Mail to the Chieftain
'Spare me the thoughts and prayers'
Twenty people gone so far and counting, mostly little kids excited about their summer vacations, in an elementary school in the town of Uvalde, Texas, shot dead for no reason.
A small town in which no one famous lives, a dusty stop between San Antonio and everywhere else, filled with nameless, hardworking people and anonymous families simply living their lives as best as they can.
Half the size of Pueblo West, roughly.
Once again, we are subjected to the incessant, cultish-like phrase "thoughts and prayers" again and again and again. My guess is, before another month passes, we'll hear the same phrase repeated about somewhere else. Maybe here. Maybe anywhere. Maybe in your neighborhood, or mine.
That's all I have. Except this:
Not too long ago, in the context of our country's history, Wyatt Earp prohibited firearms in both the town limits of Dodge City, KS and Tombstone, AZ. The citizens of both towns didn't rise up and jabber nonsensical stupidity about Earp being a leftist-Marxist-Communist and any other "ist" unrelated to the other. They didn't think he was an evil liberal bent on destroying a perverted and selfish sense of "freedom."
But you know who did?
Free-booting criminals who passed through each town. Their idea of freedom was a selfish free-for-all to victimize anyone they perceived as weaker, anyone other then themselves. Earp, along with the Masterson brothers in Dodge City and later, Earp and his brothers in Tombstone, championed the citizenry by giving the gun-toting maniacs who refused to follow a reasonable and just public safety ordnance the beat-down they deserved.
So, spare me the thoughts and prayers nonsense and spare me the revisionist lies about Wyatt Earp... Facts do not cease to exist just because they are ignored or someone with an agenda jabbers their incorrect opinion and peddles it as truth.
Finally, as a retired federal law enforcement officer who has both shot and been shot, I can say with confidence that any law enforcement officer who thinks it's fine for everyone to own military- or law-enforcement-grade weapons has had an uneventful career and is speaking from a position of abject ignorance.
Steven Beai, Pueblo West
In addition to being a retired law enforcement officer, Steven Beai is the author of numerous fiction and non-fiction books, one of which is being adapted into a movie.
'Sir, I needed to call someone who could understand this'
The op-ed published May 22, 2022 in The Chieftain by Joseph Reagan of Wreaths Across America aptly concluded: “Usually, a moment of silence on this day is a welcome and solemn way to honor the voices from our past, but for myself, after losing three former soldiers to suicide in the past few months, silence is no longer an option and the freedom to use our voice is the greatest gift that our veterans have to offer this Memorial Day.”
Mr. Joseph is spot-on and this is why the Troops First Foundation is calling on veteran service organizations like Wreaths Across America, elected officials and military leaders to help increase connectivity through the Warrior Call initiative.
Isolation is a disease plaguing the military community. Servicemembers and veterans are all too often disconnected from peers, friends, family and support systems, suffering from invisible wounds in silence.
The campaign calls on Americans, but especially those who have worn or are wearing the uniform, to make a call, take a call, and be honest. Pick up the phone and ask how a service member or veteran is doing. Build and maintain a meaningful relationship with a vet. And, if needed, point this individual to resources. It may not be an easy conversation, but it could save a life, particularly if done habitually.
Our nation’s leaders like Sens Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper of Colorado, as well as Pueblo area Representative Lauren Boebert, can help by passing legislation making November 13, 2022 National Warrior Call Day.
Military and veteran suicide is complex. Connectivity through Warrior Call can make a difference.
Frank Larkin, Annapolis, Md.
Frank Larkin chairs the Warrior Call initiative and is chief operating officer of The Troops First Foundation. A former Navy SEAL and 40th U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms, he lost his Navy SEAL son to suicide in 2017.
Heinz 57 mix
I enjoyed the article about Adrianna Abarca, "Art exhibit in Pueblo museum is a cruise through the diverse history of Mexican-Americans," published May 16 in The Chieftain.
My Martinez family has roots in northern New Mexico. We think we could be Sephardic Jews. My dad said there was a great-grandmother on his side who was Navajo.
On my mother's side, her father was adopted by a Trujillo family, but it is assumed that he is German.
On my maternal and paternal side, there are also roots to Spain.
Following my marriage to Rosie Cortez, whose dad and mom immigrated from Susticacan, Zacatecas and Abasolo, Guanajuato, respectively, our children’s genetic heritage is so much more enriched.
As Ms. Abarca says in the article, we are a Heinz 57 mix.
Ron Martinez, Pueblo
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Mail to the Chieftain: readers' letters to the editor
