George Hill: From Homelessness to America’s biggest stage thanks to VA
Marine Corps Veteran George Hill rose from being homeless and struggling with addiction to becoming a valued VA employee, a passionate advocate for Veterans, a contestant on “America’s Got Talent,” performing at the 127th Rose Parade, and booking choir gigs around the country.
“The VA saved my life and I tell the story proudly. From the bottom of my heart, if it weren’t for the VA I wouldn’t be here,” said Hill.
Desperate Beginnings
Hill's life took a challenging turn after he left the Marine Corps in 1985. He faced extreme hardships and felt himself starting to change. The pain of his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was beginning to affect his daily life and led him to self-medicate with alcohol and drugs.
“I was suffering from PTSD and didn’t realize it. No one told me that I didn’t need to be in war to experience the effects of war,” said Hill.
Hill didn’t want to burden friends or family by asking them for help, so homelessness became his reality from 1986 to 1998, a period when there were limited resources available to assist Veterans like himself. His addictions became so severe that there were times when he was starved for food but chose to use his money for alcohol and drugs instead.
“You can read all about addiction, but you don’t know the true feeling of the desperation until you are there,” he said. “The repercussions of addictions can’t be taught in a book. They are experienced.”
Living on Campus
Hill's life began to change for the better when he went to VA for assistance. VA gave him the opportunity to join the New Directions for Veterans program at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. The sober living environment helped him get clean, and he even became one of the resident managers.
“When I got to VA everything I needed was there. How do you go from being homeless for 12 years to being a success story? What changed for me was that I got help from the VA and was graced with God’s divine intervention. I take my hat off to the VA,” said Hill.
The environment at VA allowed him to shift his mindset and even inspired him to spend several years volunteering his time helping other Veterans at New Directions.
“Where I am now is a blessing. I want to make sure no one else goes through what I went through,“ said Hill.
Career Moves
While helping Veterans at New Directions, Hill also began a career at VA. In 2000, Hill joined VA as a housekeeper, quickly moving up the ranks to become a VA computer clerk at the Community Living Center (CLC), a VA nursing home.
“He would refurbish the Veterans’ computers by fixing viruses, and then he would teach them how to use the computers,” said VA nurse and New Directions choir member Michelle Mayne. “He patiently did what it took to help Veterans integrate back into society.”
In 2013, VA set out to hire peer-to-peer support counselors to ensure that Veterans receive proper mental health care. This catapulted Hill into a life-changing career where he became one of the first 800 peer-to-peer support counselors hired in the country. Hill helped develop the Peer Leadership Team and did whatever it took to get the team off to a good start.
“I'm proud to call George a colleague. He makes sure that no one is left behind," said Army Veteran and VA social worker Theodore Fletcher. Hill and Fletcher collaborated with other VA staff to develop the first training program for peer supports at West LA VA. This service became a model for the county. Over the years, they’ve spent time visiting mental health units bringing the message of recovery to Veterans.
"George approaches his work with Veterans with passion, dedication, and determination. He connects with Veterans because they can see how much he cares," said Fletcher.
Hill stays actively involved with events like the Stand Down, outreach through Community Engagement and Reintegration Services (CERS), and mental health research. As a peer support specialist, Hill has even partnered with VA Psychiatrist Ippolytos Kalofonos to lead Veteran Voices & Visions groups for Veterans who have unusual thoughts, experiences, and/or hear voices. The group is a place for Veterans who are often isolated to connect and share with each other.
“George is incredibly inspiring to our team of employees because he shows us how to share our stories with Veterans in a very effective way,” said Kalofonos. “George shares what he’s been through in a very powerful way, and that inspires Veterans to share about themselves.”
Kalofonos added that Hill is energetic, funny, and inspiring for the people in every group he leads.
Television as a Platform for Veterans
Inspired by John Keaveney, co-founder of New Directions, Hill launched the New Directions Veterans Choir 34 days after becoming a resident. Keaveney wanted to show Veterans that recovery is all-encompassing and that mind, body, spirit, and community need to be included.
Over time, the launch became a great success. First, the choir was chosen for an episode of a reality TV series called “Second Look”, then in 2013, the choir auditioned for the television show “America’s Got Talent,” a reality series where undiscovered performers appear before celebrity judges who decide which contestants move on in the competition each week.
On the “America’s Got Talent” stage, Hill strongly stated that he wanted all Veterans and the active-duty armed forces to know that it is OK for a warrior to seek help. Because of those impactful words, combined with their talent, the choir now has a booking agent and manager and is still performing for the military all over the country.
Breaking Down Stigmas
Hill's mission includes breaking down the stigma associated with seeking help for mental health issues. In the military, acknowledging problems can be perceived as a career-ending move, said Hill, making it challenging for Veterans to seek the assistance they need.
“Concerns about seeking mental health care include being treated differently by military leadership, being blamed for the problem, being seen as weak, others losing confidence in them, embarrassment, and the impact on their career,” according to the 2015 study “Stigma as a Barrier to Seeking Health Care Among Military Personnel with Mental Health Problems” by Sharp, Fear, Rona, and Wessely.
“I want to get rid of the stigma around seeking help for PTSD and other mental health issues. I want to help them get through the pain,” said Hill.
Persistent Growth
Despite his accomplishments, Hill continues to learn and grow. Aside from work, he takes classes at Los Angeles Community College to edit videos professionally. He is in his senior year at California State University Los Angeles where he majors in Computer Information Systems.
Hill’s dedication to helping others, combined with his transformation, is an example of how individuals can overcome obstacles and give back to their communities. “It is a blessed life for me. I wouldn’t change anything because my journey made me into the resource for Veterans that I came to be.”
“I love my job because I get to make a difference,” said Hill. “I can’t change the world and not everybody will let you help them, but I’m alright with that. I’m not God, but I can be alright with myself because I know that I give 100% effort.”