Meet Arnold and Tom: Veterans Helping Veterans

At 63 and 81, Papa member Arnold and Papa Pal Tom share a special bond as Veterans who have a lot of life left to enjoy.

Arnold, a 63-year-old Veteran who lives in Michigan, worked as a mechanic and in transportation for several decades. He has driven pretty much every kind of large vehicle there is to drive—buses, tractor trailers, you name it—and was even owner-operator. He gradually lost his sight over the past few years though, due to glaucoma, and had to stop working. Thankfully, he has good insurance as a Veteran and was able to pick up secondary insurance as well, which gave him access to Papa.

As a blind man, Arnold is particularly grateful to his Papa Pals for helping him do things he is no longer able to do on his own. He relies on them for transportation, help with shopping and organizing around the house—and the companionship is a welcomed bonus.

Last Christmas, Arnold called Papa and asked for someone to help him decorate his Christmas tree. “I was so happy, and the person they sent was just great,” he says. “She put the decorations up and I said, ‘you know what? I’m going to use you again to put the tree away.’ I called her and she was available. It made it a great year.”

Arnold belongs to a support group for individuals with visual impairment. They have luncheons every month, and a Papa Pal will often drop him off. “We believe in independence,” Arnold says. “Do some things you can do, and we try to advocate and do things for one another. We help each other have some self-worth and independence.”

Arnold is also a musician and was excited to meet another musician in the blind community to talk about music with. His life is obviously a lot different, and a lot more challenging, since losing his sight, but he’s making the best of it. And there’s so much joy as well.

At 81 years old, Tom is older than many of his members. He believes his age is an advantage, because it’s easy for many members to relate to him. He is also a Veteran and owned his own business for 40 years before he retired. A couple years later, he got tired of retirement and “found his niche” with Papa. 

Tom loves connecting with people and has done a lot of volunteering in the past—with Veterans, with his church, and with underprivileged populations. He feels like his work with Papa is a continuation of that. “I can set my own time and also take care of people,” he says. “I find it to be very rewarding.”

His wife of 44 years is thankful for Papa, too. Tom says the two of them are very different, “kind of like Lady and the Tramp. She knows I need to be with people. She likes the fact that I’m out. And the extra money is nice to have.”

Papa is also grateful for Tom. He has been a Papa Pal since April 2022 and was recognized for having the most 5-star reviews from unique members of any Papa Pal. When asked how he delivers a 5-star experience, Tom said, “I’m just the kind of person who meets well with people. I’m easy to talk to. I try to draw things out of them that we can talk about, so I’m not talking about me all the time. I think it just makes people feel comfortable.” 

Working with Papa has turned out to be the perfect retirement gig for Tom. “I used to belong to a country club and played a lot of golf,” he says, “but the older I got, I don’t enjoy it much anymore. This is a good way for me to get out of the house and be with people, which I love, have people to talk to, people to help. Some of these people who I've been seeing for two years, I’ve become very good friends with. They look forward to seeing me and I look forward to seeing them.”

While some Papa Pals might do a couple visits here and there, Tom works about 40 hours for Papa every week. He’s taken members to medical appointments, grocery stores, the hairdresser, the pet store, the movie theater, the actual theater, to family reunions and birthday parties, and so many more places. And he’s loved every minute of it.

He also loves the flexibility and autonomy he wouldn’t get with a “regular” job. “You can look at your app and accept the calls that fit your schedule and your location,” he says. “That’s the part I like. I try to accept everything within my geographic location.”

Arnold and Tom hit it off immediately and attribute that in part to their shared military history. But it goes even further than that. “I lost my hearing in my right ear in the service,” Tom says, “so I’m a member of the Disabled American Veterans and I participate with them.”

“We have something in common,” Arnold says of Tom. “He’s a Veteran himself, so it’s a Veterans-helping-Veterans thing. He’s just a good man. He really enjoys me just as much as I enjoy him.”

Tom regularly takes Arnold to his support group and one very memorable occasion, Arnold asked Tom to take him to a fish fry on Belle Isle. Belle Isle is a 985-acre island park located in the Detroit River with views of Detroit to the North and Canada to the South. “It’s really a gem,” Arnold says. “You get to see these ocean liners passing by. It’s a beautiful sight.” Arnold invited Tom three months in advance, and they were both excited in the weeks leading up to it.

Both Tom and Arnold agreed that it was a very good day. “I’m a Veteran,” says Arnold, “he’s a Veteran, the fish fry guy organizing it—he’s a Veteran. We had our lawn chairs. We sat out there and they brought us fish… It was a hot day, but the wind was blowing off the water. It was a great day. Tom was like, ‘Man, I’m so glad we spent this time together.’ A very good day.” 

Papa exists to serve our members, but it’s no surprise that our Papa Pals experience many benefits as well.

Tom says he has learned a lot from his members, and they’ve helped him appreciate his good health. He has gone with people to support groups for various reasons. He has taken dialysis patients to appointments. He has members with diabetes who have lost limbs or their sight. He’s there for his members who have a vice they want to quit and sometimes just need someone to talk to in a weak moment. He has learned empathy and understanding of the hardships people go through. It gives him a sense of pride that he’s been able to learn more about them and offer a helping hand. “It just makes you feel better inside,” he says.

And Arnold feels a sense of security knowing Papa is there when he needs it—especially now that he can no longer see. “My life is better with Papa,” he says. “From companionship to things needing done, all my Papa Pals have been good.” He says that Papa fits into his life like a perfect piece of the puzzle. Accepting help when he needs it has helped him sustain an overall sense of independence in his life.

At 81 and in very good health, Tom plans to continue being a Papa Pal instead of needing one, but there might come a day when he needs a Pal himself. And he has confidence that they’ll take good care of him.