An Army vet has tugged at the heartstrings of the internet after revealing he now works at a supermarket after losing his pension. Fortunately, strangers across the world came through for the military vet in a big way.
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An interaction with the 88-year-old went viral at a supermarket in Michigan. Army vet Ed Bambas works five days a week at the Meijer store in Brighton after losing his pension 13 years ago. Despite his age, he works 40 hours a week just to survive.
“I retired from General Motors in ’99. In 2012, they went bankrupt, and they took my pension away from me,” Bambas told influencer Samuel Weidenhofer, in a video posted to Instagram.
Faced with no money, the Army vet had to go back to work to provide for his ailing wife.
“The thing that hurt me the most was when my wife was really sick, and when they took the pension, they also took the healthcare coverage and all but $10,000 of my life insurance,” Bambas said.
Army Vet Pulls At Heartstrings
So Bambas went to work to pay the medical bills. He even ended up selling his home to make enough to cover them. But seven years ago, his wife, Joan, passed away. Now, the Army vet has been struggling to just to survive.
“Once my wife died, I didn’t have enough income to pay for this place or all the other bills I had accumulated because of my wife’s illness,” Bambas told WXYZ. “It wasn’t hard for me to do it because I knew I had to do it. I’m fortunate God gave me a good enough body to be strong enough to stand there for eight, eight and a half hours a day.”
Moved by the story, the influencer tipped Bambas $400 and also opened a GoFundMe. Fast forward to now, and the Army vet is now a millionaire. The fundraiser raised $1.275 million and counting.
“It came out of the clear blue — I really truly mean that,” Bambas said. Even singer Charlie Puth donated to it.
“Despite everything, Ed shows up every day with quiet dignity, strength, and perseverance. His story is a stark reminder that too many of our seniors, especially veterans, face incredible challenges just to survive,” Weidenhofer wrote on GoFundMe.
“I’m opening a fundraiser to help Ed live the life he deserves to finally give him some relief, comfort and the peace of mind that comes from knowing he can enjoy his later years without constant struggle,” Weidenhofer also wrote.
So it’s a Christmas miracle and more than deserved for the military veteran.