“I should be the poster boy for Agent Orange,” Michael Lindop often joked.
After serving in Vietnam, Lindop suffered from a laundry list of illnesses. But that did not diminish his pride or love for the Marines.
“Like they say, ‘Once a Marine, always a Marine,’” said his widow, Franchesca. “Michael enlisted with the Marines because they were the toughest, and he wanted to be part of that. He loved it.”
So, when Michael began experiencing symptoms related to Agent Orange exposure in 2007, Franchesca explained, “It was a tragedy, but he never complained about it. He was just very proud to be a Marine.”
Michael’s service-connected conditions included diabetes, dementia and several cardiac problems that eventually required open-heart surgery.
Then he suffered a severe stroke that left him disabled. Franchesca cared for him for a few years, but when it became too much, Michael moved into a veterans home.
“It was a great facility, but he rapidly deteriorated earlier this year as his dementia worsened,” Franchesca said. “He couldn’t remember people and was unable to get out of bed. I was shocked that it took him so quickly. I didn’t know what to do.”
Franchesca tried to contact a veterans organization for assistance, but every phone number she was given was a dead end. That was until she inexplicably reached VFW Accredited Service Officer Michael Jackson in Everett, Washington.
“I don’t know how I got his number. Even though I was led to him by accident, Michael’s the one who helped me,” Franchesca said. “I feel like I owe him my life.”
After switching Franchesca’s VA representation to the VFW, Jackson quickly set out to secure Michael’s benefits on her behalf.
“My husband was 100% disabled, so Michael was able to get me the highest benefit, which meant I could keep my medical coverage and had the funds to pay rent,” Franchesca said.
“I just feel very grateful that he took the initiative to help me. Otherwise, I’d probably still be lost in the system somewhere.”
Franchesca urges other spouses to contact the VFW in their area and have their questions ready for their VFW Accredited Service Officer — who, she hopes, is as helpful as Jackson was for her.
“I had felt so lost, I almost cried when I met Michael. He was just so kind and was almost like a son to me,” Franchesca said.
“Don’t go through what I did. Go straight to the VFW. Michael was a lifesaver for someone like me who had no idea where to go. I was just so lucky to find him.”
Learn more about the VFW's National Veterans Service (NVS) program.