And for more on what healing is like...read the lyrics and know that rainbow is out there.

Time to see clearly what PTSD can be like

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
January 25, 2020

I listen to oldies...since that is the music I grew up with. The song I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW came on, and I thought about doing a video on it, since it is perfect to explain what it is like to heal with PTSD. As I went to find the lyrics, I came across a video that was already perfect.

With all obstacles out of the way, you can see that your life can be a lot better than you thought it could be. First you need to stop seeing what others think PTSD is, and actually know what it is.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event.

It is natural to feel afraid during and after a traumatic situation. Fear triggers many split-second changes in the body to help defend against danger or to avoid it. This “fight-or-flight” response is a typical reaction meant to protect a person from harm. Nearly everyone will experience a range of reactions after trauma, yet most people recover from initial symptoms naturally. Those who continue to experience problems may be diagnosed with PTSD. People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened, even when they are not in danger. National Institute of Mental Health

In other words, something you survived caused it.

You need to know that you are not alone.

Anyone can develop PTSD at any age. This includes war veterans, children, and people who have been through a physical or sexual assault, abuse, accident, disaster, or other serious events. According to the National Center for PTSD, about 7 or 8 out of every 100 people will experience PTSD at some point in their lives. Women are more likely to develop PTSD than men, and genes may make some people more likely to develop PTSD than others. National Institute of Mental Health

You also need to know that most people heal, with the right help. That can only begin when you get all the roadblocks out of your way and know that you stopped being a victim of whatever "it" was and became a survivor when you walked away after it tried to kill you.

And for more on what healing is like...read the lyrics and know that rainbow is out there.

Johnny Nash - I Can See Clearly Now - YouTube
www.youtube.com
Lyrics
I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
Oh, yes I can make it now the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is that rainbow I've been praying for
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
Look all around, there's nothing but blue skies
Look straight ahead, there's nothing but blue skies
I can see clearly now the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Here is that rainbow I've been praying for
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
Bright (bright) bright (bright)
Bright sunshiny day
It's going to be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
Bright (bright) sunshiny day

Source: LyricFind Songwriters: Johnny Nash I Can See Clearly Now lyrics © Nashco Music, Inc

Vietnam veteran James Nicoletti called crisis line...and blue angels showed up!

Vietnam War veteran gets unexpected help from Berwyn community after calling crisis hotline

ABC 7 News
By Cate Cauguiran
January 16, 2020

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Vietnam War veteran got help from an unexpected source when he needed it the most.

With little more than the clothes on his back, James Nicoletti called a hotline for help after moving back to his hometown in suburban Berwyn last week.

Police officers in Berwyn responded to his call, which started a series events that have changed his life.

"I had a hundred dollars in my hand when I arrived here in Chicago," said Nicoletti, a U.S. Army vet.

He hadn't eaten for days and was trying his best to hold on to the last bit of cash he had.

"I had to sleep in a bathtub. That's where I slept," he said. "I put blankets there on the bottom so I don't get cold."

He said his life was going down the drain, and that's when he decided to call a veteran crisis hotline looking for help.

"I thought, 'It's over. You know what? They're going to put me away,'" Nicoletti said to himself when Berwyn police officers showed up at this door.

That fear was quickly replaced by hope after responding Officer Ed Tovar and his colleagues embraced the veteran. They pooled together their own money to get Nicoletti a few groceries and toiletries.
read it here

UPDATES on veterans with PTSD

Crime and just punishment
Police Chase Armored Vehicle Stolen From Virginia Military Base | NBC Nightly News 2018

An M577 armored personnel carrier was stolen from Fort Pickett, leading police on a 75-mile chase. 1st Lt. Joshua Yabut was charged with driving under the influence of drugs and eluding police in connection with the incident.

UPDATE

Soldier who drove armored vehicle from Fort Pickett to downtown Richmond given conditional release (ALI ROCKETT Richmond Times-Dispatch)

The first lieutenant told psychologists after his arrest that he believed he had been given orders to carry out a “confidential mission,” Watrous told the court. Yabut believed that Fort Pickett military personnel and state police were “all part of the ruse,” the prosecutor said. Records showed Yabut has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post traumatic stress disorder.

Determination and Redemption
Marine crawls over line to finish Boston Marathon he ran to honor his fallen comrades (Liz Roscher, Yahoo Sports Apr 16, 2019)

Micah Herndon, of Tallmadge, Ohio, crawls to the finish line in the 123rd Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15, 2019, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Running the Boston Marathon can be a punishing but uplifting experience. And now Micah Herndon can talk about that experience firsthand.

Herndon, an Ohio native, ran the marathon on Monday, but his body began to give out as he approached the finish. With just a few feet left, he fell to the ground, unable to get up.

But he didn’t give up. Herndon decided to crawl the final feet of the race, crossing the finish line on his hands and knees.

UPDATE
Marine who crawled over Boston Marathon finish line set to return, ready for ‘redemption’ (Ryan Young Yahoo Sports Jan 10, 2020)

Micah Herndon’s body started to give out as he approached the finish line at the Boston Marathon last year, forcing him to crawl across the finish on his hands and knees.

Now, nearly one year later, the Marine veteran is ready to give it another go.

Herndon announced on Twitter on Friday that he will compete in the Boston Marathon on April 20th with a single word: ‘Redemption.’

Herndon was injured during an improvised explosive device attack during his tour in Afghanistan in 2010. He runs now to help cope with post-traumatic stress disorder from his time in Afghanistan, and to honor two of his best friends, Mark Juarez and Matthew Ballard, and British journalist Rupert Hamer, who all died in the attack.

Want to prevent veterans from killing themselves? Bobby Grey is an example of how to do it!

PTSD Nearly Killed Him - Now it's Helping Him Help Other Veterans

The High Point Enterprise, N.C.
By Jimmy Tomlin
15 Dec 2019

The scar on Bobby's neck lasted for weeks.

The scars on his heart have lasted much longer.

You can't see Bobby Grey's scars.

On the surface, he's just an ordinary 35-year-old husband. FedEx driver. Racing fan. Philadelphia Eagles diehard. Dog owner.

He's also a former Marine, 2003 to 2007 -- a mission that has given him great pride and great anguish. Twelve years later -- anguish or not -- he still loves the Corps to the core. Semper Fi -- always faithful.

Grey acknowledges, though, that that's where the scars originated.

North Carolina Marine veteran, Bobby Grey, discusses his suicide attempt seven years after an explosive Iraqi attack on his unit during Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Day at the Charlotte National Guard Armory on July 26, 2014. Grey said he had no memory of the suicide attempt when he awakened from a coma a week and half later. He tells his story to bring attention to the severity of the disorder so fellow comrades can seek help. (Ruth McClary/National Guard)

As a young devil dog, a PFC scarcely six months out of boot camp, Grey deployed to Iraq and got his first taste of combat when he was only 20 years old. One day, Marines in his convoy -- guys he knew -- died when a roadside bomb blew up beneath them. On another day, during a firefight with Iraqi insurgents, bullets whizzed over Grey's head, close enough that he could hear them. Seconds later, when the bullets shattered the windows behind him, a shower of glass rained down on his head.

But those days were nothing compared to Dec. 3, 2004, the day a suicide bomber rocked his unit's base with an explosion so violent that it literally blew him out of the chow hall where he'd been dining. He suffered a concussion and a mild traumatic brain injury -- as if anything traumatic could be mild -- but several comrades fared worse, suffering broken bones and dislocated hips. Two of his buddies died in the blast, and Grey had to put them in body bags himself.

"It's like losing a brother," he says softly. "No, it is losing a brother."

These are the memories Grey brought home from Iraq, carrying them around like a rucksack on his back. Also in that invisible rucksack, Grey lugged PTSD -- post-traumatic stress disorder -- a mental and emotional condition which, though common among active military personnel and veterans alike, he knew little about and even denied having.

Six and a half years ago, that denial nearly killed him. When the PTSD that had been simmering inside him for years suddenly exploded, Grey snapped. After an argument with his wife, Kia, he stormed out of the couple's house in Thomasville, climbed a magnolia tree in the backyard, texted his wife an apology, and hanged himself with an extension cord. He only survived because of Kia's screams when she found him, a neighbor with a ladder who helped cut him down, and Kia's frantic CPR efforts as she waited for paramedics to arrive.
read it here

If you are right, giving up is wrong

PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
December 15, 2019

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” ―Dale Carnegie

When you know you are right about something, you fight to prove it. You do not give up on what is important to you. At least that is the way it is supposed to work, but sometimes, no matter how hard or how long you try, fighting can drain whatever hope you have left. But fighting is what keeps us moving forward.

When I moved to New Hampshire, I brought a truckload of misery with me. I did not notice I packed every rotten thing that happened there 1,600 miles away.
read it here

Vietnam Veteran inspires after being imprisoned as POW

‘We made it:’ Local Vietnam veteran shares his POW story

WINK
Reporter:Erika Jackson
Writer: Briana Harvath
September 20, 2019

1,882 days; five and a half years. That’s how long Vietnam veteran Wayne Smith was a prisoner of war.

“We were in pretty bad shape, we certainly were,” said Smith.

He shared his story with us and dozens of people at Punta Gorda’s Military Heritage Museum.

The Air Force captain’s aircraft got shot down in 1968, just hours after this photo.

Now, he’s detailing his time in solitary confinement when communication was rare, but crucial.

“We used to break our knuckles by tapping on the walls and someone found out that actually, you could put the cup up against the wall, yell through it, and the other guy could listen to the other side,” said Smith.

Captured one warehouse over: prisoner of war survivor, Senator John McCain.

“We talked about anything,” said Smith. “It was important to stay in touch with each other.”

For two years, his family didn’t know if he was alive. Then, a released POW remembered his name.

“One of the things we thought was so important, any time we could, we would pass along names so in case someone made out, then we would tell the families,” said Smith.

Released during Operation Homecoming in 1973, the Naples man has shared his experience with people all over Southwest Florida.

A story, at one point, he didn’t know if he’d ever tell.

“We made it. And we survived because of each other,” he said.
read it here

Marine veteran "ain't heavy" for his brother Marine

Veteran carries fellow Marine to Utah mountain summit: 'We're all a band of brothers'

FOX News
By David Montanaro
August 27, 2019

Phil Casper wrote, "They sought no special attention. The disabled vet said he weighed 135 lbs. They were committed to reach the summit. Having just exhausted myself to reach the summit with less than 5 lbs on my back, it was hard to fathom the drive that the pair possessed to achieve their goal. To have arrived where I met them was already an incredible accomplishment. It was a powerful and inspiring experience to see them on their way."

When it comes to the U.S. Marines, one of their core beliefs is to leave no man behind.

That motto was on full display last week when retired Marine Sgt. John Nelson was caught on video carrying his friend and fellow Marine, Staff Sgt. Jonathon Blank, to the summit of Utah's Mount Timpanogos.

Blank lost his legs in an explosion in Afghanistan in 2010, with Nelson nearby when the blast occurred. The two, who served together on long-range reconnaissance missions, joined "Fox & Friends" Tuesday to detail the inspirational journey, which spanned 14 miles and 4,500 feet of elevation.

The sight of Nelson carrying Blank, who weighs about 135 pounds, on his back left two fellow hikers in awe and one shared the video on Facebook.
read it here

Community guards Vietnam veteran's possessions after eviction...and heart attack

Vietnam veteran evicted from apartment; people seen rummaging through belongings

by: WBTW
Posted: Aug 23, 2019

Trinemeyer said the veteran suffered a heart attack at around the same time he got the eviction notice and only recently got out of the hospital.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) – A Carolina Forest veteran is headed to New York after an eviction.

Veterans Outreach Program Specialist Chris Aranda, with the Department of Veterans Affairs, told WBTW the veteran, identified as Tom, was released from the hospital around 3 p.m. on Wednesday and was dropped off at a homeless shelter.

When VA members went to the shelter, the veteran wasn’t there, Aranda said. The members went looking for the veteran and found him on Oak Street.

The veteran stayed in a hotel overnight, where he was able to shower and sleep in a bed, Aranda added. On Thursday, volunteers from various vet organizations helped the veteran load the rest of his things before he heads to New York to stay with family and friends.

“Very unfortunate event that he came home to this, but veteran community stepped up once again and ensured we leave no veteran behind,” Aranda said.

“I will never leave a veteran behind. If there’s a veteran in need, if there’s a veteran in the street, if a veteran just needs a meal – I’m there,” said Chase McCarthy.

Some volunteers stayed overnight to protect Tom’s property.

“We basically just stayed here to make sure that what was left of his property was, that nobody else looted or messed with anything else. A lot of his stuff had already been taken. To my understanding it had been here a few days already,” said Chuck Hooks.
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Memorial Cross made its way back to widow of Marine veteran

Memorial cross returned to Marine Veteran's widow

ABC 10 News
Author: Giacomo Luca
August 24, 2019

A memorial cross at-risk of being removed due to construction has been returned to the widow of a U.S. Marine veteran through the help of a community member.

ANTELOPE, Calif. — A patriotically painted red, white, and blue cross with both stars and stripes was placed alongside Don Julio Boulevard in Antelope, California following the 2014 shooting death of Marine veteran Ryan Matthew Shannon.

Gina Schaeffer, who lives nearby, drove past it for the five years that it’s been there. She’d always pay respects as she drove past but says she never stopped.

“I always noticed that cross, and I’ve always wondered who it belonged to and what it was associated with,” Schaeffer said.

Recently, a construction project in that area grew close to where the cross was standing. Afraid it would be removed or bulldozed, she stopped and asked construction crews if she could bring it home, and they allowed her to do so. Afterward, she took to community pages on Facebook to seek out why the cross was there and who she should return it to.

“The minute I picked it up and felt the solidness and the heaviness of it and the well builtness (sic) of it, I just felt a really big emotional feeling that you know this was bigger than just finding the family. It needed to go back home,” Schaeffer said.
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Disabled and decorated 74 year old Vietnam veteran training to be welder to care for wife?

'She deserves the best': Decorated Vietnam veteran, 74, enrolls in welding school to support ailing wife

Tulsa World
By Tim Stanley
August 23, 2019

The school awarded Nelson a full scholarship. “It’s the least we can do. He’s so inspirational,” Hinojosa said. “We owe our freedom to people like him.”

Whenever he has nightmares about Vietnam, David Nelson takes solace in knowing he’s not alone.

His wife, Cynthia, is always by his side.

“I don’t have them as often as I used to,” Nelson said, “but when I do, it’s normally a doozy. And she just lays on me and hugs and kisses me.”

“She’s worth her weight in gold,” he added.

A decorated Vietnam veteran and Army retiree, Nelson is committed to supporting his wife, as well.

Since her diagnosis with cancer, it’s been a challenge. Recently, with the related expenses mounting, the 74-year-old took what seemed like an unlikely leap for his stage of life.

He enrolled at Tulsa Welding School to embark on a new career.
read it here

FBI Agent thanked by Camp Lejeune Marine for his life

Marine kidnapped as baby reunites with rescuer 22 years later

ABC 13 News
By Brittany Tarwater
Aug 09, 2019

"I think that is the perfect bookend. I think to end seeing him again, it really just puts the final touch to a career.” Troy SowersTroy Sowers

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT/Gray News) - A reunion outside the Knoxville FBI headquarters was the second time Stewart Rembert and Troy Sowers have met.

Rembert doesn’t remember the first time, reports WVLT, but FBI Special Agent in Charge Sowers will never forget that day.

Rembert was two days old in 1997 when he was kidnapped from a Washington state hospital by a woman claiming to be a nurse.

It was one of Sowers’s first cases with the FBI. He found baby Rembert in a box behind a dumpster.

“I pulled a baby out of a box,” he recalled. “That was tough. I had to take a couple deep breaths before I started talking.”

Rembert was then reunited with his family. The kidnapper pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

After graduating high school, Rembert joined the Marines and is now stationed at Camp Lejeune.

"Without him, I wouldn't be where I am today, a United States Marine," he said.

Friday was Sowers’s last day with the FBI. He ended his career with one of the first people he started it with. Cpl. Rembert surprised Sowers at his retirement party.
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Point Man getting to the point of love and what heals PTSD

Point Man weekend lifting up healing

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
August 5, 2019

Of all the things you have been hearing about lately, you may have received the impression that it is all new stuff. Peer support...not new. Healing of mind-body and spirit...not new. Suicides and attempted suicides...not new. None of what you hear about today is new, but most of it is not an improvement on what had already been done without the glow of reporters covering stunts.

This weekend I was in Buffalo for the Point Man International Ministries conference. Dana Morgan, the President of Point Man for longer than I have been involved, has stepped down and is taking on leading an Out Post instead of the whole thing after over 20 years.

Want to know what works? Listen to these speeches and know what the rest of the groups should be doing because if you end the video and are not awakened to possibilities...not much else will open your eyes.

There will be a few more videos up tomorrow but they will have to wait until I get back from work.

Marine Old Breed Rugby offering support for PTSD the old fashion way

How a St. Charles veteran uses rugby to help fellow Marines

Daily Herald
Bob Susnjara
August 1, 2019

Okicich is among five Old Breed Rugby members who are available 24 hours a day for veterans suffering from depression or who just need to talk. Contact information is on the home page of Old Breed Rugby's website.

Retired Marine Marc Okicich of St. Charles, running with ball, helps other veterans through endeavors such as the Old Breed Rugby Club. The nonprofit honors the memories of fallen Marines while offering a support network to veterans in need. Courtesy of Old Breed Rugby Club

When St. Charles resident Marc Okicich gathers with other retired Marines to play rugby, it's more than just a fun day on the field.

Okicich is a member of the nationwide Old Breed Rugby Club, which since 2005 has honored the memories of fallen Marines while offering a support network to veterans in need.

Part of Old Breed Rugby's mission is to raise money for the permanent endowment of a memorial fund named for Marine Lt. Col. Kevin Shea, who was killed in Iraq in September 2004. The fund is administered by the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.

Okicich is among five Old Breed Rugby members who are available 24 hours a day for veterans suffering from depression or who just need to talk. Contact information is on the home page of Old Breed Rugby's website, www.oldbreedrugby.org.

"We've found we've become a support network for some of the guys that came back that were struggling with some post-traumatic stress issues," said Okicich, who played rugby with Shea at Camp Pendleton in California in the early 1990s.

Okicich, 49, remembers one instance when he woke from a nightmare at 2:30 a.m. and noticed a missed call from a few minutes earlier. He returned the call and reached a veteran who "was struggling with some demons."
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Jason Kander "I'm really enjoying life" while healing PTSD

Jason Kander is back after quietly working through PTSD

The Associated Press
By: Margaret Stafford, The Associated Press and Jim Salter
July 28, 2019

"I feel the best I've felt in a very, very long time. I'm really enjoying life." Jason Kander

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Not so many months ago, Jason Kander was spending his life on airplanes. The picture of youth and energy, Kander was in demand from Democratic groups across the U.S., a military veteran from middle America making a powerful case for generational change in his party, possibly with an eye toward a 2020 presidential run.

In this Nov. 9, 2016, file photo, Democrat Jason Kander concedes to Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., during an election watch party at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City, Mo. (Orlin Wagner/AP)

But beneath the swagger, something inside Kander's head weighed on him — nightmares, paranoia, even suicidal thoughts. Like so many veterans, he was carrying the unspoken burden of post-traumatic stress disorder, and suddenly last fall he detailed his personal struggles and dropped from public view .

Now, Kander is re-emerging with a healthier mental state and a new focus on helping other veterans, leading the national expansion of a program in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, called Veterans Community Project. At the same time he’s easing back into the fringes of politics — doing national TV interviews, appearing with Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg during the candidate’s visit to Kansas City (though he hasn’t endorsed any specific candidate), and talking candidly about his experience reconciling trauma, healing and political ambition.

"I feel the best I've felt in a very, very long time," Kander told The Associated Press. "I'm really enjoying life."

But as he campaigned last year, Kander failed to seek help "for the same reasons I hadn't in the past — I was worried about the stigma, I was worried about how it would affect my political career. That just allowed things to get much, much worse," he said.

One night, things got so bad that he phoned a suicide hotline for veterans. Days later, on Oct. 2, he dropped out of the race with a statement acknowledging his PTSD.
read it here

Ex-POW Vietnam veteran Richard Burgess remembered for how he loved

Vietnam vet remembered as a hero and friend to all that knew him

Deseret News
Jasen Lee
July 28, 2019

"He could tap into (the sixth sense) of what connected us," Clemmons explained. "He taught me how to pay attention and it's amazing how many times it saved my life."

Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Marine Gunnery Sgt. Christopher Chambers and Sgt. Mark Maxfield fold the flag during services for Vietnam War veteran Richard Burgess during services at Camp Williams in Bluffdale on Friday, July 26, 2019.

BLUFFDALE – A onetime prisoner of war, Richard Burgess was a man who spent much of his life looking out for others' interests above his own.

To a person, speakers at his memorial service Friday at the Utah Veterans Memorial Cemetery all noted how selfless and caring a man he was to them and just about everyone he came in contact with.

"I knew he was special all our lives and I thought about him every day almost," said fellow Marine Gary Clemmons, who served with Burgess in Vietnam. "When I think I would have it bad, I would think of Richard (in the POW camp)."

So impactful to some was Burgess' connection with them, they came from miles away to pay their respects during a ceremony conducted with full military honors in Bluffdale. Burgess spent over six years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam conflict, but didn't allow it the extinguish the kind, generous spirit that ingratiated him to so many people during his 72 years, speakers noted. read it here

Vietnam veteran "Get It While You Can" attitude scores on AGT

How 'AGT' Contestant Robert Finley Used Music to Overcome His Heartbreaking Past

Good Housekeeping
BY KAYLA KEEGAN
Jul 9, 2019 

The Vietnam War veteran, who is blind, inspired all the AGT judges.

“The bad things sometimes bring out the best in you. I began to play the music again. It made me reach inside to find myself," he said on the show.

America's Got Talent contestant Robert Finley has been through a lot over his lifetime. But through all the challenges, the 65-year-old Vietnam veteran has never stopped pursuing his dream of being a professional singer. His uplifting spirit and love for music clearly left a mark on judge Simon Cowell, who had nothing but wonderful things to say about the blues vocalist on Tuesday night.

"You’ve got this great soul about you," Simon told the Louisiana native after Robert auditioned with his own original bluesy song "Get It While You Can."

"The finest wines are the ones that stay in storage for a few years and then they become beautiful, and that’s how I feel about your voice." Fellow judges Julianne Hough, Howie Mandel, and Gabrielle Union agreed with Simon and tacked on several more compliments.

Despite his talent, fame never came to Robert at a young age. Still, he continued to perform wherever he could — nursing homes, prisons, and more. At 18, he joined the military and served in the Vietnam War. After the war ended, he got married, had kids, and took up carpentry.

Years later though, Robert got divorced and lost his house and trailer to a fire. Then, at 60 years old, he started going blind due to glaucoma, which resulted in him losing his job.
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Sailors saluted by 6 year old because he knows "they fight for our country"

6-year-old salutes military men at airport, photo goes viral

by SBG San Antonio 
July 22nd 2019

"Because they fight for our country," said Jace.

This photo of a local boy saluting members of the military at San Antonio International Airport has been seen by hundreds of thousands of people online.

The viral photo posted on our station's Facebook page Sunday after Jace Vega's family wanted to show how their son's respect and patriotism made them feel proud.

Jace is just 6 years old.

The first grader loves football, video games and one day hopes to be an Army captain.
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Taco Bell employee shocked veteran after he asked for military discount

Lower Burrell veteran overwhelmed by Taco Bell teen worker’s generous offer

TribLive
Madasyn Czebiniak
July 23, 2019

Army veteran Chris Archer will never forget the experience he had Saturday at the Taco Bell in Harrison.

As he was ordering his lunch — four tacos and a water — he asked the employee serving him if the restaurant offered a military discount.

The crew member, Liam Samples, said no. Samples, 17, proceeded to do something that blew Archer’s mind.

He tried to pay for Archer’s $6 meal.

“Before I even had a chance to think about what he was doing, he already had his wallet out and was trying to pay,” said Archer, 39, of Lower Burrell. “I was just like, ‘No, no, no … I got this. That’s amazing. Thank you for the thought for this.’ ”

Archer, who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, thought it would be be fitting to highlight Samples’s generous act by pointing it out to the Tribune-Review.

He said he has been given the senior discount at places where no military discount was offered, but no one has ever tried to pay for him out of their own pocket. Especially a 17-year-old.
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Eight year old girl knew who Bessie Coleman was. Do you?

8-year-old applauded for asking to report on aviation pioneer Bessie Coleman instead of Amelia Earhart

ABC News
By MARQUIS HUGHES
Jul 10, 2019

For all of Noa’s hard work and willingness to report on Coleman, the National Aviation Hall of Fame Museum decided to fly Noa and her family to the museum in Dayton, Ohio. There she got the privilege to meet a relative of her hero.

Bessie Coleman’s great-niece, Gigi Coleman, greeted her when she arrived and awarded Noa a medallion for her outstanding project.

When 8-year-old Noa Lewis was assigned a school project on Amelia Earhart, she flipped the script and asked instead to report on Bessie Coleman, who was the first female African American and Native American pilot.

Noa Lewis giving her best of Bessie Coleman.

Noa and her second-grade class were given the assignment to create and be a part of a “wax museum,” with each student embodying their assigned historical figure. Noa had originally been assigned Amelia Earhart, the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

“Noa knew about Amelia Earhart but she told her teacher she wanted another figure but couldn’t remember the name,” Moniqua Lewis, Noa’s mother, told “Good Morning America.”

Lewis was picking up her daughter from school when Noa told her mom about the project and about how she wanted to report on a person who was once featured in her favorite Disney show, “Doc McStuffins.” Lewis was naming names, trying to help her daughter remember who it was.

It turns out it was Bessie Coleman, or “Queen Bessie,” as Noa refers to her. Coleman was the first female African American and Native American to hold a pilot’s license.

Lewis saw how passionate Noa was about Bessie Coleman, so as Noa’s teacher was exiting the school, she asked her if her daughter could instead report on Coleman.
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Veterans lives saved by boxing club?

'They Saved My Life,' Boxing Club Provides a Healing Outlet for Veterans

The Associated Press
By Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Diana Nelson Jones
7 Jul 2019

Boxing isn't for every veteran who needs an outlet, but for those it does help, it is a testament to the power of physical activity in improving mental health

.

Brandy Horchak-Jevsjukova, left, helps Tysh Wagner with stretches after a workout at Warrior's Call Boxing in Baden on Monday, June 10, 2019. Wagner served two tours of duty as a medic in Afghanistan and says the boxing workout helps her heal from the trauma of her war experiences. Horchak-Jevsjukova, co-owner of Warrior's Call, served in Iraq. (Steve Mellon/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)

BADEN, Pa. (AP) — Brandy Horchak-Jevsjukova jokes that she is Tyshie Wagner's service dog.

A veteran's service dog is trained to lean into her to provide comfort, to stand watch behind her, to jump up or paw her to interrupt a crisis.

Brandy has leaned into Tyshie persistently since they met in 2017, when Tyshie was almost 400 pounds, terrified of leaving her house, and imagining — and once attempting — suicide. She had gone through several therapists and had a husband who was at his wits' end.

Cutting through the chronology of their story, we arrive at the Warrior's Call Boxing Club in Baden, Beaver County, one recent morning.

Brandy and her husband, Vitali Jevsjukova, whom everyone calls "V," opened the club in 2015 to be the help to veterans that boxing had been for them during their military service in Iraq.
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