Bolivia. I don’t know…you can look it up on the computer.
Nina: Ok, ok. I’ll look it up.
Sara: Wow
Nina: So you’re still having trouble with your knee, right?
Mr. Singleton: Yeah…it’s getting worse.
Nina: Ok. You probably need a knee replacement
Mr. Singleton: Oh, I don’t know if I want that.
Nina: Ok. Well we’ll see about that
Mr. Singleton: I had a brace on my leg…and I lost it when I was moving out. I went to the VA and they wouldn’t give me another one.
Nina: Okay. So, we’re going to figure out a way to get you another one. So..umm..thank you Robert for helping us so much with the Friends of Joseph Floyd Manor every Thursday. You’re an invaluable help to us. We could not do it without you and we really value you. And we’re glad you’re our friend.
Mr. Singleton: alright, I’m glad you’re a friend too.
Sara: Mr. Singleton is such an institution here…he helps us every single week…he…look at him right now already doing five things at once
Mr. Singleton: ::laughs::yeah
Sara: Thank you for your service and thank you for your help every week. We appreciate you.
Mr. Singleton: Alright, and thank y’all.
To learn more about the residents of Joseph Floyd Manor–join us one Giving Thursday and say hello!