LANSING – Lester Norris Jr. was homeless when he first came to Lansing in 2007.

The Desert Storm veteran had just pulled himself out of a downward spiral of drugs and alcohol that landed him an eight-month stay in 2006 at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans. The long-term care nursing home and rehabilitation facility is meant to care for older patients, not a 42-year-old.

“I thought that was it for me,” said Norris, who was diagnosed by Army doctors with manic depression and bipolar disorder. It wasn't until years later he would be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. “I was at my ends. I needed some help. I was hurting myself and my family. I didn’t want to die out there.”

In a last-ditch effort, he turned to his faith for help. .

"I started getting better," said Norris, who has been sober for a decade. "My faith in God helped me make it through."

His faith has led him on a 10-year journey, during which he dedicated his time to helping homeless people through feeding programs at his Lansing church despite being homeless himself at first.

It led him to become a minister. He now provides pastoral services to inmates at the Ingham County Jail.

And it led him to the Cooley Law School Stadium on Tuesday, where he was honored for his military service and volunteer efforts through LAFCU's Community Champions program, which showcases veterans and first responders who give back to the community.

RELATED:

Did we forget about Navy commander lost in Vietnam

Once homeless mom: 'A village did this for us'

Lansing-made SUVs more American than apple pie

"It's remarkable the type of person he is," said Linda Sims-Wright, who nominated Norris for the award. "He is continuously giving of his time. You don't find a lot of people willing to do that."

Norris got to throw the first pitch at the Lansing Lugnuts game Tuesday. Donning a black Army jersey, 101st Airborne Division ball cap and glasses, he tossed the first pitch, which landed a little before the plate and went into the catcher's mitt to applause from the crowd.

"I was a little shaky," Norris laughed. He grew up playing basketball. "They told me I didn't have to pitch from the mound, but I wanted to. That was my first and probably my last pitch."

Norris also received a tribute on the stadium's video board, outlining his accomplishments.

"I feel honored," Norris said, "like I must be doing the right thing."

Desert Storm

Norris grew up in Jackson and joined the National Guard in 1985.

He served until 1989 when he joined the Army. He was sent to Fort Campbell in Kentucky and trained with the 101st Airborne Division before being shipped to South Korea to serve in signal communications unit.

Once Desert Storm started in 1990, Norris was transferred to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, where he trained in the 343rd Air Defense Artillery Battery unit that would use Patriot missiles to intercept scud missiles. He was stationed at Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia in 1991. His unit arrived after the February scud missile attack that killed 27 people and wounded 98.

"You never knew what was going to come your way," said Norris, who would occasionally make supply runs to other units in the desert, sometimes by himself.

The scary part was that if you saw people or vehicles on the horizon, you didn't know if they were friend or foe. Norris maintains he didn't run into any problems or shoot down any missiles during his time in Saudi Arabia, but his unit was awarded the Bronze Star.

"I came back with symptoms I didn't know I had," Norris said, adding that he has tinnitus and bad knees aside from PTSD.

Shortly after returning from duty to Texas, Norris was robbed outside of a restaurant.. The assailant struck him in the back of the head with a hammer and stole the car radio. He later woke up in the hospital. The injury added to his tinnitus and PTSD.

Norris was discharged in 1994 as a corporal. He said he was proud to have served despite his injuries.

After, Norris bounced around from Jackson to Nashville, Tennessee, to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, over the next 10 years or so, struggling with manic depression and alcohol abuse.

He described himself as a high-functioning alcoholic, not letting it interfere with his job at Walmart. But bouts of manic depression would always hit him.

"It was like a cloud would come over you," said Norris, who would go on binges. "I didn't know how to handle it."

Norris moved back to Jackson in 2004 before ending up at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans in 2006.

Revival

When Norris moved to Lansing, he stayed at the Volunteers of America shelter on Larch Street.

He joined the Tabernacle of David Church in Lansing and soon got involved volunteering to help feed other homeless people at the Larry M. Trice Sr. Community Outreach Center. Veterans Affairs also landed Norris a job at a post office in Grand Rapids.

Sims-Wright, the church's human relations director who nominated Norris, said he was always among the first to volunteer his time at the food pantry, or to serve meals, or even to transport people to the church to eat.

"I thought it was commendable," she said. "Everybody is not willing to do what this gentleman is willing to do. Most of the calls we get are from people in need of help. He's never asked us for help. He just keeps giving and giving."

After a few months, Norris was able to obtain a voucher to get an apartment in Lansing. He saw a psychologist to work through his issues and got a lawyer to get disability from the Army for his injuries.

In 2010, Norris traveled to Traverse City, where a doctor diagnosed him with PTSD. He retired from the post office that same year at the age of 46.

"After all that time, it was a relief," Norris said of the diagnosis. "Because now I could go forward from there."

After retirement, Norris focused on volunteer work at the church, where he met his wife, Jonetta, whom he married in 2014 and lives with in Delta Township.

"I think it's awesome he's been able to overcome a lot of his challenges in his life," Jonetta said during the game. "I am very proud of him."

By 2015, Norris obtained his associates degree in pastoral counseling and his bachelors degree in theology and Christian education.

Norris goes once a month to the Ingham County Jail to counsel inmates.

"I wanted to get in a position where I could help young people," he said. "A lot of people just want someone to talk to them. I share what I went though and it helps."

Norris finds community service to be therapeutic for his PTSD. He volunteers because of the gratitude he has for God helping him change his life around. Norris hopes he can do the same for other people in similar situations.

His advice: "Don't give up hope. God created us to have a good life. Seek help and humble yourself."

Contact Alexander Alusheff at (517) 388-5973 or aalusheff@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexalusheff.