Remembering US Veteran Kevin Lupton and Those Left Behind

Remembering Kevin Lupton and Those Left Behind

Skagit County, Washington- One year ago today, on April 30th, 2015 SkagitBreaking.com reported about a self inflicted gun-shot wound that had just occurred at a park in Mount Vernon, Washington. The 32-year old male, who died at the scene was later identified as Kevin Lupton. Statistically, 22 US Soldiers die each day from suicide.

In the last year,  I have had the pleasure of getting to know  some of Kevin’s family through social media and we have kept in contact, sharing stories.

I learned that Kevin, was a United States Army Solider and Veteran who suffered from PTSD. Kevin had tried to get help but did not receive the help in time.  Kevin was also a friend to many and a  father to a 10- year old daughter named Irie.

I learned that Kevin joined the army when he was 20. His first day of basic training was on his 21st birthday at Fort Knox on November 21, 2003. 

Kevin  was in the National Guard and activated for deployment April 30, 2004. His first tour to Iraq was from 2004 to 2005 where he served with the Idaho National Guard.

Kevin’s  second tour was from 2008 to 2009 where he served with the Washington  National guard. The day he died, April 30th 2015 was 11 years to the day that  he was put on active duty orders.

Kevin received the following Decorations,  Medals,  Badges and  Ribbons Awards: Iraq Campaign Medal with 2 Campaign Stars, Army Achievement medal, Good Conduct medal, Good Components Achievement Medal, National Defense Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (2nd award), Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal and the one he was really proud of was his Coat Action Badge. He was an E4 and he was in the process of being honorably discharged when he passed on April 30th, 2015.

This brings us to the reason I am writing this article, Irie, the ten year old  daughter Kevin left behind.   In keeping up with the family and their social media  posts, I came across a post from Irie’s mom Giszelle,  that really got to  me on April 13th, 2016.

The post read “ Last week Irie was extremely upset she would be student of the week at school next week.  She will have to talk in front of her class about what her parents do for a living and bring pictures of her family to be displayed at school. The part I’m struggling with is she let me know she won’t tell people her dad was a soldier or a vet. That’s what he died from. I asked her why and she told me nobody  cares her dad was a soldier or vet or that he’s dead and bringing it up will make her really sad and weird, but she doesn’t know why it makes her feel weird.”

I thought this post was extremely sad, knowing that this 10-year old  girl had lost her father within the last year and she was having to deal with the thought that she believed nobody cared that her dad was a United States Soldier or Veteran.  As a Step-dad to an 11 year old, I knew that Irie getting awarded Student of the Week was a big accomplishment for a ten year old and should be something she is proud of.

I also believe that being proud of the fact that her father was a United States Solider and U.S. Military Veteran  is  something she should be very  proud of, as we all should be. My own Mother was the president of a local V.F.W Chapter, even though she has never served in the Military, both of her brothers had and  I am still proud of their service and I’m proud of the fact that she supports our local Veterans. I wanted to help convey that to Irie.

I also knew that Irie’s birthday was quickly approaching on April 21st and I knew that she would normally be looking forward to an   annual family  trip to the Great Wolf Lodge, an  indoor water park and hotel here  in Washington State that her family visited each year for her birthday.  It’s no secret that kids look forward to their birthdays, and family trips.  She also had the one year anniversary of her father’s death quickly approaching.  This seems like a lot for a 10-year old to deal with and I felt she needed some support.

This is when I decided to contact her mom and ask if we could help Irie and spread the word to Military Personnel and civilians around the world who could write to Irie and send her cards of encouragement and/or Birthday presents to remind her that her dad was loved, his life mattered and that most of the people in the United States of America appreciated his service and sacrifice for our Freedoms. I know that fellow servicemen and woman shared in his Brotherhood of being a U.S. Solider and would come together to support a fallen soldiers child in her time of need.

Iries mother granted permission for me to do so and I am now reaching out to the Military Families around the globe to please send Irie some words of Encouragement and/or Birthday Presents.  I will include a mailing address below that has been set up at a local business where people can send Irie mail in honor of her father, Kevin Lupton a United States Army Solider and Veteran.

A little about Irie.  She was born on April 21st 2005 and turned 11 years old on April 21st, 2016. For her 11th Birthday, the first without her father, her mother still  took Irie and some of her friends to the Great Wolf Lodge on Thursday and Friday to ensure she kept the tradition her father started and his memory  alive. It wasn’t the same, but Irie  still had fun.

If you are interested in sending Irie  a birthday present, or a card or letter  to make her smile, Irie loves “Shopkins” . Her and her  cousins play with them and she likes to trade Shopkins with others through the internet.  Giszelle tells me,  “It’s fun to watch her interact with others. She really enjoys sharing with others and she is a joy to be with.”

She also loves crystal hunting, looking for geodes and Irie  let Giszelle know that  she wants to pan for gold and hunt for stuff with a metal detector, which she doesn’t have yet.

Today, on the 1 year anniversary of her father’s death, several local United State Military Veterans made the 100+ mile trip to the Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Washington for a private event “Story Telling with Lupton and his Daughter Irie” These veterans shared stories about Kevin with his daughter at his graveside. They spent several hours with the family and the family had a picnic to honor Kevin’s memory today.

We hope this article is shared far and wide throughout the Military  communities. I know Irie is just one child of hundreds if not thousands around the globe that are going through the loss of a loved one due to suicide but we hope that hundreds if not thousands  of people around the globe will take a few moments out of their day to send Irie some letters of encouragement and/or a present and positive thoughts as she processes the one year anniversary of her father’s suicide.

 

Please send Letters of Encouragement and/or Birthday Presents  to Irie Lupton, in Honor of Kevin Lupton  to 2011 Commercial Avenue Anacortes, WA 98221.

Note: As a precaution,  the above address is a local business and the letters will be picked up by Kevin’s Family and transported to Irie.

Media, you have permission to share this information and use the photos with links back to the Original article on SkagitBreaking.com

 

We’ve included some important links below for Soliders and  Civilians who are suffering from PTSD, Depression, Mental health Issues or Suicidal Thoughts.  There is help out there and these links were provided by Giszelle, who also runs a Facebook Page called “Swept Under the Rug. PTSD Awareness,”  which she started after Kevin’s death to help others who have experienced the same thing.