He was 18, homeless and living in the woods. South Carolina Deputy arrested Brian Gilbert for stealing food from a supermarket deli.

Gilbert said he had no direction in life, missed more than just the school he attended and slept in a tent behind a shopping center in the Midlands.

Finally a night in jail turned his life around.

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US Marine Corps Pvt. Brian Gilbert, a Marine Corps Engineer School cadet and native of Gilbert, S.C., poses for a photo at Camp Lejeune, N.C., on Aug. 15, 2024. Gilbert enlisted in the Marine Corps in March 2024 and is training to become a Marine. utility systems technician. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Zachary Candiani)

Lexington County Legislator John Sanders took Gilbert to jail but couldn’t let the encounter end there.

“His greatest need was that he was having trouble finding food and he didn’t have an income-generating job,” Sanders recalled in a video shared by the sheriff’s office Friday to honor the three men heading into Veterans Day over the weekend.

The local Marine Corps recruiter reached out to Sgt. He asked Brent Latham what he could do.

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Lexington County Sheriff’s Deputy John Sanders recalled his encounter with homeless teenager Brian Gilbert, whom he arrested for stealing food from a supermarket deli. After meeting with the local Navy recruiter, he helped Gilbert turn his life around. (Lexington County Sheriff’s Office)

“Deputy Sanders called me. ‘Hey man, there’s a kid in a bad situation. I want to know if you can help him,'” Sgt. Latham said. “I had a description of what this young man apparently looked like. I rolled down the window and said, ‘Hey, are you Brian?’ I said, ‘Yes sir,’ and I told him to come in.”

“HE He brought up the Marine Corps,” Gilbert said. “So I said, ‘Let’s keep going.’ I met with the employer… and signed the papers. I mean, this is a lot better off than I thought it would be.”

Sanders, a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, said the solution is very simple.

He nods to Deputy John Sanders Pvt. Brian Gilbert’s hand at his graduation from boot camp in May 2024. (Courtesy of Lexington County Sheriff’s Office)

“From my experience in the military, you get fed. You have a place to sleep. And you get paid for it,” he said.

Gilbert completed basic training at Parris Island and graduated in May; both Sanders and Latham were there to cheer him on.

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U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Brent Latham, pictured, met Gilbert at Starbucks after his arrest. Then the young man went to the military. (Lexington County Sheriff’s Office)

Now stationed at Camp Lejeune, he says he still stays in regular contact with Deputy Sanders.

“I talk to him all the time,” Gilbert said. “He’s a great person to go to. I can talk to him about anything and he’s always just there to listen.”

US Marine Corps Pvt. Brian Gilbert, a Marine Corps Engineer School cadet and native of Gilbert, S.C., repairs a generator at Camp Lejeune, N.C., Aug. 15, 2024. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Zachary Candiani)

The sheriff’s office calls Gilbert’s case a “beautiful success story” that shows how authorities can make a positive difference in a young person’s life.

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“It took a congressman to make one phone call to a Marine Corps recruiter to take someone from a terrible situation in the jungle to a full career and paycheck,” Latham said. “A phone call can definitely make a difference.”