KILLEEN, Texas — For some veterans, it’s all about finding a new mission.
For retired Army veteran Nigel Dunn, helping the homeless community is that mission.
Especially in Killeen for the native Texan from Galveston.
”I grew up in the 90’s man, and back then we had a lot of gang violence, a lot of shootings, killings,” Dunn said.
“It was awful but I wouldn’t change where I grew up, though — it made me the man I am today.”
That’s not the only thing that shaped him.
”The first time, I was air defense — shooting down airplanes,” Dunn said.
“Then I got out, came back in, and chose and office job for something safe.”
Now in civilian clothes, he has a new mission — taking care of the homeless around town through his nonprofit he calls B.U.M or, Blessing Undelivered Momentarily.
”When I was younger, I used to see people in front of the store asking for change and everything else, and I always wanted to take somebody and put them in a hotel, clean them up and then I wanted to get them an interview,” Dunn said.
“I didn’t have the money then to do it.”
Now he does have the money and uses it to do just that and more — even taking people like Travis Ray for a good meal.
”When I didn’t really have anything to eat one day, he showed up walking a whole line of homeless people to Let’s Eat Texas,” said Travis Ray, a man experiencing homelessness in Killeen.
“He took a whole line of homeless people there and I just jumped in.”
Ray is just one of the many that Dunn is making an impact on and he has a message for the generous veteran.
”I want to say thank you for that — that really meant a lot,” Ray said.
“I didn’t have much to eat that day and that really helped. Thank you so much.”
Dunn says his mission is just getting started, and he’s always looking for others to join the ranks to help the less fortunate.