There are are kinds of heros that are celebrated on the 4th. I will never forget the men and women who dared to care and dare to be heros as much as any celebated
Bob Hope, or John Wayne, or Norma Rae, How ironic that the day Andy Taylor of Mayberry dies, all the goodness old Andy stood for in Mayberry showed up in Daily Kos.
This holiday has been a bag of emotions that started for two Kossacks, Michelle and me and grew until Kossacks from every group was playing beat the clock and fighting a full scale , out of control drama unfolding in front of eyes on a screen, and felt in their hearts.
I hate drama yet I seem to get it and when we have poor healthcare as we do in Florida, then comes serious drama many times.
The people who know what took place on the 30th of June know Michelle and me had planned to make things a little easier for a sick veteran. We are salvaging a small organization for veterans but decided on the 4th to try and make my vet try and start healing from his heart attacks, diabetes, new diagnosis of metobolic disease, glaucoma, blurred vision, and worsening PTSD. I know the 4th is a very bad time for veterans. I wrote a poem in 08, about how badly the bombs bursting in air trigger so many combat vets into places they don't want to go. This is what happened this 4th but that is not the story.
The story is that this site, these people stepped to the plate and rescued and proved what the best of America is. They proved what citizenship is. They proved what patriotism and good will is. They proved how no matter the distance they would help a veteran in danger and rescue a family who usually helps veterans and stop a meltdown.
A diary about how what happened to whatgodmade crushing her stump and in pain was the beginning of a household spiraling out of control. It started Friday, and now Wednesday thanks to Daily Kos and this community, I am begiining to feel almost like a person not grasping for answers and strength. Heros and angels of light appeared via phone, via western union, via paypal, via in person and making a road trip for a rescue.
Follow me below the fold and I will tell the story
I can take a breath and get real sleep for the first time since Saturday. The accident Michelle took at our home triggred some very bad circumstances of PTSD and put me in the middle of a whirlwind of emotiion. The accident was a trigger too reminiscent of a battlefield and loss of limbs and with the firecrackers and blood and helplessness was a huge trigger for people who are already having problems.. it couldn't be helped and it happened. The night Michelle fell, it was dark, late, and some neighbors were shooting off guns, firecrackers, and all kinds of 4th of July regulars. I did not understand what I thought was a crisis reaction was really the beginning of a psychotic episode for my husband, throwing him back into a war of long ago and far away. I am supposed to see triggers, right? I am on guard for triggers and holidays, right? I mentioned it in two diaries, right? So what happened and who had to help the Veteran family who was in crisis? Not the VA..Not the friends and neighbors of Michelle or our family. OUR KOSSACK friends and community who are activists in the largest sense of the word and Hero spells Kossack for many on this site. There were two special needs children in this house who were upset over Mama being down and unable to connect for three days.
There was a a friend of the family ( Michelle) who received very poor treatment at the hospital, not able to move without pain and suffering from diabetes. The special needs kids were acting out in ways that were normal because kids cannot handle stress and my two kids who had looked for BBQ and swimming and her other two children would turn into little caretakers because the house was full of crisis. Counseling will be obtained for my children and me. We will go to the VA so they can better understand the episodes.
4th of July weekend and the 1st is usually stressful anyway but add a crushed leg, possible loss of limb, a vet who has disasppered for 4 days and then gets lost driving the wrong direction for over 200 miles, a wife and friend feeling every emotion one may possibly feel, needed help. Thee days I had been in constant contact with llbear, Danang, who in turn was working with not only Michelle and me but the VA mental health dept asking them to contact Jack when he was still reachable. When he drove to just escape himself nearly three hundred miles in the wrong direction with our only vehicle that was almost the breaking point for me.
There was a diary up yesterday called I am in full emergency mode that was trolled and linked to horrible things and I deleted it out of disgust and now just even have the memories of all the beautiful comments and good will.
A Kossock stepped forward to be the real Rescue Ranger to drive from Florida to South Carolina to rescue his fellow Kossack's husband who was and is a brother of Vietnam.
He called here and said, "Vetwife...where do I go"? My brother and me are going to get Jack. His name? You all have seen his comments here. His name is JustBob.
The trick was to keep my vet from running again from himself and get him back into his home area and get to the VA as soon as possibe. This was imperative on so many levels.
DaNang was calling and worried. DaNang was calling into the mental health facilitiesfor his friend, my husband, that we have never to this day met face to face, to get an evaluation but was stressing trying to set up his own vet organization one thousand miles away. He too suffers from PTSD and Vietnam trauma. He and Jack are phone buddies and talk regular. Jack talks to llbear as well. He and people of all culture were on top of roofs praying for a safe outcome and healing. These phone calls were ongoing from Sunday through Tuesday. llbear.....has been looking out not only for me, Michelle, this family and then started reaching out for rescue and now was concerned fo his friend DaNang who was under stress from this mess. llbear was in contact with testvet, as Mike lives in South Carolina but all the people in the world could not fix this problem on the 4ht of July holidays...EXCEPT for heros willing to physically get into the situation as he and Danang and glorificus, and Loritkeet, and nurse kelley were. Nuse Kelley just coming out of the wildfires an evacuation who was on my radar to do awareness diaries to help her. My rollercoaster ride was falling and llbear,and Danang proved that as advocates, along with anglejean, knew this situation was serious.
As people rushed to the now deleted diary, because some people are less than honorable to link filth to a crisis trying to be solved on Daily Kos, llbear starts another diary as jpmasser had as well. We are talking Veterans who provided info and encouragement to help a fellow soldier from times past. They also were working to keep a family of Kossacks in the loop of what we had been in since Saturday.
When we felt we had reached all of our options, justbob called. justbob comments on here and is a Viet Nam vet. This is all I knew but I was estactic. Bob did not want me to meet him at Enterprise Rental. Bob did not want to stop by and pick up anything. Bob wanted to not leave his fellow soldier behind in a dark place 300 miles away. Bob was on a mission and he loves Daily Kos. Bob is one of my heros on this 4th of July. He and his brother. I read comments from heros all over Daily Kos saying prayers and hope was going up. 1400.00 was collected to offset an unknown motel expense in Carolina and some food expense, and help for this worn out wife and advocate for Michelle, trasportation and gas money for two vehicles, food for 7 people since Saturday was helping to defray the extra cost. Michelle had been almost unconcious since her one leg nub had been crushed. Kids eat a lot. I found out they eat a lot when stressing. Bob's expenses will be compensated. I took the money sent via wire and bought more groceries while holding my breath that with Bob on the way to rescue my vet in a dark place, I might get to pay a bill or two taking away the fear that I had money to pay bills and get respite and some actual nursing for my friend and transportation 80 miles up the road for my friend. Today is the 4th of July and I have never been prouder of the all american love from too many to mention who stepped into a diary and situation and looked for solutions to a possible life or death situation on many levels. I heard stories about people on rooftops praying. I heard a tireless advocate dig deep into his soul and plead in a professional manner.. "We need a hero or two to step forward". My phone was ringing, my kos mail was full, and I saw humanity and compassion in ways I have never seen.
Jack is not home yet but justbob and his brother arrived because I got the call that they were there and even though I don't have the details, were on their way with the vehicle to our home. Michelle slept with less pain and only moaned for three hours instead of all night. The kids started calming down and these children have been amazing. I did not break down in my terror in front of them but kids know when things are wrong. They were explained to that Uncle Jack and Dad was at his brother's house and we left it there but we knew it was much further away even the short time he was at his brother's. I have had little sleep. My 17 year old has been a trooper and real caretaker during this time. I was on the phone much of the time. That left her and Michelle's 14 year old to help in ways that went the extra mile. We had a 6 year old mentally challenged child of Michelle's that needed extra care. What we had was a bunch of lemons and no sugar for lemondade in life. Then....the community of Daily Kos stepped up and lifted the burdens and from California to Hawaii held me up.
You reached your hands through my monitor and grabbed on. You showed what the true America was built upon. The real patriotism. The real compassion. You saved my life. I wanted to give up and start crying . I felt so helpless and overwhelmed and you lifted the load. You are heros.
The beautiful shades of brown, black, white, straight, gay,dem, independent, man, woman, transgender, ........christian, jew, buddhist, aethist, ....it didn't matter. You all had soul and heart and compassion and you loved your country enough to protect an old defender of the flag from years past in another unecessary war that destroys lives and families who lost his way and brought us back from the brink of Hell.
There are not enough thank you's or I love you or Brackets of Hugs to express my gratitude. I felt I had lives in the balance. Broken people looking to me. I felt every emotion there was and you rode in ...all of you with your change, dollars, words and selves to keep me strong when all strength was almost gone. I love you all. If I am not on here that much, it is because I am taking care of justbob's and his brother's expense or whatever they need regarding this major disaster. I will be making arrangements to get Michelle transported to Gainesville. I will be putting my husband to bed before his SCHEULDED VA trip tomorrow. I will be continually busy but a little saner. I will be in and out but forgive me if I just collapse in between comments.
to all of my Heros and Friends