Firefighter-Marine Veteran Killed in Motorcycle Crash

Firefighter killed in Lincoln crash was Marine veteran
KCRA 3 News
July 13, 2018

South Placer Fire: David Volk received Purple Heart Citation after being injured in Iraq

LINCOLN, Calif. (KCRA) — A South Placer firefighter who was killed Friday in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash on a Highway 65 off-ramp was a Marine who was wounded in Iraq, according to the fire district.

David Volk, 31, died after his motorcycle crashed on the Lincoln Boulevard off-ramp, the fire department said in a released statement.

It's unclear what time the crash happened, but the scene was discovered sometime around 6 a.m. Friday.

"We're kind of looking at everything. There's some physical evidence, there's some skid marks. So, we have to look at everything before we can make that determination," California Highway Patrol Office David Martinez said.
read more here

Firefighters save homeowner after heart attack and from HOA fines!

Firefighters save man having a heart attack and then finish his garden work
The Independent
Alina Polianskaya
3 days ago

Firefighters in Florida finished off laying the grass for a man who suffered a heart attack ( Melissa Ann Work/Facebook )

Firefighters in Florida helped save the life of a man who was having a heart attack – and then finished laying down grass sod in his garden so he did not get into trouble.

Gene Work had been installing the grass palettes in his garden, anxious to get it done quickly for fear of a fine from the homeowners association, when his heart attack began, according to his wife who shared the story on Facebook.

“Before he knows it, seven firefighters and EMT's jumped out, put on gloves and said they came back because they knew Gene was in serious trouble and they wanted to lay the new sod so it didn't die. They knew he wouldn't be able to do any work for weeks so they came back.”
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Florida Firefighter Recovering After Falling Out of Truck

Florida firefighter falls out of truck on way to call
By Associated Press
July 12, 2018

Steven Dowd, 46, airlifted to hospital

TAMPA, Fla. - A Florida firefighter is recovering from serious injuries after falling out of a fire truck on the way to a call.

Hillsborough sheriff's officials said Steven Dowd, 46, was riding in the passenger seat of the truck as it left the station Tuesday.
read more here

FDNY Battalion Chief cannot forget brother lost on 9-11

1st FDNY battalion chief to enter the north tower on 9/11 is retiring
ABC News
By ENJOLI FRANCIS, ERIC NOLL ESTHER CASTILLEJO
Jul 11, 2018

"We looked at each other, wondering if we were both going to be OK. And then I gave him the same orders as the other officers," he said. "That was the last time I saw my brother Kevin."

Joe Pfeifer, right, is retiring from the New York Fire Department after 37 years of service.

After nearly 37 years on the job, Joe Pfeifer, the first battalion fire chief to enter the north tower on Sept. 11, 2001, will be retiring.

He told ABC News on Wednesday that Sept. 11, 2001, had started as a beautiful summer day. He was answering routine calls as a documentary crew followed along. He said they heard a plane noisily fly overhead. They then watched as it hit the World Trade Center.

"In that moment, I knew I was going to the largest incident of my life, the largest fire I've ever seen. And, I also knew that thousands of people were in need," Pfeifer told ABC News.

That summer day with its bright, blue skies quickly turned to darkness.

"Matter of fact, after the collapse, you couldn't even see a hand in front of your face," he said.

He was the first battalion fire chief to arrive and enter the north tower on Sept. 11. When he got there, he said, he heard there was a fire above the 78th floor so he ordered teams to go in and evacuate. One of those firefighters was his brother Lt. Kevin Pfeifer.

"We looked at each other, wondering if we were both going to be OK. And then I gave him the same orders as the other officers," he said. "That was the last time I saw my brother Kevin."

He said his brother's memory motivated him to continue.
read more here

Boise Police Chief Bill Bones addressing need for PTSD help

A week after stabbings, his city gives Boise's police chief hope 'to create good out of horror'
Idaho Statesman
Katy Moeller
July 7, 2018

"One can imagine what it would be like for paramedics, firefighters and others to see the horrific injuries of these victims — these small young children," Murphy said in a phone interview from Seattle. "It may be more than a human being is meant to bear."

Boise Police Chief Bill Bones was visibly emotional during a press conference Sunday, July 1. "These are victims who in their past homes have fled violence from Syria, Iraq and Ethiopia," Bones said.
Meiying Wu

The emotional calluses of a 25-year career in law enforcement appeared to have been ripped away when Boise Police Chief Bill Bones stepped in front of the cameras at City Hall West on July 1.

The towering, soft-spoken chief choked back tears as he described the horror of the night before — an "evil" attack that left the largest number of victims in an incident in department history.

Nine people were stabbed, including six children, who were at or near a 3-year-old's birthday party at the Wylie Street Station Apartments just off State Street. All of the victims were members of refugee families from Syria, Iraq and Ethiopia.

"Obviously, I have cried during this event," Bones said a couple of days later in an interview at his office. "Thankfully, I was alone yesterday when I found out that we had lost our little girl — because she really is, in a part, she is a daughter of the entire community. She's a part of who we are."

"I have a department of people that got into this job, into this career, because they're here to take care of others, to help others. We try hard to get them to take care of themselves," he said. "None of us do the best job at that."read more here

Two firefighters shot responding to report of explosion

Veteran firefighter killed, 2 others injured in shooting at California retirement home
The Associated Press
June 25, 2018

Fire Capt. Dave Rosa, who had worked for the department for 17 years, died at a hospital Monday morning, DuRee said. He is survived by a wife and two children, the chief said.

LONG BEACH, Calif. – A resident of a retirement home in Southern California opened fire on firefighters responding to a report of an explosion in the building, killing a veteran fire captain and wounding a second firefighter and another person, officials said.

The shooting happened after firefighters responded to a 3:49 a.m. alarm at the 11-story retirement facility in Long Beach, south of Los Angeles, and found some windows blown out, activated sprinklers, the smell of gas and a fire that they extinguished, authorities said.

Firefighters were searching the building when shots were fired at 4:08 a.m. and the two firefighters were hit, Long Beach Fire Chief Michael DuRee said.
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Sanford firefighter killed in boat crash escorted home

Firefighters escort body of comrade killed in boat crash
News4Jax
By Vic Micolucci - Reporter, anchor
June 05, 2018

Salber was a lieutenant paramedic for the Sanford Fire Department. Salber's girlfriend said he had four children: three sons and a daughter, ages 17, 18, 20 and 22.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The body of a veteran Central Florida firefighter who died Saturday afternoon in the collision of two racing boats on the St. Johns River was escorted home Tuesday by fellow firefighters from Sanford.

It was a somber and silent procession as fellow first responders moved of body of Lt. Mike Salber from the medical examiner's office in Jacksonville to Central Florida.

The caravan of colleagues and friends from Sanford did so with dignity and respect.

Firefighters and police officers from Sanford, along with Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department's honor guard and a Jacksonville Sheriff's Office motorcycle team, were at the Medical Examiner's Office as Salber's flag-draped coffin was loaded into a hearse for his final trip home.

A sheriff's deputy accompanied Salber's girlfriend, Melanie Jeanine, to and from Jacksonville. She said she had dated Salber for the past year and a half.
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Fire Department has baby invasion

Baby boom: Oklahoma newborns and firefighter dads pose for heartwarming photos
CBS News
By CHRISTOPHER BRITO
May 21, 2018

There's a baby boom at a firehouse in Oklahoma. Seven of their bravest not only battle blazes, but also perform daddy duties -- and there are adorable photos to show for it.

Several firefighters at the Glenpool Fire Department have become fathers over the last year. Their wives wanted to commemorate the special occasion with group photos Sunday afternoon -- even if the star subjects didn't always want to cooperate.

"Honestly, it was difficult to get seven babies to cooperate for a picture so we all had some good laughs," Melanie Todd, whose husband is in the department, told CBS News. "We all joked about knowing which kid not to let theirs hangout with."

The idea was the brainchild from one of the firefighters' wives and they waited until the last baby was born, according to Todd.

"After we saw the final pictures, we were excited," she said.

One of the photos show the infants, five girls and two boys, in the arms of their fathers. Another shows the babies sitting on top of their dads' firefighter jackets -- while donning shirts with their last names on them.
read more here

Clearing the road of "awareness crap"

Let them know to #TakeBackYourLife
Combat PTSD and PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
May 13, 2018

Judging just the outcome, it is obvious that those who risk their lives, in the military, law enforcement, as firefighters and emergency responders, have not really mattered. How could anyone pretend they matter when the one simple thing that could help them want to live, is ignored? The one simple message they have been getting has been shared millions of times but that message has been death, not about reasons to stay here.

I was furious earlier when a "friend" on Facebook has joined forces with a group I consider the enemy. They are famous for quoting a number without knowing what was truth and what was a headline.

This is the message I left.

 (clarified now that my temper has cooled down)

I have started to "unfriend" people who have not paid attention to the work I do, and have done for 36 years! Spreading a rumor on a number has only reinforced the fact these veterans believe they do not matter. If they did not even matter enough for you to read the damn reports, then they really don't matter. If you do nothing for the majority of the veterans committing suicide, the known ones anyway, then you are a fake. 65% are over the age of 50, so tell me how anyone is supposed to believe you actually care if you ignore them?

If you support or push the "22 a day" or even "20 a day" groups of people running around the country, you are part of the problem and that, that makes you no friend of mine.

I had this designed because a plow clears the road so others can move forward. In this case, it is the crap that others have put in the way that leaves veterans trapped~ So if you get out of the way of them being able to heal, let me know. Otherwise, stay out of my lane! 

They want to make it easy and fun for them? They want to make money off them? For what? Pretending they give a shit? If their "job" depends on veterans committing suicide then hell, why bother to do anything to change the outcome?

We are talking about men and women who valued life so much, they were willing to die to save someone else. Even if they died for just one other person, they would have considered them worth it. These same people cannot find a reason to save their own!

How can they when all they hear is a message that is nothing more than a slogan of a dead end? I am so sick and tired or all these people screaming about what they are doing when the ones needing to be saved suffer silently!

I ask you, what are you doing to make a difference? What are you doing to put the "awareness" groups out of business? That can only happen one of two ways. Veterans stop killing themselves or the donations stop going to them and start going to groups actually doing the work for ALL VETERANS to stay alive. Either way, veterans win and all these groups get out of the way!

Did it ever once dawn on any of them that a lot of veterans end up risking their lives as responders?

This is about firefighters committing suicide. You know, the ones who rush into burning buildings when everyone else is running away. The same ones who have to get through the traffic jam you complain about so they can recover bodies and save the survivors who inconvenienced you.

Firefighters from around the area gathered for the Elgin Area Firefighters’ Memorial Service at the Elgin Fire Barn No. 5 Museum on Saturday. 

(Gloria Casas / Courier-News)

“In 2017, there were 103 documented firefighter suicides in America, whereas there were 93 line-of-duty deaths,” Schilling said. “This statistic is staggering. The fire service and firefighters alike are known for their resilience in the face of adversity. The fire service is known for problem recognition and determining solutions to save lives. I ask you, ‘What if you can make a difference? If not you, then who?’”

This is about police officers committing suicide. You know, the ones being attacked all over social media for responding to save lives, including the ones who blame all of them for what a few do. 

Officer Grijalva reportedly took his own life while off duty. He had been with the department for three years. Prior to that, he served in the United States Marine Corps. The family says they believed Officer Grijalva was displaying signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. They say they informed the police department about the PTSD, that the officer had threatened suicide, and that they'd found a handwritten suicide note before his death, but the department "did nothing."

If you want to help clear the crap out of their way, then join the road crew!

Go to PTSD Patrol where this post is and leave your email so that we can get this out of their way!

UPDATE, yet one more story who has been left out of that "awareness" BS. Ever hear about a flashback while driving? That very well could have happened when this veteran lost his life and his family lost someone they loved.

At the age of 28, former Army Sgt. Richard Benson was nearly incapacitated with severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

"He was still the brother who was always kind and generous, who wanted to take care of people, who would literally take the shirt off his back if someone needed it," she said.

At the same time, said Cooke, every day was a struggle for Benson.

Although he tried to return to his old life, even attending college to become a certified nurse, Cooke said he was haunted by what he'd seen and experienced in Afghanistan. He exhibited classic symptoms of PTSD – anxiety, flashbacks, guilt, unwanted thoughts, sleeplessness, hyper-vigilance and, yes, self-destructive behavior.

Cooke can't say for sure that's the reason for her brother's death. But she's certain his PTSD played a role.

Stop stuffing what your service does to you

Stop stuffing what your service does to you
PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
March 20, 2018

If you made it your job to serve others, time to deal with it instead of stuffing it.

The only way to prevent PTSD is to stop all wars, crimes, fires, natural disasters and accidents. Think about that for a second. 

Now think about how you decided to make it your job...willingly putting your life on the line because all those things happen to people you don't even know.

Sure, you can understand when one of us has just been through something horrible and dealing with a lot. Why can't you understand when one of your own, or you, has to deal with a lot more because you face more of those times that could kill you?

While it may be difficult for the survivors, it is a lot hard for those we count on to help us become a survivor instead of victims.

Service members (including National Guard and Reservists) law enforcement, firefighters and emergency responders, face the same things the rest of us deal with but piled on top of that "everything else" are all the times you put your lives on the line. Even when you are not in an active situation, you are waiting for the next time. After all, that is what you get paid to do. Isn't it?


What you cannot forget, you stuff it to be able to just get on with your time off the job. The problem is, there is really no time you are totally off the job. You know when you are not on duty, someone else is.
read more here

Nine lost in two days

Seven U.S. service members killed in Iraq helicopter crash
NBC News
by COURTNEY KUBE, RICHARD ENGEL and PHIL HELSEL
March 16, 2018

All seven service members aboard an American military helicopter that crashed in western Iraq late Thursday were killed, according to two U.S. military officials.

The crash of the U.S. HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter does not appear to be a result of enemy activity and the incident is under investigation, U.S. Central Command and military officials said.

"All personnel aboard were killed in the crash," said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Jonathan P. Braga, the director of operations for the U.S.-led anti-Islamic State coalition in Iraq and Syria.
read more here

2 FDNY Firefighters Among 7 Killed in U.S. Helicopter Crash in Iraq, Sources Say

An FDNY lieutenant and an FDNY fire marshal were among the seven service members killed when their U.S. helicopter crashed in Iraq, the FDNY announced Friday evening.

The department identified Lt. Christopher Raguso and Fire Marshal Christopher “Tripp” Zanetis as the 1,148th and 1,149th members of the FDNY to die in the line of duty. read more here

Navy identifies aviators killed in Florida Super Hornet crash
STARS AND STRIPES
By KAT BOUZA
Published: March 16, 2018

The Navy has identified the two pilots killed when their F/A-18F Super Hornet crashed into the sea near Key West, Fla., Wednesday afternoon.

Lt. Cmdr. James Brice Johnson and Lt. Caleb Nathaniel King — both assigned to the “Blacklions” of Strike Fighter Squadron 213 at Naval Air Station Oceana — died after the aircraft went down on final approach to Naval Air Station Key West at about 4:30 p.m. The squadron was conducting training in the area at the time.
read more here

UPDATE

Master Sgt. William R. Posch, 36, of Indialantic, Fla

Staff Sgt. Carl P. Enis, 31, of Tallahassee

Capt. Mark K. Weber, 29, of Colorado Springs, Colo

Capt. Andreas B. O’Keeffe, 37, of Center Moriches, N.Y.

Capt. Christopher T. Zanetis, 37, of Long Island City, N.Y.

Master Sgt. Christopher J. Raguso, 39, of Commack, N.Y.

Staff Sgt. Dashan J. Briggs, 30, of Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.

First Responders ten times more likely to commit suicide,,,still?

“We have to help them continue on:” Local program helps first responders cope with PTSD
CBS 58 News
By: Whitney Martin
Posted: Feb 16, 2018

The internal pain, so deep emergency responders are ten times more likely to commit suicide, according to the journal of Emergency Medical Services. Twenty percent of firefighters are paramedics also have PTSD.

WISCONSIN (CBS 58) – A Wisconsin agency says emergency responders are committing suicide every 40 hours. Now, there’s a push in Madison to help save the people who live to save us.

A new law would expand the state’s workers’ compensation law allowing responders to take time away for PTSD, even if they weren’t physically injured during the traumatic experience.

CBS 58 Morning Anchor Whitney Martin explains the struggle that so many face.

Medals and awards line John Krahn’s walls. From the outside, he’s a hero. Inside, he’s fighting a battle only a few understand.

“I don’t dream normal dreams anymore. I haven’t since the accident,” said Krahn.

Those nightmares take the former Elm Grove Police Officer to the scene of a 2009 train accident where he was thrown into the air after attempting to save a mother and her son from a van stuck on the tracks.

While both made it out alive, Krahn still lives with the physical and emotional pain from that day, the day he almost died.

“I feel guilty that my wife has to deal with this,” Krahn says.

Krahn is referring to his post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD that can affect first responders causing flashbacks, anxiety, and insomnia, making some days feel like survival mode.
read more here

Arizona Fire Captain's life ended because of road rage

A Marine veteran tried to confront a tailgating driver and was shot in the head, officials say
Washington Post
By Kristine Phillips
February 5, 2018

An off-duty Arizona fire captain was shot and killed in an alleged road-rage incident Sunday by a man who told investigators he thought his gun was not loaded, authorities said.

A city colleague was lost to us today, we mourn with the Tempe Fire Medical Rescue Department on the death of Fire Captain Kyle Brayer.

Kyle Brayer, a former Marine and 10-year veteran of the Tempe Fire Medical Rescue Department, was riding in a golf cart with friends early Sunday morning in Scottsdale when a man in a red Scion coupe began driving closely, nearly hitting the back of the cart, police said.

After the cart pulled up to a stop sign, Brayer walked over to the coupe and was shot in the head, according to police. The 34-year-old died at a hospital.
read more here

God grant me peace with memories of yesterday

A Prayer For Heroes
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
January 29, 2018

God grant me peace with memories of yesterday.

Courage to face what comes knowing I can make a difference this day.

Hope that tomorrow will be a better day.

Yesterday is gone. I cannot change what has been.

Help me do the best I can today and tomorrow, begin again.

You created me to be able to help others.

Help me to accept help from others.

You created within me courage to do what had to be done.

Help me to ask for help when the one in need is this one.

You surrounded me with people who would die for me.

Help me trust them with my heart so they may see the wound within me.

Let me accept help so that I may continue to 
do for others as you created me to do.
Kathie Costos 
©2018

When I think about regular people, like me, losing hope to the point where they commit suicide, it is heartbreaking. 

Hope is what keeps all of us from giving up this life we have. Often it is not enough to love others, if we feel as if we do not deserve to be loved.

There was a time in my life when I felt that way. While I did not attempt suicide, I prayed that God would to it for me. I lost hope, a sense of self worth, but above those, I lost faith that God even cared about me.

When the people committing suicide were those who dedicated their lives to saving others, it is beyond heartbreaking.

If you are among those in the military, veterans, police, firefighters and first responders, please read the prayer I wrote for you because after all these years of working with some of you, that is what I see within all of you!

Vietnam Veteran "Smiley" Given Back Reason to Smile...New Teeth

Veteran named ‘Smiley’ is gifted with $60,000 dental implants by generous dentist
WCMH NBC 4 Columbus
Inside Edition Staff
Published: January 26, 2018

A veteran was given the gift of a new smile by a dentist who was deeply moved by his touching personal story.

Larry “Smiley” Kleiman, who did two tours in Vietnam, had almost no natural teeth left when he saw Dr. Michael Tischler, founder of the Teeth Tomorrow franchise network, for a consultation.

Dr. Tischler was so moved by his personal story that he decided to perform the $60,000 surgery free of charge.

“He smiled, he had no teeth. His his name was Smiley, he was a fireman. He worked with dogs in Vietnam. And everything about him was just the kind of person that you wanna help,” Tischler said.

Kleiman currently spends his time helping others with his local K-9 unit and as an active volunteer at his local firehouse. Which is why Tischler said he called he wife and said “let’s help this guy.”
read more here

Firefighter counts herself blessed to be able to help during one more

A veteran of tragedies from 9/11 to Katrina, one firefighter counts herself blessed to be able to help during one more

Los Angeles Times

Louie Sahagun

January 12, 2018

In the 27 years since joining the Los Angeles Fire Department, Hollyn Bullock has reported for search-and-rescue duty for tragedies like the World Trade Center terrorist attack in New York, Hurricane Katrina and the deadly train derailment in Chatsworth that claimed 25 lives.

Los Angeles firefighter Hollyn Bullock. (Louis Sahagun / Los Angeles Times)

On Friday, the veteran firefighter joined a team scouring through the wreckage of the latest disaster. Seventeen people were dead after mudslides tore through the Santa Barbara County community of Montecito. At least five remained missing.

And so, along a sodden, debris-tangled corner just east of the 101 Freeway, Bullock and others searched on.

“Honestly, I feel fulfilled, even blessed to have been given the opportunity to get in there and help people in times of crisis,” she said as fellow firefighters hosed contaminated mud off her boots and pant legs.

She was part of a team of 26 men and one woman: herself. 

read more here

Homeless Veteran Escaped Fire But Has Nothing Left

Homeless vet in hospital after barely making it out of burning building
WTOL 11 News
December 13, 2017

“I got nowhere to go for emergency purposes. Nowhere. I just lost everything. All my clothes, everything. I got nothing more, nothing.”

TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) 

A veteran is now homeless and in the hospital after barely making it out of a burning building in central Toledo Wednesday morning.

The fire occurred on Palmwood Avenue near Collingwood Avenue around 2:30 a.m.

Crews say they arrived to find the building totally engulfed, with flames shooting out of the windows and roof of the building.

Homeless veteran Rex Davis says he and about seven other people were squatting inside the building when the fire started.

Davis said the blaze started when an ember from the fireplace caught a mattress on fire.

“I opened up the fireplace and something popped out and landed on the mattress and burned it up. I crawled out from the basement. I couldn’t see,” he said.

read more here 

Man Risked Life to Save Veteran and Wife in Las Vegas

Veteran talks to man who shielded him, dying wife, after Vegas shooting
KWTX 10 News
Julie Hays
October 5, 2017

WACO, Texas (KWTX) An Army veteran whose wife of 32 years was killed in the Las Vegas shooting rampage heads home Friday, but not before he talked to the stranger who shielded him and his dying wife as shots rang out.

“It was a selfless act of kindness,” Tony Burditus said Thursday.

His wife Denise was among the 58 who died when Stephen Paddock opened fire on the crowd at the Route 91 Harvest Festival Sunday night on the Las Vegas Strip.

Burditus will fly back to West Virginia Friday after the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office released his wife’s body.

But before he left Las Vegas he had an emotional phone conversation with the stranger who threw himself on top of the couple as bullets flew.

Sam Porter, a CPA from California, was attending the three-day music festival outside the Mandalay Bay hotel with 15 friends, mostly Los Angeles firefighters, when bullets began to rain down around them.

As news organizations began to identify the shooting victims and showed photographs, Porter immediately recognized Denise.
read more here

Canada Motorcycle Rat Rally Honors Those Who Serve

Rat Rally motorcyclists take part in annual memorial ride

Chronicle Herald News Canada
Tina Comeau
September 3, 2017

One speaker was Bob Grundy, the founder of Rally Point Retreat in Sable River, Shelburne County. The retreat offers veterans and first responders suffering through the collateral damage of traumatic events a quiet, safe and relaxing environment. PTSD, Grundy said, should never be fought alone.

For another year, motorcyclists taking in the Wharf Rat Rally in Digby made the trek to Hebron, Yarmouth County, in a memorial ride that included a ceremony at the Afghanistan monument at Maple Grove Education Centre

As the hymn Amazing Grace was played on the bagpipes, a motorcycle engine rumbled to life.

Both were a soothing sound.

For another year, motorcyclists taking in the Wharf Rat Rally in Digby made the trek to Hebron, Yarmouth County, in a memorial ride that included a ceremony at the Afghanistan monument at Maple Grove Education Centre.

Flags flapped in the wind as members of the Maple Grove and Yarmouth High Memorial Club formed an honour guard along the sides of the school driveway.

Then — and you could hear them before you saw them — a steady stream of motorcycles arrived.

“Sweet in pride, bitter in the knowledge that sometimes it means they’re not going to come back the same, whether they’re soldiers, sailor, aircrew, police, firefighter or EMS. People who put on a uniform to serve others put themselves in harm’s way and often carry a weight that stays with them forever.” Bob Grundy
read more here

Rapid City Mayor and Officials Do More Than Talk About Homeless Veterans--They Spent the Night With Them!

City Officials stay the night at the homeless shelter

KOTA News
Brent Wise
August 30, 2017

RAPID CITY, SD ( KOTA TV) - The amount of homeless veteran in Rapid City is increasing and city officials are trying to raise awareness about this issue.

The Mayor, Police Chief, Interim Fire Chief and others are spending the night at The Cornerstone Mission which is a homeless shelter.

Executive Director of The Cornerstone Mission, Lysa Allison, says "they're going to do an intake, they're going to stay the night here, they are going to eat here, and they are going to see the experience of what it's like to stay at the mission."

But The Cornerstone Mission is more than just a place where people can sleep and eat.

"We'll help them get clothing, even for interviews. We help them find work. We help them find an apartment. They can go to different classes. We help them get identification so they can go and apply for jobs and for housing. We offer spiritual counseling. We have a medical clinic on site, anything that they need we try and meet their need," states Allison.

Rapid City Mayor, Steve Allender, has always been an advocate for helping the homeless especially when it comes to those who helped protect our freedom.
read more here