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Mar

30

U.S.S. Indianapolis

Filed Under American Patriotism, Cleatus Lebow, Tears, Tears of a Warrior, USS Indianapolis, War | Comments Off on U.S.S. Indianapolis

by guest writer, Terry Creekmore

Reposted by popular request.

-Tony & Janet Seahorn

A Poem about Cleatus Lebow, a World War II survivor of the U.S.S Indianapolis.

Written by Terry Creekmore, Tsgt (E-6) Wyoming Air National Guard.

The old man shuffled through a gas station in the flat north Texas land.
Unremarkable but for the hat he wore as I paused and shook his hand.
USS Indianapolis the hat said on its brim.
I’d read the books and heard the tales as I stared in awe at him.

Cleatus Lebow was 87 years old when I shook his hand that day
But his life was defined by a mere four days and the memories were there to stay

Four days that few remember

Four days he could not forget

Four days that haunt the nightly dreams of those survivors who live with regret

~ Heroes walk among us still today and their stories need to be told ~

Normandy, Bastone, the Canal and Iwo will make your blood run cold
Few remember and fewer still care about those events so long ago
But few have endured the terror and pain of the hero Cleatus Lebow

The Indy was a proud ship that now only sails in lore
She delivered the bomb to Tinian and helped end the greatest war
It only took twelve minutes for her to sink beneath the waves
Nine hundred men in the water but only 300 would be saved
The heat the cold the thirst the sharks all took a terrible toll
The men who survived would forever be seared to the marrow of their soul

~ Heroes walk among us still today and their stories need to be told ~

Pusan, Inchon and the Chosin Few

Battling in that terrible cold

So many heroes of that forgotten war are quietly growing old
Yet their sacrifice and bravery have never been extolled
Few remember and fewer still care about those events so long ago
But few have endured the terror and pain of the hero Cleatus Lebow

The navy needed a scapegoat so they court-martialed Captain McVay
The justness of the verdict is still argued to this day
The letters and the guilt and the ridicule made the holidays particularly strained
So in the fall of 1968 he put a bullet through his brain
Another victim of those terrible days
When the sea and the sharks made a living hell and sanity lost its way

~ Heroes walk among us still today and their stories need to be told ~

Route Pack six, Ia Drang and Khe Sanh but the nation was so cold
There are just some things you can’t apologize for and this is certainly one
The spitting the jeers the taunting the tears they just can’t be undone

Now they are old. Most of them gone. Only thirty-six survive
Those four days are history now and only our memories keep them alive
We can never repay the debt we owe as that generation fades away
All we can do is to keep the faith and from that we will never stray

~ Heroes walk among us still today and their stories need to be told ~

Firefighters, Fallujah and Seal Team Six
the bravery never gets old

The torch has been passed and now this generation is writing its own history
Honor and tradition can still to be found in the deserts and the mountains and the sea
But they have big shoes to fill because the Indy is forever on patrol
Crewed by the souls of 900 sailors on a mission beyond their control

Few remember and fewer still care about those events so long ago

But all of us owe our freedom to heroes like Cleatus Lebow

Mar

28

Missing Bailey

Filed Under Bailey, Dog is God, Dogs, Family, Happiness, Heroes, Hope, Joy Challenge, Life, Love, Pets, PTSD, Service Dogs, Tears, Tears of a Warrior, Tears of Joy, Veterans, War Dogs, Wounded Veterans, Wounded Warriors | Comments Off on Missing Bailey

By Janet J. Seahorn, Ph.D

Loss presents a unique and somewhat ambiguous dilemma for humans. Those left behind

are confronted with a stream of untapped emotions. Life lingers between two spaces – the space

of the past when everything was normal, and the space that floats somewhere between what was then

and what is now. The present doesn’t feel like the present because we don’t want to accept the

reality of what has been lost and what will be our daily routine as we struggle to get through the

minutes of each day. It’s like being stuck in quicksand; you continually struggle to find footing,

while being surrounded by uncontrollable emotions.

Your heart and mind are trapped. Facing the circumstances of the loss is agonizing, yet

you understand that staying in such a dark place will not honor the love and life of your beloved

4-legged family member nor is it healthy for the sufferer.

Rest for the moment is unattainable. Sleep comes with too many dreams that are both happy and sorrowful.

Laughter, joy, even hunger stands frozen.

Moving forward isn’t yet attainable. However, we know eventually we can travel beyond the

yesterdays and focus on the tomorrows.

Right now we don’t know how to do that. Still we are hopeful we will get there sooner or

later. Remaining stuck is not an option. It is too sad, too tumultuous. Most of all staying in such

deep grief does not nor will not allow us to celebrate and honor the amazing gift we were given

through Bailey.

He was our “Joy Boy”. He would want us to wake each morning with delight and be grateful for all that stands before us.

He would want us to continue to love, to celebrate the moment of throwing a bright green tennis ball or plunge into the lake for a marvelous swim.

He would want us to be fully alive enjoying the wonders of each day especially remembering the wet kisses of his long, sticky tongue.

He would want us to be his “joy” parents.

We promise we will get to that point, Bailey. Just not today.

Love,

Mom and Dad

Mar

11

Best Friends

Filed Under Aging, American Patriotism, Combat PTSD, Dog is God, Dogs, Happiness, Healing, Military, Pets, PTSD, Service Dogs, TBI & PTSD, Tears of a Warrior, Tribute, Veterans, War, War Dogs, Wounded Warriors | Comments Off on Best Friends

Guest Blog by John DiCiacco

I dedicate my short story to all the Men and Women that came home from

war and discovered that the War and all its tragic memories came home

with them.

Did you ever wonder why God spelled backwards is Dog. I used to ponder

that thought a great deal, that is until I met my first Service Dog

Wyatt. Named him after Wyatt Earp. Wyatt was not a Registered Service

Dog you see and he didn’t go to School and get a Degree to be a Service

Dog. To me, though, Wyatt was much more than a Service Dog. He was my

Savior, my Salvation and he was given to me by God.

Wyatt came into my Life about Sixteen Years ago and until his death at

only Eleven he remained a Faithful Companion and Confident. As a

Vietnam Veteran living with PTS, Wyatt was my Soul Mate, so when he

crossed over, a part of me had died as well. Worse yet, many of the

emotions I felt when I came home in February 1970 was suddenly staring

me in the face. Guilt, abandonment, distrust and yes, even anger. I

threatened to crawl into the bottle again, that is until Wyatt showed up

in a vision and I remembered how good my life was with Wyatt Dog and

God.

I now have another service dog that ditched school altogether and

became home schooled just like his older brother, Wyatt. His name is

Mato, which means “Bear” in the Lakota Indian Language. The “Bear” has

recently turned five and yes, Mato has taken up the legacy of what Wyatt

had meant to me in the past and together we are making our own memories.

Did I mention that both Wyatt and Mato are labs and both of them are

black.

Life is good with God and Dog.

The following words come from a short tune I heard a while back and it

is dedicated to dogs.

“You are my Buddy, my Pal and my Friend, so wherever you go I just want

you to know you are my Buddy, my Pal and my Friend.”

In memory of another God/Dog, my beautiful nephew, Bailey. Bailey

crossed over this February and Bailey was the proud service dog to his

Buddy, Pal and fFriend, Tony. By the way, Bailey was also a black lab.

One of Gods Great Gifts.

God Bless You and God Bless America.

Mar

1

Settling into the Year 2018

Filed Under Aging, American Patriotism, Bless Our Troops, Courage, Dog is God, Dogs, Family, Happiness, Happy New Year, Journey, Love, Service Dogs, TBI & PTSD, Tears, Tears of a Warrior, Veterans | Comments Off on Settling into the Year 2018

by Janet J. Seahorn, Ph.D

Now that we’re well into the New Year, and thinking about moving forward into a year of fresh beginnings. Remembering and preserving old friendships, being aware and grateful for an abundance of goodness, people, health and purposeful work that occupy our days can offer a sense of optimism. Yet, most important, having a richness of love in our lives – love of family (yes, even those that sometimes drive us nuts), love (and loss) of endearing pets, love of neighbors and friends, and love of something within and above us that help to guide us through the darkness.

For some that light may be almost infinitesimal dim. Bob Woodruff, a well-known journalist and author who suffered a devastating brain injury from an IED while covering the military in Iraq wrote in his book “In an Instant“, “First you must touch the black and then go back up to the light.” It was his way of “acknowledging that you have to let the fear in, but to dwell on the fear will only cripple you. You need to move back into a world of hope.”

There is no denying that 2017 was a year of great challenges and loss for many, and 2018 hasn’t been easier with the recent death of our beloved service dog, Bailey. Family members, treasured pets and very dear friends are no longer with us. Saying goodbye has never been easy even when we recognize that it is for the best (at least for that loved one).

However, we are trying hard to center on the plentiful blessings in our lives. The old saying, “It is just as easy to focus on being positive as it is to be negative”, every so often can seem like a big bowl of crap. Advice to the reader – listening can be more important than trying to comfort an individual by making comments such as “Suffering builds character”. I’ve never believed that old cliché. I think suffering reveals character more than builds it. Sometimes, we simply need to allow ourselves and others to grieve, to be sad, and to nurture our physical and emotional selves.

Nonetheless, I still believe that life is worth the time to live fully and with resolve. I still believe that most people are generous and decent. I still believe that compassion trumps unkindness and hate generates more cruelty in a world already filled with too much bitterness. I still believe that truth is more important than ever to counteract the deceit and false narratives of which others try to convince us. And, more than ever, I still believe in hope, for without hope it would be hard to wake up each morning with a sense of joyfulness.