Even if her father weren’t a Veteran of the Korean War, Rose Brandau McGee would still be doing what she loves— working for and helping Veterans.

McGee is the daughter of Kelly and Mary Brandau, lifetime Fishtowners and former owners of the popular Kelly’s Happy Tap (now Les & Doreen’s Happy Tap) at Susquehanna Avenue and Thompson Street. McGee currently works for the Veterans Multi-Service Center (formerly the Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service and Education Center) on 213-217 N. 4th St. Her desire to help Veterans comes from her family’s long and proud lineage of service to the United States—along with her father, her uncles on both sides of her family served in the military before and during the Vietnam War and even her son is in current active duty in the US Army.

“They’re just good men who went through a lot,” McGee said when describing why she’s compelled to help Veterans. “They came back with disabling diseases and they still lived, worked and went to school even though they had these things going on in their lives. They came back and needed something—and if it weren’t for the Veterans Center, then my uncle wouldn’t have gotten any benefits at all before he died.”

The Veterans Multi-Service Center (VMC), “exists solely to ‘serve those who served’ this great nation, our Veterans.” The VMC is the only non-profit agency in the Greater Philadelphia area that provides a comprehensive resource center available to all veterans in need, providing services to the veterans and their families. Vets who enroll at the Center can learn rehabilitation methods, apply for Veterans Affairs Benefits, complete education courses, learn computer skills, receive discounted moving services, seek job-training skills or gain employment.

“As much as people say that they want Veterans, they don’t want Veterans when they come back because of their problems,” McGee said. “It’s hard to transition back to civilian life. The army breaks you down and builds you up so that you can be a great solider. But they don’t break you down from being a great soldier to a great civilian. So this is a place where that can be done.”

In addition to her work at the Veterans Multi-Service Center, Rose has spent much of her time opening and organizing the Camouflage Rhino Thrift Store in Mayfair, formerly the Tangerine Rhino Thrift Store. The Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood was a great place for the store from a historical standpoint—Mayfair was originally built post-WWII for Veterans and, according to McGee, former service men comprised 70 percent of the community’s population at one point.

Through the proceeds of the thrift store, Rose is helping the VMC fund their many programs. Donated items such as clothes, furniture, kitchen items, baby needs and many other treasures can be purchased at Camouflage Rhino with 100% of the profit going to the VMC. Tax credit can also be obtained when donations are made. But why a thrift store?

“Down at the Center we were getting a lot of donations but had no place to put them all,” McGee said. “We had a need for clothing for Veterans who would go on job interviews or start new jobs. We didn’t have enough of the right sizes and couldn’t handle all that we already had. We also had furniture for Veterans in our housing programs but no space for it and not enough of it. So we came up with the idea for the thrift store—we get the donations for the Veterans, process them, everything gets checked out. And one-third of everything that comes in to the store goes out to Veterans for free.”

In addition to the troves of clothing, furniture and toys at the Camouflage Rhino, the VMC has a computer refurbishing service that fixes and updates computers and then sells them at the thrift store. This service has become increasingly vital in a day and age where computer skills are paramount for employment opportunities.

As I dropped off another bag of shrunken clothes at the side delivery door of the thrift store (on Princeton Street at Frankford Avenue), I saw furniture, clothes and household items being loaded onto trucks. I later learned that these items were already on their way to an in-need Vet.  That particular veteran had recently completed training and is now moving into a new residence with the assistance of the VMC.

“It’s a win-win situation for all.  We have people who donate anything from clothes, to videos, and baby toys and are thrilled to learn that they are helping out our Veterans,” said McGee.  “In the rear of the store, we have a special section roped off for the Veteran who may need clothing for a job interview, or starter objects such as household goods or furniture that can furnish the Veteran’s residence.”

The Camouflage Rhino only employs Veterans. This vital retail training acts as a stepping-stone to enable them to become more marketable in this tough economy and find full-time employment.  But with donations coming in daily and so much to do before an item actually goes onto the sales floor, Rose offers, “we are always in need of volunteers who can donate a few hours a week.  In fact both my Mom and Dad help out whenever they can.”  Over the past year, the Camouflage Rhino has had 22 veterans working at the store and 11 have gone on to better and/or full-time positions. Parrin Terry is one of the Veteran employees at the Camouflage Rhino. Originally from South Philly, Terry served in the Army from 2005 to 2009 spending time overseas in Iraq. He received a hardship discharge due to family issues that he had to tend to back home. Upon returning under such circumstances, he found this initial transition back to civilian life difficult.

“My transition was hard being as though that wasn’t what wanted to do, I wanted to stay over there,” Terry said. “Waking up at 4 A.M., going to PT, getting into formation, going to lunch at noon, getting back into formation, going to work—that was my lifestyle, I knew what had to be done everyday. Coming back, I was waking up at 4 A.M., looking at the ceiling and asking myself, ‘What the Hell am I doing here? I should be with my battle buddies, preparing to go on a specific mission,’ that was my whole thought process and I still think about it.”

It was the concept that he was now a civilian and no longer a soldier that was difficult to break, and Terry admits he was depressed for about two years after returning home even though he had steady employment at first. When he initially got back, he worked part-time in retail before picking up a trade with the Philadelphia Housing Authority as a plumber. But Terry was laid off last year in light of budget cuts, so he initially sought help from the Veteran’s Association.

“The VA was not for me, but someone I met there told me about the VMC and how they operate. I went down to the Center and since, my life has been a 180 degree turnaround,” Terry said. “I have housing, I’m working here obviously, I went through an extended mechanical workshop to better my skills and I’m seeking additional employment for better pay right now. But this place really turned me around.”

Because of his positive experience at the VMC and Camouflage Rhino, Terry has made it a focal point in his life to help Veterans.

“I see that nobody knows where we come from and how we think— they don’t know the hardships that we go through,” he said. “It might be easy for someone to go to school and learn how to work with Vets, but for someone to be in those shoes, to be a soldier and go through that transition, I think there’s no better person then a Vet to help. And places like this are important because they give us a sense of direction, they work with you and they focus on you and your needs. That right there is a big part of what Veterans need.”

You can sum up the Camouflage Rhino in one witty tee shirt up for sale in the shop. Donated from a local radio station telethon held last year, the shirt’s logo adds the perfect touch to the mission of the store: “I bought this shirt and helped a vet, what did your shirt do?”

Camouflage Rhino Thrift Store  – “Do a good deed help a VETERAN in need” is located at 7126 Frankford Avenue, 19135; 267-731-6733; Hours: M-F – 9 to 6 and Saturday 10 – 4. For more info on the VMC, visit www.pvmsec.org