Driving to a Memorial Day commemoration in Oakland this morning, Walnut Creek resident John Kopping saw a man with a dirt-stained T-shirt and well-kept beard holding a sign that said simply, "Homeless Vet." As Kopping neared Mountain View Cemetery, he decided to turn around and see whether the man wanted to join him.
That's how Kopping, an Army veteran, met Iraq/Afghanistan veteran Robert Hackett, a former Marine who's been living on the streets of Oakland for the past couple of weeks.
“I’d been sitting with my sign for a couple of hours and I got $2," Hackett said. "He drove by once and he looked at me with a look, and he came back and told me about this and I wanted to go. I really miss being in the service.”
Kopping said he wasn't sure if Hackett would come with him, and he knew it might be emotionally painful. Still, he had to ask.
"I needed to share it with somebody," Kopping said. "He looked like he needed some help."