Islander vet building camp, starts 501c charity for honorably discharged post-9/11 deployed veterans
Camp Hambone is currently under construction in Bokeelia on Pine Island. According to founder Marine sergeant and islander Polmerine “Paul” Hamilton, this is an organization, by and for honorably discharged, deployed post-9/11 veterans.
The purposes, in addition to healthy recreation, are to provide members housing, vocational training, employment and assistance accessing veteran’s benefits. His inspiration for building the camp was born out of both necessity and charity.
“There is a tremendous need for this and also I’ve been extraordinarily fortunate,” Hamilton said.
Having only been called overseas once throughout his military career, and receiving a full pension by age 38, urged Hamilton to do something for veterans who have not been as fortunate as he has. In his opinion, it would have been incredibly selfish not to reach out and help others. Undertaking administrative tasks, he said, comes easily to him, which led him to realize if he could get benefits for himself, he could do the same for others. Having a purpose every day and being a part of something larger than himself is also very important to him.
“I really miss the positive aspects of being overseas. Being a part of history in the making–that’s a rewarding thing. Going out and drilling wells for people, building schools, vaccinating goats, and nation-building,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton says he has had some degree of success along the way to starting Camp Hambone, such as driving vets who are homeless to the VA to get clean and/or sober. This desire to see that vets don’t lose their way is an integral to his mission. If everything comes together as planned, Hamilton said he would gladly extend an invitation to help to first responders, medical workers, and educators, because the nature of their job displays a life lived in service to others. With a firm belief that many vets are struggling with housing issues, Hamilton envisions the camp as a working facility where vets can build a home, perhaps using their GI Bill, get a captains license, obtain and utilize a commercial fishing license and run a boat, if they choose.
“This is all doable. The legal framework for all of this exists. My vision is housing for about five to 10 working guys on this beautiful piece of property,” said Hamilton.
The 6-acre Bokeelia farm was chosen specifically for those who may have PTSD. He describes it as the kind of place the military might choose to build a base, because you can easily see someone approaching from a long way, as there are swamps on two sides and the Matlacha Bay on the other. So far, Hamilton said he has been building the camp himself, or with part-time help, leaving him in need of a few willing hearts and hands.
“About the time COVID hit, I had two guys working for me, but I had them quit. I went to the VA and they gave me housing and for about a year I rented a shop where I worked on equipment–tractors, generators, a trailer, the plane. That’s what I’m still doing now.”
Although Hamilton describes his pension as very reasonable, the Camp Hambone project is already well into six-figures, he said. It is a founding principal to accept labor and material donations but no monetary donations are accepted.
“Should a person wish to donate monetarily, it goes directly to materials, so they can see with their own eyes where it went. We have a non-profit donations professional, who has years of experience in acquiring donations. To date all funding has come from my pension, I have provided the vast majority of labor myself, often at long hours, under difficult and dangerous conditions. The challenges have been and remain numerous and daunting. The three largest challenges are lack of labor, materials, and local support,” Hamilton said.
To find out more about what you can do to help, visit www.camphambone.com or email Paul Hamilton at camphambone501c@google.com.