Sad story from my corner of the world...

[GypsySorcerer]

We included this story on my office's blog. One of our bloggers encouraged everyone who "Supports Our Troops" to pay attention, or else more Joes will be lost.


Homeless man who died in cold remembered by friends

COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- About 50 mourners gathered to honor a Vietnam veteran who froze to death alone beneath a railroad bridge on Christmas Eve.

Joe Young, 57, died in single-digit cold a few blocks from a shelter where he had previously stayed and a few days before he was to move into an apartment that had been arranged for him.

"That was the saddest thing," said the Rev. Gregg Anderson of the 70 x 7 Evangelistic Ministry in Highland Heights. "He died frozen like a giant block of ice under a bridge, alone."

As word of Young's death spread, friends and strangers contributed a total of $2,100 to make sure he had a decent send-off.


Rachel Winters of Welcome House, a homeless advocacy group in Covington, spoke of the bond she developed with Young.

"Because all of you are here I don't think his life was without meaning," she said.

Anderson, who volunteered to conduct Young's funeral, also had a story to tell about a personal encounter with Young. In 1997, when Anderson was planning a mission trip to Latvia, Young pulled $50 from his pocket and handed it to him, Anderson said.

"I tried not to take it, but he insisted he would be offended if I didn't," Anderson said.

Following last Friday's funeral, mourners walked to a street corner where a military honor guard fired a 21-gun salute to Young, an Air Force veteran.

The final stop in the ceremony was the spot where Young died. The mourners picked their way down concrete stairs, through an overgrowth of foliage and down a steep embankment to the underside of the bridge, where Young had a campsite along the railroad tracks.

Larry Schuler of the Recovery Network of Covington, a homeless advocacy group, poured Young's ashes from an urn onto the ground that he had called home.

"Joe, you're gone but you're not forgotten," Schuler said.

Schuler then walked over to Young's friend, William "Red Dog" Strutz, who is also homeless.

"Find a warm place to stay tonight and come see me tomorrow," Schuler said. "I don't want you to be the next Joe Young."

---

Information from: The Cincinnati Post, http://www.cincypost.com

© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.

[ryan8472]

That's so sad.....I always feel for those who are out in this *atrocious* weather.

[estranged4life]

only in this country can veterans from Vietnam be treated so poorly, It pisses me the f**k off to hear this still happens over and over.

Hey America, Besides supporting the troops overseas why dont we ALSO support those went to fight for freedom before in years past instead of treatin' 'em as fourth class citizens

[GypsySorcerer]

Originally Posted by estranged4life

only in this country can veterans from Vietnam be treated so poorly, It pisses me the f**k off to hear this still happens over and over.

Hey America, Besides supporting the troops overseas why dont we ALSO support those went to fight for freedom before in years past instead of treatin' 'em as fourth class citizens

I agree, Brian. The number of homeless vets, especially Vietnam vets, is staggering.

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

[estranged4life]

Originally Posted by Lux

Tsk tsk, deary me Brian. You don't expect them to have unconditional compassion do you? Compassion (in some contorted, naked form) is to used when the subjects are in the spotlight. Once they're off the radar, their ticket runs out, if indeed it was recognised as valid to begin with.

have compassion? Don't recall that I did!

I know that this person dying was unrelated to the my opinion of Vietnam veterans, But still doesnt change my opinion on the whole god-damned-war and how most Vietnam vets were tossed aside like a piece of ****!!

[dissention]

That's terrible.

Exactly a year ago there was a similar story in my state about a man who died on the steps of the Springfield Symphony Hall, I believe it had dropped to -8 degrees that night. He had refused to go to a shelter and since the police couldn't do anything to force him into one unless he was on public property, he ended up dying while he slept. It was a tragedy.

[½ ¡Ñ§ÅñË ®]

That’s very sad

[amber]

That is so sad..I found it especially sad that 2100 dollars were raised for his funeral, but that he had nowhere to stay for that freezing night...

[GODDESS6]

we have homeless here & it is so sad, some anonymous donor recently just gave 3 million 2 expand the centers we have here 2 help these poor souls find a warm place, meal & b rehabilated in anyway~ they try 2 help them find employment & independant means~ hopefully it wrks 4 as many as it can~ it just breaks my heart ~

[GateandGarden]

Originally Posted by amber

That is so sad..I found it especially sad that 2100 dollars were raised for his funeral, but that he had nowhere to stay for that freezing night...

That's what I was thinking, too. If only that could've come earlier in some way.

[DrummerDeanna]

This really is a heartbreaking story. Now that I've moved to Rochester on nights when the snow is coming down I worry so much for those who have no shelter - and no warm place to go to...and then I feel so incredibly lucky to be sleeping in a nice warm bed-

I have done some work with the homeless- it's one of my callings I feel - and my hope is to one day take a leave of absense from working and work at a place called Andre House in Phoenix

Stuff like this has to stop - but the homeless are one of the most overlooked and badly treated groups in our society...

[seeker007nmss]

Originally Posted by estranged4life

only in this country can veterans from Vietnam be treated so poorly, It pisses me the f**k off to hear this still happens over and over.

Hey America, Besides supporting the troops overseas why dont we ALSO support those went to fight for freedom before in years past instead of treatin' 'em as fourth class citizens

And to think...These Viet Nam vets were spit upon when they came back by the "Compassionate Counter-Culture types" Very Liberal of them.

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by DrummerDeanna

This really is a heartbreaking story. Now that I've moved to Rochester on nights when the snow is coming down I worry so much for those who have no shelter - and no warm place to go to...and then I feel so incredibly lucky to be sleeping in a nice warm bed-

I have done some work with the homeless- it's one of my callings I feel - and my hope is to one day take a leave of absense from working and work at a place called Andre House in Phoenix

Stuff like this has to stop - but the homeless are one of the most overlooked and badly treated groups in our society...

I also feel this way, so lucky to have my warm bed. There has been a homeless person sleeping in my neighborhood lately and I believe she may be pregnant. I haven't seen her for a while though. She smokes a lot and talks to herself a lot. It worries me so much she is out on the street like that. She may be mentally ill. My roommate left her a sandwich one day. With this bitter cold, I hope she has found a shelter because I haven't seen her around.

[DrummerDeanna]

Originally Posted by SuzeQuze

I also feel this way, so lucky to have my warm bed. There has been a homeless person sleeping in my neighborhood lately and I believe she may be pregnant. I haven't seen her for a while though. She smokes a lot and talks to herself a lot. It worries me so much she is out on the street like that. She may be mentally ill. My roommate left her a sandwich one day. With this bitter cold, I hope she has found a shelter because I haven't seen her around.

Oh I hope so too...

I became outraged at a "friend" the other day - her car was recently broken in to..and she was saying, "I know why - I parked in a good neighborhood but still I see all these homeless people walking around - this is such a dangerous place..."

And I was like...ugh - the homeless are not responsible for the crime - it's the ghetto ass gangsta boys who are also running rampant in the streets...

I am so tired of the stereotpye of the homeless and drug addicted/drunken criminals. Of course there are some who have addiction problems- but they're all people first and foremost...anyway - it's a big issue with me...