88yo Army veteran still working full time after his pension was taken away. Within 24 hours humanity proves it still has a heart

An 88-year-old Army veteran who was forced to work full-time after losing his pension is finally getting the retirement he deserves. A viral fundraiser raised over $1 million in less than 24 hours. Ed Bambas works 40 hours a week as a cashier at a Meijer store in Brighton, Michigan. 

According to NY Post, his story went viral after Australian influencer Samuel Weidenhofer met him and was impressed by his quiet strength. Weidenhofer gave Ed a $400 tip before starting a GoFundMe campaign to help him retire. Ed was forced back to work because he didn’t have enough money to pay his bills. 

He had retired from General Motors in 1999 and was doing fine financially. But his life changed in 2012 when the company went bankrupt and took away his pension. Around the same time, Ed’s wife Joan became seriously ill. They had been married for over 50 years. When the pension was taken, the company also stripped him of his healthcare coverage and all but $10,000 of his life insurance.

The timing couldn’t have been worse for this veteran

To pay for medical bills, Ed had to sell his home and property. Joan died seven years ago, leaving Ed with debt and the need to start over completely. Unfortunately, veterans facing financial struggles isn’t uncommon, as seen when Air Force veterans lost their savings after being abandoned by Airbnb.

Despite working eight or eight-and-a-half hours a day standing on his feet, Ed maintains a positive attitude. “Once my wife died, I didn’t have enough income to pay for this place or all the other bills I had accumulated because of my wife’s illness,” Bambas said. 

“It wasn’t hard for me to do it because I knew I had to do it,” he continued. “I’m fortunate God gave me a good enough body to be strong enough to stand there for eight, eight and a half hours a day.”

Weidenhofer shared Ed’s story, saying the funds would help with living expenses, medical care, and other needs. The initial goal was $1 million, but as of early December 3, 2025, the fundraiser had raised over $1.2 million from thousands of donors.

Ed said the support “came out of the clear blue” for him. Grammy-nominated singer Charlie Puth confirmed on TikTok that he donated money. There was also a large donation from someone named “William Ackman,” which is the same name as the famous hedge fund manager Bill Ackman. While Ed’s story has a happy ending, not all veterans get such support, like when Katy Perry took legal action against a bedridden veteran over property.