I received a voice mail today from Sean McKnight stating he has a meeting setup with Ken Barber and some other individuals on the executive board of Illinois Joining Forces (IJF). I felt it was my duty to inform the group about some important facts that Mr. McKnight is very good at hiding. I met Mr. McKnight during my time at NIU. I just served my time as the NIU Veterans Club president and decided it was time to let someone else take the helm. Matthew Galloway the current Veterans Club president introduced the club to Sean McKnight at a veterans club meeting. Sean came in and presented himself as a seasoned veteran’s advocate who has many connections throughout the state of Illinois and Washington D.C. He promoted his organization that he was starting Warriors Guarding Warriors as a revolutionary concept that has not been thought of as for yet throughout the veteran community. Finally, he offered his services to any veterans having trouble with VA benefits or the medical process. At the time we did not know that he was not officially certified to help veterans, and nor did he actually know the proper process or paper work needed to help our fellow veterans. Sean offered to be the Veterans Clubs mentor. The club held a vote and …show more content…
McKnight claims to have worked with the State Department in an unofficial capacity (whatever than means) after his service in the Army. His name started to get around town in the DeKalb/Sycamore area. As he started to push hard for special treatment and recognition as a veteran advocate, some of the local attorney has started asking questions. One of the attorneys asked to see a copy of his DD 214. Sean refused for weeks and when he finally presented a copy, it was a typewriter version with holes punched out in certain areas claiming they could not see that information due to his Top Secret security clearance. According to Mr. McKnight, he retired from the Army in 2004. Did the Army still use typewriter versions of DD 214’s
“Why don’t you use your locker? You’re going to have back problems before you even graduate”. These are words that are repeated to me daily, almost like clockwork. I carry my twenty-pound backpack, full of papers upon papers from my AP classes. The middle pouch of my backpack houses my book in which I get lost to distract me from my unrelenting stress. The top pouch holds several erasers, foreshadowing the mistakes I will make - and extra lead, to combat and mend these mistakes. Thick, wordy textbooks full of knowledge that has yet to become engraved in my brain, dig the straps of my backpack into my shoulders. This feeling, ironically enough, gives me relief - my potential and future success reside in my folders and on the pages of my notebooks.
On February 21, 2016, I, Deputy John Arnold, went to 11747 West 105th Street South to assist another deputy in reference to a fight in progress.
During my freshman year of college, I had met one of my best friends, who go by name Jill. (She lives in New Jersey and while I live in Pennsylvania) I found it to be strange that sometimes, it feels like we have grown up with one another but in reality we have only one another for four years and I couldn’t be more thankful. I can remember when we met at school as if it was yesterday.
It all started when Ms. McCrystal began a lesson on how evolutionary changes impacted the lives of other organisms. Allie knew something interesting was going to happen, because Ms. McCrystal was the most engaging teacher on team 8-1. The very next day Ms. McCrystal had all of her Students do an assignment on the five fingers of evolution. Then she announced that the class was going on a class trip to the science museum.
Drugs! Alchohol! These two things prove to be very dangerous to the human person. My older brother was once addicted to both, but with the help from my parents, he is now back on the right track. This was only possible because my parents took huge steps in helping him get to rehab. They were heroes to me and my family because they had been so caring, loving, and forgiving to my brother. There has been so many wonderful things I have learned from them. My parents saved my brother's life and showed me what true love and hope can accomplish.
It's six o'clock. From down the hall, I hear my mother's footsteps approaching. The door opens.
Kalyla held a bottle behind her, and waited. Peri quickly caught up, lapped at the bottle, then circled and matched her pace, walking alongside her. Kalyla looked with affection at this little bundle of energy. She stopped to listen, and heard a creek flowing nearby.
“Angelina I beg of you, please eat the kibbles,” I plead to her as she lays restless with tired eyes and immense stubbornness on the rug closest to the door, refusing to be anywhere near cooperative.
Once upon a time there was a 19-year-old named Alex Jackson, and he was bored. Since his parents had gone on vacation, Alex didn’t have that much to do. Alex liked math and chess, but chess tournaments came up once a month. Recreational chess wasn’t fun because no one would play with him, and ‘recreational math’ was not a thing. He never cared about the newspaper, and frolicking in the playground was gone at age 6. Well, Alex thought, at least there’s going to be a chess tournament this afternoon. Still, life seems boring, and it's not getting better. Nothing's come up, and nothing ever will. Alex walked around his house, thinking about nothing in particular. I actually need to do something. There’s nothing to do but sit and wait until I leave
As I walked along the sidewalk, I noticed the cracks in the pavement which spoke of tales known to only hard labor workers. It was then when I realized my life as a teenage adolescent boy was about to change. The cold breeze echoed sounds of silence, which sent shivers down my spine once it touched my skin. The midnight sky was full of stars as though drops of rain on a window pane, captivating and clear. Not like the ones on the reservation, but the view was adequately similar because on the reservation there are no lights and tall building blocking the view. The smell of fresh trees masked the grotesque smell of carbon dioxide polluting the air, but hey we need some type of means of transportation. Suddenly I was swimming in a sea of silence.
My 3am alarm buzzed. I turned over and groaned. It was June 20, 2010, a day I had been dreading since the beginning of the school year. And what I mean by that is, that August my parents met with my middle school vice president regarding the matter of a kid I was sponsoring. However, it went a full 360 degrees, from them simply asking about the organization, KidsAlive, to them applying as part time missionaries overseas. They were approved and set to leave ASAP. As you can imagine, this did not fly with me. I liked my American life, my friends, my big house, and my private school. I was as happy as a clam in my secluded sea of paradise. So the night before this execrated day, the evil-genius within my 11 year-old self devised a plan; I was
Lonesome in the corner, a small boy stood. Although very observant and obviously shy, he looked sad, no one around him, talking, playing or otherwise. I went to him and said: “Hi, my name’s Callie, what's yours?” “I... I... I’m Evan.” he stuttered in response. “Well, Evan, nice to meet you. Would you feel up to going in the middle of the room and meeting some people with me?” I asked. His eyes glistened, but not a word came out, only a small gesture of a nod.
Splash! The fish were jumping everywhere on the lake. We just arrived at my great grandparents cabin in Elcho, Wisconsin. We are on Post Lake with the glistening water and the splendid forest. That weekend we had the usually people up there grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, two cousins, and my family. This is our favorite place to go on the weekends or in the summer time with our family. It was in the middle of June and the fishing was amazing up there the fish were biting. It was approximately 4:30 when we started our fun weekend up north. I knew it was going to be great when I saw the six seater Can-Am in the driveway. The cabin is small and it is the color green it may be small but you can fit a bunch of people into it. There also the garage that has beds in it that fold out.
My childhood started out with my grandparents. My mom had to work on the other side of the island so my grandma and grandpa were my temporary mom and dad for while. Living with my grandparents was a blast, I ventured through the forest with my grandpa, shopped for clothes with my grandma and attended routined meetings with both of them. There wasn't wifi at my grandparent's house at the time so on my spare time I liked to grab sticks from the storage house to give to my grandpa so he can make swords out of them, I loved to play with swords.
"Veterans Affairs Head Robert McDonald Lied About Serving in Special Forces" - Katie Pavlich | Feb 24, 2015 Web: http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2015/02/24/new-va-head-lied-about-military-service-n1961369