Marine Killed in Truck Rollover in Douglas County
Posted: Sep 5, 2008 07:33 PM EDT
Kellene Stockwell
Channel 2 News
A Marine from Wellington was killed in an early morning accident in Douglas County.
A passerby called in a crashed pickup truck off U.S. Highway 395 at Leviathan Mine Road at about 1:50am.
Upon arrival, Douglas County Deputies found the body of 26-year-old Corporal Micah Richmond about 200 feet away from the truck.
He was ejected in the rollover. It appears he was not wearing his seatbelt.
Deputies haven't said whether alcohol was a factor.
Richmond was a veteran of two tours in Iraq and was stationed at Pickel Meadows Marine Warfare Training Center.
http://www.ktvn.com/Global/story.asp?S=8961679
But this one has more
Marine killed in alcohol-related crash
by Matt Farley • mfarley@rgj.com • September 5, 2008
A 26-year-old Marine was killed early Friday when he crashed his truck south of Gardnerville, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office reported.
Cpl. Micah Richmond, a veteran of two tours in Iraq, was found dead near Leviathan Mine Road, Sgt. Jim Halsey said. Alcohol was thought to be a factor.
A passerby called police about 1:50 a.m. to report a damaged vehicle sitting on the side of the road with no sign of a driver. Responders discovered Richmond's body laying some 200 feet from his black Ford F-150, having been ejected in a single-vehicle rollover accident, Halsey said. No other damage or injuries were reported.
Police discovered that a group of Marines had been drinking at Buckaroos Saloon in Gardnerville Thursday night and that Richmond was thought to be among them, Halsey said. The victim and the other men are stationed at the United States Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center at Pickle Meadows, about 70 miles south of Gardnerville, the military said.
http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080905/NEWS15/80905022/1042/DAYTON
NOTICE TO READERS OF THIS POST
Comments are now closed. Enough is enough. I made no comment one way or the other about this tragic story, yet gawking readers must have Googled his name and attacked the first search they found. All this attention on these two reports is uncalled for and no matter what I say, it won't do any good. The intent of this blog is not for the casual observer but for people who are fully invested in helping these veterans or living with it. It is also for people dealing with traumatic events. That includes police, firefighters and emergency responders and victims. It has been developed for the people who have contacted me and if it helps others, great. If not then others should simply move on.
I just wonder how the author of this post would feel, if he or she were the one, who was numb at the thought that Two Marines had just left you the news of your sons death. No real details, so there you are numb. Maybe you search the net for news, and what do you see, but the head line "Marine killed in alcohol-related crash" Is the poster sure that alcohol was a factor, it may have been, I do not know, but if it was just a case of he "was thought to" have been among others at the Buckaroos Saloon and not fact, why post it. If people would just for a moment put themselves in the shoes of those who may be reading their blog, news item and such, I believe the world would be a better place. If it is truth, that is one thing, but if if is speculation, and assumtions, please do the world a favor and wait to write what you "Know", not what you think...Thank you for having a place I could write to let you know how very hurtful this can be to the loved ones.
ReplyDeletePoster? Did you follow the links to the news reports they came from? Do you have any idea what the veterans go through when they are wounded? Drinking too much is all too common and it has nothing to do with "being a drunk" or anything other than the fact most use alcohol as self-medication.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be questioning my intention here. The point is, none of this is new to the combat veterans. It has happened after every war. What is new is that they are no longer suffering in silence. Because of reports like this, a lot of other lives are saved with the awareness. Top that off with the fact these reports have lead to many courts awakening to the special circumstances veterans face when they come back from combat and have taken action to prevent sending these warriors to jail instead of help. This did not happen when men like my husband came home from Vietnam. They ended up suffering with no help at all and suffering in silence, killing themselves, ending up homeless, ending up abandoned by families who could not understand and ending up in jail. My husband's nephew committed suicide because of Vietnam and PTSD. Because my husband has PTSD, I've been doing this for 26 years and 15 years of that online.
I understand what you wrote was heartfelt, however you really need to see what is fact, where links come from before you decide some "blogger/poster" put out the reports I post. I don't use bloggers posts unless they have links to legitimate news sources. In this case, both the reports came from the local news. You are right that I do search for the reports and I do it 16 hours a day as well as working with veterans so they understand what PTSD is all about. I'm tired of them ending up dead, in jail, homeless and tired of seeing their families fall apart. Mine almost did and yes, with all of this, been there, done that, lived it.
Yes maam, I did follow the links, I realized that these were not your words, that you cut and pasted, the words of others. Giving credit were it was due. Yet is was your post that first comes up on the net, and your post first read by those searching for news.
ReplyDeleteBeing the wife of a 20+ year vet I can also say many things about war and the things people do to forget. That has nothing to do with the facts of a man dying, and a mother reading non factual statments, as you may note, "was thought to be" was used. Not "He was" among those at the bar. My point was, that until you "Know" it to be fact, why write it. Now I know from your responce, that it matters not to you how the family of this one Marine feels, as long as it fits your greater cause of saving hundreds of others who might be self medicating and dying from said Medication. Not every vet comes home and falls into this patern. Micah was not one of those vets doing self medication. He may have been having a beer with his buddies, again I do not know, What I do know... He was a Happy, Loving, Country Boy, who served his Country out of love, He was newley Married, less than a month before his death, he had everything to live for, but was willing to die for his Savior, his Country, his Wife, his Family and Friends. He had lived thru much in his very few years, and died in Gods timing, not his own. He will be missed and loved by ALL that knew him.
At least we both can agree, the Word, is truth.
Preaching the Gospel message goes miles further than posting others reports on what may or may not have happened.
Thank you again, for having a place for one to be able to share with you the impact of your posts. I pray that you will be one of those people that will consider what was written, not be offened, just enlighten. No malice or attack intended...I just think it should be posted once it is fact, and then serve your cause of helping Veterans to no longer to suffer in silence.
While you are entitled to your own opinion, you are not entitled to your own facts. If you read my post, my words, you'd know exactly what these reports do to me. You'd know exactly how I feel for the families. I do not limit comments to only those who agree with me. I just keep out anyone who uses too much profanity. Comment whenever you want and it will be posted no matter if I agree with you or not, but my blog defends itself.
ReplyDeleteI love you Mom (Marie) for standing up for the ones you love and being so compassionate FIRST AND FOREMOST, above any "cause". Forget about what people write, people don't tend to think about feelings before going off on a tangent. You know that the Richmond's know their son, and know what kind of a son they brought up in this world. No news story, regardless of what it may say, can make their pain any worse. No matter what any newspaper prints, it could not overshadow the sorrow they have right now. In their hearts they know who Micah was, and where he is now. Don't worry about these reports or what they may or may not say. These people who do not know Micah or the Richmond family, well, they ultimatly do not matter. You are an excellent friend for caring so much and I am blessed so very much for having you as my mom=) News stories aside, my heart goes out to the Richmond family, whom I also love very much!
ReplyDeleteI am Micah Richmonds uncle and was one of the family members contacted shortly after the tragic news came in. I wish to speak on behalf of Micah.
ReplyDeleteMicah served honorably in the Marine Corps in Iraq and has been involved in Training troops. We have been very proud of Micah and his achievements. He leaves behind a new wife and family who is so very proud of him.
Micah, in my eyes is a hero and what ever happened on that night could easly happen to any young man today.
If Micah did make a mistake I forgive him and will forever hold him dear to my heart. He was a good man.
~~~Uncle, Michael Jeans
I am sorry for the loss of your nephew as well as the fact my tracking these tragic stories seems to have hit a sore note with a couple of the comments. People are entitle to their opinion of my work. Most of my readers are either living with the wounds of war, family members or people working with them. I also have a lot of researchers. It's why I do what I do. I've been working with veterans dealing with the ravages of combat for 26 years now. My husband is one of them. I am only telling you this because of what I sensed in your comment so you would know where my words are coming from.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing to forgive your nephew for. Most of the time they drink too much to mask the pain they carry. They are warriors and warriors are supposed to be tough, resilient, "get over it" among so many other things. What they are not told is they are humans living through abnormal events. Some have PTS, which is post traumatic stress and not the full blown disorder. Most don't even know they have it. Others, well they just need some help coping.
Most of the tragic deaths involve driving too fast or in other cases, drunk driving. They are not doing it to endanger others in anyway at all but do it to be able to kill off feelings and memories they do not want to have.
There are courts across the country trying to take on the trouble some veterans get into so they are not treated like criminals so they can deal with the problem of these warriors. After all, they were willing to risk their lives for the sake of this nation and it's the least we owe them.
Today I was at the VA hospital with my husband. He's a Vietnam vet with PTSD. While there I was speaking to two Marines also dealing with PTSD. One of them started to cry and apologized for doing it. He said that the Marines are trained to be tough. I asked if anyone ever trained him to heal. We had a long conversation and when we were done, he understood that what was "wrong" inside of him was not a sign of weakness but one of humanness.
Please do not feel as if there is anything to forgive your nephew for.
He was born a hero. There are callings for all of us and some are formed with the soul of a warrior. No matter what he did, he would have been of service to this country. It's a special person who is made that way. The only shame belongs to the people of this nation because we simply do not do enough for any of them. We're trying and things are better than I've ever seen it, but we have far too much work to do. My prayers are with your family that you find strength, peace and love with each other.
Micah was a friend and co-worker of my husband at the station in Pickle Meadows, and I was at Buckaroo's that night. While I can confirm that Micah was indeed there, I can also confirm that he was a responsible and upstanding gentleman and Marine. Though I was only fortunate enough to meet him a few times, his wife Courtney is a friend of mine, and Micah's loss has reverberated throughout our small Marine community here. The depression and hurt of his accidental death will never be forgotten.
ReplyDeleteThe short and unfeeling news postings in regards to this sad event have made it all to clear to me just how little our society values human life. The police have not confirmed if alcohol was involved, and yet the bloggers have already gone into long rants about the abuse of alcohol by those who serve. It's honestly disgusting. Why can't the focus be on how much of a wonderful and generous person Micah was, and how his sudden death has numbed the entire community of Pickle Meadows. He deserves to be remembered as a caring, generous person, a gentle and kind husband, and above all, an honorable and outstanding Marine.
Semper Memor Micah.
The only thing I feel I need to forgive Micah for is the fact that he left us at such a young age. The investigations are not complete at this point and I do not consider alcohol to be a factor.
ReplyDeleteI would like the readers to know that Micah has left a legacy that makes us, family and friends, all proud and with the emptiness of his passing.
As the Chaplain ststed, "Micah was born a hero"
Micah left us as a hero as well.
We love you Micah...we look forward to seeing you again.
...Uncle Michael Jeans
He did and again, I am sorry for your loss. I just wish that you, and the other people who commented on this post understood what all of this means, what all of them go through and how many tragedies there are. People will tend to only focus on their own pain and not the magnitude of the suffering. The other people making comments have no clue what I do or what this blog is about. That doesn't bother me as much as the fact they have no clue how many are suffering.
ReplyDeleteThe report on Marine Times says that "Marine killed in alcohol-related crash"
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/09/marine_reno_death_090508w/
If it is true, then some will assume he was just "another drunk driver" without knowing any of the reasons or what kind of people we're talking about. I deal with them everyday. Their suffering and their confusion.
These are not people who have no regard for others. They were willing to lay down their lives for the sake of others. These are not people who have earned condemnation. They have not only earned respect but they earned the debt we owe to all of them. We let too many of them down, like Micah. They drink, not because they want to get drunk, but because they want to kill off feelings they don't want to feel.
I know this all too well. By the grace of God my husband didn't have an accident when he was drinking and by His grace, he is still alive. He's on medication for his wound of PTSD from Vietnam and in therapy. Too many of his friends were not so lucky and they died. Too many other Vietnam veterans suffered the same way the new generation of warriors are suffering without help.
Understand the Micah was still the same man you loved under whatever pain he was carrying that would have caused him to drink, if in fact that is what happened, is all too common.
As for all the others making comments on this post, they have no idea what I do or why I do it. They just have not taken the time or interest in what is happening to our men and women when they come home from Iraq and Afghanistan any more than they were aware of what the Vietnam Veterans went through.
If you want to understand what PTSD is and why so many of them turn to alcohol or drugs, I have videos on the side bar of this blog that I created. Look for My Videos and you can understand this wound a little better and it may help you understand them better. Some come home fine. Others do not. I am sure Micah had many friends that may need help and it would be healing for those who loved him to reach out to his brothers if they do.
Please try to understand what all of this is and help those who need it in honor of your nephew.
I believe it's less of us posters not understanding what you are saying and more of the fact that Micah just died. His family is hurting and mourning and the wound is still so very very fresh. I commend the awareness that you are trying to bring to the fore front. Maybe your timing is just a bit too soon and that may be why it seems "us posters" aren't getting what you are saying. There is a time and place for everything and maybe using Micah as your example is just too much at this point in time with his family and friends still reeling from his tragic accident, alcohal or not.
ReplyDeleteIt is a noble cause to create greater awareness for the general public regarding our Veteran’s of War and the issue of PTSD. As an alcohol and drug counselor I see the effects of trauma each time I go to work. However, if I am reading the words of this family correctly what they are trying to tell you is by posting these news articles about their loved one you are making assumptions that he had PTSD, drank to medicate himself and was traveling at a high rate of speed which resulted in his death. Not every beer a Veteran of War drinks is a beer to self-medicate. Did Micah have PTSD? I do not know. At some level he very well may have. Each person handles their woundedness in their own way. Not every soldier returns from Iraq with PTSD. There are many variables which determine whether such a diagnosis occurs. Consequently, not every Veteran of War self-medicates with drugs and alcohol. Because you do not have all of the facts regarding Micah’s case you are being misled by the words of the news. Could it be that Micah was in the pub because he was celebrating? Celebrating, because he had finished yet another stint in the Marines, this time returning from Switzerland. Could it be that he was in the pub because he was happy to be home from Switzerland and was among friends? Could it be that he was happy to be back in the US knowing that in one more day he would be embracing his bride whom he had not seen since their honeymoon? Or did he fall asleep at the wheel because he had not yet adjusted to the time change and the fatigue he experienced as a leader among Marines? Could it be that an animal ran out in front of him creating the catalyst of his accident? As far as speed goes, we do not know when he exited the truck to position him 200 feet from the vehicle. It is not necessary for a truck to be traveling at a high rate of speed to eject a human being with great force. When a tragedy occurs such as Micah’s, as humans we try to make sense of such an event when there is none. We try to put pieces together to answer the questions we’re left with when someone dies. Sadly, the one person who has the answers and the truth is not here to tell us. As you write, you state your blog defends itself. The family is not requiring you to defend your work or your blog. They are simply asking you to not make assumptions. Additionally, this family is grieving. You may want to reconsider posting such articles on your blog without considering how it will affect the loved ones left behind. Like the news media, to post such articles certainly does create a certain “sensationalism” but based on the outcome of this experience, pasting such articles on your blog does not seem to be the place to promote or educate the public regarding your cause. Although the articles printed are intended for public information, the news does not have all of the facts, as my writing indicates. As a clinical social worker, alcohol and drug counselor AND a mother of a Marine Veteran of the War in Iraq, I ask as one professional to another, that as you continue your endeavors to educate the public about PTSD you look with a wider lens to lessen the current unintended consequences of re-wounding the wounded.
ReplyDeleteI respect your thoughts however, I assumed nothing. I posted what was reported in the news, as I do all the time. The first person to attack this was not a family member but had plenty to say. If you noticed the lead piece I posted on this was not about the alcohol related one. I lead with the other.
ReplyDeleteI responded to his uncle with the kind of compassion a family memeber deserves.
I do not make up the news reports but this blog is intended for those either living with this or trying to help others or researching it. It is not for I am not out to "please" anyone. That was the problem the Vietnam vets faced. If you do not like the blog, please don't read it. It's as simple as that. The readers I do have know what I do and why I do it. This is ridiculous to have to waste so much time with all of these comments when the original post had no comment of mine on it.
As "one professional to another" I suggest that first you investigate what you are commenting on. I research all over the country and internationally so that I can do the work I do with veterans from all over. I am trying to provide education to get rid of the stigma and stop hearing that someone didn't know what was wrong. I will not make comments on every post and I will not stop from posting relevant news reports.
Some die because they drink and some die because they drive to fast in flashbacks. Some die for all kinds of reasons. It is not always PTSD but that is the usual reason. This blog is also about trauma. The police and firefighters and emergency responders also suffer from trauma and responding to it. You have no clue who my readers are or what they need from me.
Again, if the reader has a problem with what a reporter publishes, they should contact the reporter.
This is the last comment to be allowed on this post. I have too many other veterans dying to invest this kind of time on people who are not family members, not suffering with PTSD or researching it. It is also annoying that the people wanting to have their opinion posted cannot understand what they are reading.
To Dawn
ReplyDeleteYour comment has not been posted. Why it is you assume you are the only people trying to comment on this is beyond reason. You are not and neither are the others you see here. There are many, many more. Most of which are attacking the fact you have responded the way you did. They are taking it as an attack against them.
In the process of saying what you want, you end up being so defensive that the families dealing with all of this are being hurt and insulted all over again.
You want to focus on yourself and what you feel. I tried to be reasonable with you and emailed you a link to a family you could talk to going through the same thing, but you decide to try to once again attack me on a public forum. I offered to help you understand this but you seem to prefer to take the time in striking out instead. If you cannot understand comments are closed, that's your problem.