Iraq Veteran Received Gift of Love

Iraq war veteran receives gift that evokes memories of fallen comrade and snowboarding buddy
The Gazette
By: Debbie Kelley
November 24, 2016

"For a mom, I can't describe the feeling - it was such a wonderful tribute to my son. He loved snowboarding," she said in a phone interview from her home in upstate New York.

A heart-wrenching story has turned heartwarming, and a local Iraq war veteran says he couldn't be more grateful for everyone who had a hand in the unexpected about-face.

Jason McDonald holds the snowboard Burton made for him to replace the stolen one he had as a tribute to his buddy and comrade Chris Simpson who was killed in Iraq Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016, at his Colorado Springs home.

(The Gazette, Christian Murdock)

"It feels like a big void has been refilled," said Jason McDonald, a civilian contractor who works at Fort Carson's down-range training area.

McDonald claims he was wrongfully evicted from his Colorado Springs apartment in May, and in the process, his military commendation medals, uniforms, breathing machine and other valuables went missing.

The 36-year-old medically retired Army staff sergeant was deployed five times to Iraq and receives treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.
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