Interview COL George S. Pettigrew

Interview

COL George S. Pettigrew (Retired)

By Kim J. Clark

This writer is honored to have the privilege of interviewing a great hero and advocate for military

veterans. COL George S. Pettigrew served this country actively in the Army. He worked his way

up the ranks, and as a result of hard work and dedication to serving this great nation he achieved

the honored position of Colonel, a senior ranking position in the United States Army. COL

Pettigrew retired from active duty in 2009. Currently, he works tirelessly as an educator in the

Detroit Public Schools and as an advocate for veterans throughout the greater Metro Detroit

Area.

His service continues through his commitment to veterans who are either disabled physically or

mentally. COL Pettigrew is the founder of The Foundation for Global Literacy (TFGL), a non-

profit 501(c)3 organization that provides military veterans with access to Skilled Trades training,

education and critical social services. Many veterans, in the age range of 18 – 30 year old, have

only been trained in a combat arms specialty, leaving them with no transferable skills when

discharge from Active Duty.

Unfortunately, the cost of training can be a barrier for many veterans, especially for those over

the age of 50, and those without educational benefits. If a veteran has a less than honorable

discharge, they are not eligible for educational benefits. Prior to the medical community

understanding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and military sexual trauma (MST), many

veterans received less than honorable discharge to no fault of their own, beyond now having a

military related mental health disorder. Those veterans that have an “Other Than Honorable

(OTH)” discharge are not eligible for traditional GI Bill educational assistance. However, they

have served this country to the best of their ability and deserve to be gainfully employed. It is of

paramount importance that these veterans have the opportunity to receive Skilled Trades training

or the opportunity to participate in a traditional college degree seeking program.

To learn more about the Foundation for Global Literacy we encourage you to visit the website at:

www.thefoundationforgloballiteracy.org.

The Colonel’s service does not end there. He is actively making a difference for both male and

female homeless veterans. This writer was pleasantly surprised to learn this military hero is

committed to ensuring that homeless women veterans and their children having safe housing. He

has single handedly taken on the responsibility of finding housing for female veterans and their

children. In an effort to end veteran homelessness, he has created partnerships with realtors and

property owners around the United States.

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