My mantra for the last few weeks has been, “I am resilient.” Why has my mantra been this way? Well, it’s been a rough couple of weeks. I’ve wanted to put fingers to the keyboard; however, much of what I’m experiencing is due to others that are close to me going through difficult times. My goal is to only talk about myself here and my stuff and only share if allowed.
After that diatribe, one of the first and foremost things I’ve been struggling with is the terminal illness of a fellow brother-in-arms and his recent passing. I met Caleb and several other brand-new soldiers shortly into my second company command. Caleb and crew joined after 9-11.
I felt most connected with the men of the original Alpha Company before we consolidated for our deployment. I enjoyed training with the men of Alpha Company for two years before our deployment, and we, as a team, kicked ass across the State.
Sadly, most of our losses have been from the original Alpha Company. Another sad item is that it is our younger brother passing.
Going back to Caleb…
I still vividly remember his gleaming smile. Caleb is one of the men I have interacted with over the decades. I’ve had the privilege of serving with Caleb, seeing him working as a contracted guard at the entry gate of Fort Richardson, seeking him out for over a year as I caught glimpses of him on street corners, excitedly seeing him go to the Chris Kyle Center, picking him up from Chris Kyle, and now to his passing.
I need to talk about Caleb being on the streets. Over the years I’ve found out that other brothers have also been homeless for a while or in their vehicles. It hurts to think of men that have served our Country honorably being homeless.
I can’t say enough about the Chris Kyle Center. They provide opportunities for service members needing help. I was elated that the center accepted Caleb.
I also need to give huge kudos to the Veterans Court in Alaska. Caleb as well as many other soldiers that I know, have utilized the Veterans Court.
Caleb passed away from colon cancer. He advocated that his story be told regarding his not getting tested. Caleb hoped his cancer fight would motivate others to get checked/screened. He pushed that if cancer is in your family, pay heed to it and get tested earlier. This was one of the discussion topics we had while he was in the hospital.
I desperately ask that if any brothers or sisters are out there hurting, homeless, or need a hand then please contact the VA Veterans in Need at 877-424-3838, Veterans Crisis Line at 800-273-8255 (press 1), or especially if we’ve served together then reach out to me and we’ll work on it together.
Caleb, until Valhalla brother! I hope you, Murph, AJ, Randy, and our others are together.
Joel
Below is information on the Veterans Court that is available in both Anchorage and now Fairbanks.
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