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| Sean Dacus - Forever in our hearts - RIP November 29, 2011 |
Dear Sean,
The minute the news broke about a shooting at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks on November 29, 2011, I knew in my heart that it would be a suicide.
I never got the chance to thank you. I never got the chance to know you. But your story, one of obvious pain, brought me to my knees in prayer asking God, “Lord, what can I do to make a bigger difference for our warriors in pain?”
God gave me that answer; Military Ovation was started shortly there after with the mission of “Standing in support of the troops, veterans and families serving IN and FROM North Dakota.”
While I know I can not turn back the hands of time and give you a hug, I do want you and your family to know that your death is being remembered every day in the work we do across the state. Thank you Sean for pushing me out of my comfort zone regarding suicide as a topic.
Since then, several of us have been trained to facilitate the ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) workshop. We will work hard to train as many people in the intervention process as possible. It is the least that we can do for the sacrifice you made.
Thank you for your service to our country!
Shelle Aberle
Military Ovation Founder
A final request from Iraq vet who took own life
Sean Alexander Dacus, 31, wrote on his arm that he wanted his organs donated
According to a police source, he wrote on his arm “Donate organs please” shortly before fatally shooting himself outside the emergency room at Altru Health System in Grand Forks. Dacus served two tours of duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.
Sean Alexander Dacus, a veteran of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, wrote out a final request November 29, 2011 -- Tuesday morning before fatally shooting himself in the chest outside the emergency room at Altru Health System.
According to police, the 31-year-old Grand Forks resident walked into the Altru Clinic just before 11:30 a.m. and borrowed a marker at the coffee shop.
He wrote on his arm “Do not resuscitate” and below that, “Donate organs please,” a police source said. To the right of those lines, he wrote “A-,” which police believe was his blood type.
Alone, Dacus sat on park bench outside between the clinic and emergency room and shot himself in the chest with a .380-caliber handgun. Police believe he was not targeting Altru or any person.
Altru security, its station just inside the doors, responded, followed by six emergency room personnel. But attempts to resuscitate Dacus failed, according to emergency services director Dr. Christopher Boe.
Dacus has a large extended family in the region, including his mother and father, who both live in Grand Forks. A relative acting as a family spokesman said they won’t comment at this time.
A former Army buddy expressed shock upon hearing of the suicide. The Dacus he knew was “always upbeat.” One of Dacus’ uncles said that Dacus had changed. “When he came back, he was not the same person who went over there.”
Evidence, autopsy
On Wednesday, police released a portion of a report saying officers had collected Dacus’ possessions into evidence, including clothing, a cell phone and holster, a pill bottle and a wallet. The rest of the report was not released.
Dacus’ vehicle was found in the Altru parking lot and police believe he drove himself to the hospital.
An autopsy was performed on Dacus’ body Wednesday.
Altru would not comment on whether his request to have his organs donated was carried out.
Military man
Dacus was a member of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division stationed in Ft. Drum, N.Y. Zach Hodros served in the Second Brigade Second Battalion’s Alpha Company with Dacus in Iraq from August 2004 to August 2005.
During one part of the tour, Dacus drove a Humvee, and Hodros said he was the gunner. “We worked in the same truck for over a year. You get really close.”
Their unit was stationed near Abu Ghraib Prison, right outside Baghdad during an escalation of ground combat. The battalion suffered 10 or 11 deaths, two of which were in Alpha Company.
Dacus was friends with one of them, Spc. Brandon T. Titus.
In the Fallen Heroes online memorial, he wrote a tribute after Titus’ 2004 death: “Brandon was a great soldier and a friend to many of us, he was always quick witted and brought a smile to many faces. His hard work and sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
“That was right at the height of everything going on,” Hodros said. “It wasn’t the best place to be.”
But he was shocked to hear of Dacus’ death. “For the situations we were in, he was always upbeat,” Hodros said. “The Sean I knew was a fun guy to be around. He was never a depressed person.”
At that point Dacus had already served a tour in northern Iraq, starting in March 2003. According to police Lt. Grant Schiller, Dacus also served a tour in Afghanistan.
Military service runs in his family. One of Dacus’ uncles, Al Hoffarth, said Dacus’ grandfather was Air Force Col. John Dacus, commander of the task force that built the first Minuteman missile sites in northeast North Dakota in 1964.
Hodros said he kept in touch with Dacus for a while, but lost touch in 2006. Records show Dacus was divorced from his wife that year.
Stephen J. Lee contributed to this report.
Published November 30, 2011, 08:50 PM
When checking out the Facebook set up in Sean's memory-- this post by his friend really stood out.
I posted this on my wall, but wanted to share it with the community on the anniversary of this day.
The picture I am posting is entitled "The Veteran In A New Field" by Winslow Homer. Painted in 1865, it depicts a post-Civil War Union soldier who has returned from the war and is working to readjust to a new life. The painting is so breathtaking, however, because of the details. Where once he was mowing down opponents with a gun, he is now mowing down wheat with a scythe. The field of battle is now a field of wheat. The clothes don't seem to fit just right, as if he has not quite grown into the new role. While there have been many interpretations of this painting, it struck me as exemplifying the problems that soldiers face when coming back from war, and having to readjust to more mundane tasks. Even when adjustments are made, he is still violently cutting a swath through a field, but this time it is in a field of what. Not everything is ...left behind.
I bring this up because today marks one year since my friend Sean Dacus chose to end his life. He also entered the field of battle, and it took a toll upon him that became insurmountable. He struggled with PTSD so much that basic social interactions became a chore. He had the support of loving friends and family, and although he tried his best, he was unable to overthrow the horrors of war and assimilate back into this "new field."
He is not alone. According to Pentagon data, in the first half of 2012, 154 soldiers committed suicide while 127 soldiers died in the Afghanistan War. This is appalling. We can talk all day and night about the justifications for war and the pros and cons, but unless we are able to support our loved ones when they come back, we have failed them as a nation. I do believe that the level of support, be it therapy, medical, or other, by the government is woefully inadequate to face the needs of these men and women. If we, as a country, are going to send people off to war, we damn well better be able to send them to get the necessary care (not just the minimal or most cost-effective) they need to properly assimilate back into a civil society.
Today is a day of reflection for me. I think back on things not said, of things not done, which may have helped Sean. I also think about all the wonderful times spent together, and what a truly wonderful human being he was. To be honest, I don't think I truly appreciated his friendship to its fullest; but I won't make that mistake with others. Sean, in his final act, taught me to value relationships, either with friends, family, or even acquaintances. His friendship was a gift; one that I miss.
I
was able to go to Arlington National this summer. It happened to be on the day
of Sean's birthday. I paid respect by bring a Starbucks Cake pop to his site.
Sean
Dacus,
We will never forget you. You changed my direction of troop support
when I did not even know you. Today would be your 33rd Birthday. We left 33
rocks and a flag near your name...we also had lollipop cake- sorry that it got
squished in my purse, it still was excellent birthday cake. I put the sticks in
the ground in front of your name as well. Arlington. Crematorium. Section 7.
N1. 14. 1.
Honor. We will never forget.
The picture I am posting is entitled "The Veteran In A New Field" by Winslow Homer. Painted in 1865, it depicts a post-Civil War Union soldier who has returned from the war and is working to readjust to a new life. The painting is so breathtaking, however, because of the details. Where once he was mowing down opponents with a gun, he is now mowing down wheat with a scythe. The field of battle is now a field of wheat. The clothes don't seem to fit just right, as if he has not quite grown into the new role. While there have been many interpretations of this painting, it struck me as exemplifying the problems that soldiers face when coming back from war, and having to readjust to more mundane tasks. Even when adjustments are made, he is still violently cutting a swath through a field, but this time it is in a field of what. Not everything is ...left behind.
I bring this up because today marks one year since my friend Sean Dacus chose to end his life. He also entered the field of battle, and it took a toll upon him that became insurmountable. He struggled with PTSD so much that basic social interactions became a chore. He had the support of loving friends and family, and although he tried his best, he was unable to overthrow the horrors of war and assimilate back into this "new field."
He is not alone. According to Pentagon data, in the first half of 2012, 154 soldiers committed suicide while 127 soldiers died in the Afghanistan War. This is appalling. We can talk all day and night about the justifications for war and the pros and cons, but unless we are able to support our loved ones when they come back, we have failed them as a nation. I do believe that the level of support, be it therapy, medical, or other, by the government is woefully inadequate to face the needs of these men and women. If we, as a country, are going to send people off to war, we damn well better be able to send them to get the necessary care (not just the minimal or most cost-effective) they need to properly assimilate back into a civil society.
Today is a day of reflection for me. I think back on things not said, of things not done, which may have helped Sean. I also think about all the wonderful times spent together, and what a truly wonderful human being he was. To be honest, I don't think I truly appreciated his friendship to its fullest; but I won't make that mistake with others. Sean, in his final act, taught me to value relationships, either with friends, family, or even acquaintances. His friendship was a gift; one that I miss.
I
was able to go to Arlington National this summer. It happened to be on the day
of Sean's birthday. I paid respect by bring a Starbucks Cake pop to his site.
Sean
Dacus,
We will never forget you. You changed my direction of troop support when I did not even know you. Today would be your 33rd Birthday. We left 33 rocks and a flag near your name...we also had lollipop cake- sorry that it got squished in my purse, it still was excellent birthday cake. I put the sticks in the ground in front of your name as well. Arlington. Crematorium. Section 7. N1. 14. 1.
Honor. We will never forget.
We will never forget you. You changed my direction of troop support when I did not even know you. Today would be your 33rd Birthday. We left 33 rocks and a flag near your name...we also had lollipop cake- sorry that it got squished in my purse, it still was excellent birthday cake. I put the sticks in the ground in front of your name as well. Arlington. Crematorium. Section 7. N1. 14. 1.
Honor. We will never forget.
