Decorated Vietnam Vet Arrested Guarding War Memorial and American Flag in San Diego(#2)

Newsgroups: alt.war.vietnam ^ | 01/10/30 | SOURCE: Jaffe & Co., Inc., Strategic Media and Crisis Management

[B4Ranch]

Robert Thomas Northcut is a decorated Vietnam Veteran. In the years that have passed since he was blown up in a delta ambush he spent his time in and out of Veteran's hospitals.

Ten years ago he walked out of the VA hospital never to look back. He found his way to Solana Beach, California where he has lived outside, as a homeless man, never panhandling a dime.

Each day he walks the streets with his trusty German Shepherd, ``TJ,'' given to him by caring townfolks. He always stops to greet people and pat children on their heads as they pet his dog and look in wonderment at this shell of a man, forever wounded serving his country in the war in Vietnam. His Purple Heart went the way of all his belongings when he decided to stop living in a VA hospital and get out and enjoy the beauty of the California coastline with ``TJ.''

His long shaggy Australian bush coat and Crocodile Dundee hat distinguish him for the hero he is as he is seen searching in the morning shadows looking for food.

For ten years Thomas has been the street ambassador of Solana Beach.

When he heard the tragedy of ``9/11'' on his little portable radio he was instantly moved to action. He now had a purpose, a mission, a reason to reestablish his identity. He went to the little traffic island of the City which houses the stone war memorial next to the large American flag pole. He took up residence next to the Memorial, resting his head each night on it to protect it from what he felt was a possible terrorist attack. Each night he lowered the flag and each day raised it to half mast.

Neighbors brought food for him and his dog and brought him newspapers to keep up to date.

It had all come back to him....a purpose, a vision, an identity. He was now back in the line of duty. Every small part helped. His was to raise the flag and to protect the Monument.

Early one morning after he raised the flag, the workmen arrived. As he saluted, they pounded into the ground the two foot square No Trespassing sign. Moments later they called the Sheriff's department and held Thomas there until they arrived.

The city code enforcer ordered a citation to be issued for Thomas Northcut for trespassing. Thomas crumpled it into his pocket and went back to his duties, guarding the monument.

The code enforcer patiently waited for the court appearance date to pass then asked that the arrest warrant be issued.

Thomas and his dog awoke to the angry sounds of deputies as they pulled him from the ground, his hat falling by the side of the Monument and dragged him away in one direction screaming for his dog as they dragged ``TJ'' away to an animal control truck.

Thomas was handcuffed and taken to jail to await arraignment. ``TJ'' was taken to the pound where if unclaimed, he will be put to death in a matter of weeks.

This story did not take place in 1975. It was Thursday, October 26, 2001. Thomas, unable to post the bond, waited in the lockup and had to be sedated because of panic attacks which resulted from his incarceration. Meanwhile, his dog, ``TJ'' has lost his appetite longing for his owner. And the flag just sits at half mast.

``How soon we forget,'' said Sam Georges, an attorney, U.S. Air Force veteran and friend of Northcut's who is trying to get people to help for the jailed vet get released and see that he's reunited with his dog, and in the process sensitize the city. Georges is also president of the internationally famous Anthony Robbins Companies.

``It's pretty obvious that a time like this, we need to show our respect to patriotic Americans to those who have fought to protect our freedoms. Especially those who have worn the uniform of our armed forces and sacrificed for our country,'' said Stephen Jaffe, president Jaffe & Company, a crisis management communications firm in based in Los Angeles.

This morning, Jennifer Lynch, Esq., an attorney living in Vista who heard about the Northcut case from friends, appeared, pro bono, on his behalf in Superior Court. She noted that Northcut has served several days in jail for essentially protecting a Monument to those who had died defending our country during a former war. Northcut remained silent but the Judge, a distinguished veteran himself, saw the sad irony of the case and dismissed it for ``time served.''

``Now there remains only one more injustice to be corrected,'' Lynch stated, ``and that's for Thomas to be reunited with his dog, 'TJ.''' Friends of Northcut have agreed to take him to the pound where ``TJ'' is being held tomorrow. ``If the city officials and the system doesn't get in the way, Thomas and 'TJ' will be together again, greeting the folks in Solana Beach and enjoying the freedom he gave so much of himself to protect,'' Lynch added.

For further information, please contact Jennifer Lynch, Esq., +1-760-643-4113; or Sam Georges, Esq., +1-619-417-1408; or Stephen Jaffe of Jaffe & Co., Inc., +1-310-275-7327.

SOURCE: Jaffe & Co., Inc., Strategic Media and Crisis Management

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/011030/latu141_1.html

[Native American Female Vet]

Thank you. That was a great reply

[Native American Female Vet]

I am so glad we found out about this before it was to late to do anything for Mr. Northcut and TJ.

[Native American Female Vet]

Of course I hate to say this but that sounds very typical of the VA. I have 'been there, done that'. I am thankful everyday my husband can provide me with real medical care so I dont have to depend on the them. Unfortunatly others cant and it is shamefull what they have to put up with

[Colt .45]

Hey dude! I wrote the President about this brother! You got a problem with that? TOO BAD! You come up with all these things which are bullsh*t solutions. First off, nobody was asking anyone of you to put this guy up in a room. ALL we ask for is that he gets his dog TJ back. This brother gave up body parts for your freedom ... you fool! But you lend credence to the meaning of the word ingrate. I suppose if we looked that up in the dictionary we'd find your picture under it. This man fought so you wouldn't have to.

This man was willing to at least try and do something patriotic by guarding the War Memorial and the flag, what have you done for your country? Thomas Northcut was harming no one, yet he was arrested and treated like a common criminal; yet we all support freedom of speech and allow traitors like Malik Shabazz to spew hate filled, anti-American invective on TV ... and do nothing!

Do you get the picture yet? If we allow the shabby treatment of just one combat veteran, or any veteran for doing something patriotic ... then we as a nation, are lost!

IF YOU LOVE YOUR FREEDOM, THANK A VET!

By the way ... I'M STILL SERVING ON ACTIVE DUTY!

[redrock]

Go HERE .....and ask any of them if a Viet Vet has earned the Right to walk the streets with his dog...and protect the Flag of this Nation.

redrock

[Native American Female Vet]

DITTO THAT!!!!

[usmcobra]

USMC 1975 to 1986
Just so you know

The anger here is NOT over a fellow Vet being homeless.
That was his choice and by all reports He has made a life where he is at ease with himself.
The anger here is over how He was treated,
Monuments are PUBLIC Property,
They belong to all of us,
ergo the city cannot put up a sign saying No tresspassing just to run off one man and his dog.

I have a friend,
perhaps that is the wrong word a buddy is more like it,
His name is Sandman and he's a Viet Nam Vet
Recently Sandman went through a change of fortune when his car was wrecked,
Because of the crash He was unable to walk without a walker,
His girl friend of fifteen years threw him out when he could not work.
He ended up in a VA halfway house while he healed.
He lost 60 lbs during his rehab,
and as soon as he was pronounced fit to walk,
The VA kicked him out onto the street
He had no place to stay, he had no car, and a job just barely.
He took to sleeping in one of the parks here in Miami.
I won't say which one because the park manager for this park sat down and talked to Sandman,
and decided to look the other way while Sandman stayed in his park.
The cops that patrolled the park at night knew Sandman was there
and said nothing
or stopped to visit with him during their rounds.
Every morning Sandman would wash up and hobble off to work,
No one the wiser,
But where ever Sandman had decided to rest his head was cleaner than when he got there.
I begged him to stay with me and my family, as did many of his friends.
He felt that he couldn't impose himself on anyone.
After a time Sandman went to live with his relatives in Ohio,
I still get letters and pictures from him and he is doing well.
Sandman never lived on the dole or welfare,
By his choice he turned down a 100% disability from the Government for the steel plate in his head
and the steel pins in his leg from wounds he recieved in Viet Nam.
When he was down, all he asked for was a place under the stars to lay his head
and those that could have run him off or arrested him gave him that,
but it was their's to give in the first place
Sandman had paid for it in his taxes,
his blood and his service to our country long time ago in the rice paddies of Viet Nam.

This Vet and his dog could have been better taken care of,
instead of treating him as a criminal, they could have treated him as Sandman was treated
with respect and with the sence that He was there for a reason.
Instead they treated him like $%@#!
Hince the anger!

[B4Ranch]

Thanks for the Sandman review. Much appreciated.

[ravingnutter]

Why has no one suggested that they give him a job guarding the memorial? Just put up a little guard shack in the park for him to sleep in and give him a small stipend for food, kind of a room and board in return for services arrangement.

[krunkygirl]

I just hope they haven't "trumped up" the charges against TJ. I can just imagine some macho city worker type thinking he's a bigshot by man-handling the "nuisance" vet's dog and in the process really upsetting TJ and causing him to over-react. Then, of course, they turn the tables and say that TJ is "threatening". They won't kill Mr. Northcut but I do believe they will kill TJ to "justify", in part, this whole assinine situation they have caused and to demonstrate to Mr. Northcut, and other homeless folks, "just who is in charge here". I believe we must put public pressure on these people to back off now and reunite TJ and Mr. N.

[krunkygirl]

AMEN! Well said, sir! BUMP

[krunkygirl]

SAVE TJ! Bump

[firewalk]

Good morning bump, getting the fax machine fired up and ready with my dialing finger. Give TJ back to Mr. Northcut now! BTTT

[COB1]

Thanks, cobra, for that story.
SO many vets are out there suffering through the same things as Sandman.
My heart goes out to them.
We love our homes, our families, our country, and our lives.

TO ALL: Love our vets, because without them we wouldn't have any of the rest!!

[Topaz]

Speaking of housing for Veterans, there is an election in Texas tomorrow where the state is hoping to up our fund to provide Veterans low cost loans and cemetery improvements by $500 million.

Any Texans reading this, don't forget to vote.

http://www.glo.state.tx.us/vlb/prop7/prop7index.html

[Cultural Jihad]

You should take a tour of Market Street in San Francisco, where the liberal politicians have given over the streets, sidewalks, gutters, and doorways over to bums. Most of them claim to be homeless vets, in a city which pays out more than $40 million dollars of taxpayers funds every year to help them. If the alleged dog-with-loss-of-appetite story motivated you to write your congressman, you'd cry your eyes out seeing the ones who tether helpless cats as their shills to get more sympathic handouts. Sheesh.

[patriot_wes]

Early one morning after he raised the flag, the workmen arrived. As he saluted, they pounded into the ground the two foot square No Trespassing sign

Your tax dollars at work folks. Just keep contributing to the IRS and pretend nothing bad is going on!

[Cultural Jihad]

Thomas, unable to post the bond, waited in the lockup and had to be sedated because of panic attacks which resulted from his incarceration.

Ah, so Stephen Jaffe is a medical or psychiatric doctor, or is quoting one here? It's interesting how the president of a company, Sam Georges and his artist wife, consider Thomas their friend, yet couldn't bail him out.

[Cultural Jihad]

Instead they treated him like $%@#!

Treated like what? All you have read is a biased press release which smells to begin with. You haven't read anything in the press. No interview with the arresting officer, no mention of the reason for the charges. Perhaps his panic attacks are drug withdrawls, and he would be dead now if intervention had not happened. Who knows?

[MistyCA]

thank you and thank God for your husband. I understand that completely and spend a lot of time thinking about the people who have no support or advocates. It just shouldn't be like that! The DAV is very helpful, but the VA procedures are often frustrating (designed to frustrate) and people have to be mentally and physically able to cut through the red tape and BS. It is pathetic.