WEBVTT - A Yellow Rose Never Dies with Judy Littlefield 0:00:07.880 --> 0:00:10.159 Welcome with the Good Stuff. I'm Jacob Shick and I'm 0:00:10.200 --> 0:00:12.399 joined by my co host and wife, Ashley Shick. 0:00:13.200 --> 0:00:15.960 Jacob is a third generation combat Marine who runs an 0:00:16.040 --> 0:00:19.360 organization called One Tribe Foundation that focuses on mental and 0:00:19.400 --> 0:00:22.880 emotional wellness. I am a gold Star granddaughter, and we 0:00:22.960 --> 0:00:26.520 both come from families that are rich in military history 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:28.760 and very proud Americans. 0:00:29.400 --> 0:00:32.080 We believe everybody's got a story worth telling. It involves 0:00:32.120 --> 0:00:36.360 inspiration and perseverance, and we believe that we tell these 0:00:36.400 --> 0:00:39.760 stories to give people the extra that they need to 0:00:39.840 --> 0:00:42.200 not only live, but live well. Welcome to the Good 0:00:42.200 --> 0:00:45.760 Stuff today. Our guess is Judy Littlefield, author of the 0:00:45.760 --> 0:00:48.800 book The Other Man Down, A Mother's Journey after the 0:00:48.840 --> 0:00:50.279 American Sniper Tragedy. 0:00:51.080 --> 0:00:53.000 Many of you are familiar with the story of the 0:00:53.040 --> 0:00:56.400 American Sniper Chris Kyle, the Navy Seal sniper who returned 0:00:56.440 --> 0:01:00.000 home a war hero, devoted himself to helping veterans suffer 0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:02.639 with PTS, and was killed by one of the very 0:01:02.720 --> 0:01:03.920 men he was trying to help. 0:01:04.080 --> 0:01:06.240 Well, Chris Kyle wasn's the only man who lost his 0:01:06.319 --> 0:01:09.080 life that day. His best friend was by a side, 0:01:09.520 --> 0:01:11.680 a best friend who was equally devoted to helping our 0:01:11.760 --> 0:01:16.720 vets returning home. That man is Judy Littlefield's son, Chad Littlefield. 0:01:17.640 --> 0:01:21.119 These horrendous and cowardly murders happened over ten years ago. 0:01:21.800 --> 0:01:24.679 Their impact has an ongoing ripple effect throughout the. 0:01:24.720 --> 0:01:28.200 Entire world, and today we are celebrating the life of 0:01:28.280 --> 0:01:31.560 Chad Littlefield. So this episode is very personal to us. 0:01:32.160 --> 0:01:34.039 Jake was honored to be involved in the filming of 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:37.639 Clint Eastwood's film American Snipers, starring Bradley Cooper's Chris Kyle, 0:01:37.800 --> 0:01:40.800 and through his involvement, we had the incredible honor of 0:01:40.880 --> 0:01:44.320 meeting Don and Judy Littlefield, Chad's parents, who we now 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:52.559 consider family. We are so thrilled today to be sitting 0:01:52.600 --> 0:01:56.160 around the dining room table here in DeSoto, Texas of 0:01:56.200 --> 0:01:59.840 a beautiful Texas lady inside and out that we've been 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:00.960 ends with for a while. 0:02:01.080 --> 0:02:05.480 Missus Judy Littlefield, better known as Mama Littlefield to us, 0:02:06.040 --> 0:02:08.640 I just can't call you Judy little Field. Just feels wrong. 0:02:08.800 --> 0:02:09.480 I think, not. 0:02:09.840 --> 0:02:13.080 Your mama, your mama. We've actually known each other for years. 0:02:13.480 --> 0:02:16.000 We met at an event in Fort Worth, I think 0:02:16.160 --> 0:02:19.760 eight years ago, and just so grateful for that friendship. 0:02:19.760 --> 0:02:21.320 But I know you and Jake have actually known each 0:02:21.320 --> 0:02:23.280 other for quite a while, longer a little bit. 0:02:23.480 --> 0:02:26.960 I don't remember how I met Mama and Coach. So 0:02:27.120 --> 0:02:29.360 do you recall our first interaction? 0:02:30.320 --> 0:02:34.400 Yes, I do. It was at the premiere of The 0:02:34.440 --> 0:02:37.120 American Sniper. Don and I were sitting there. We had 0:02:37.160 --> 0:02:40.680 been invited by Tea Kyle to be there, and we 0:02:40.760 --> 0:02:44.800 had just gotten some devastating news about the details of 0:02:45.000 --> 0:02:48.680 how Chad had been killed, and we were so weary, 0:02:49.520 --> 0:02:51.760 you know, it was just all we could do to 0:02:51.800 --> 0:02:54.440 get to the theater. And we were setting up in 0:02:54.440 --> 0:02:57.600 the audience. They turned the house lights up and before 0:02:57.639 --> 0:03:05.600 we knew it, Jacob and d come up and Jacob 0:03:05.680 --> 0:03:11.120 leaned over it and said, I'm so sorry for your loss, 0:03:12.080 --> 0:03:13.720 and I told him, I said, you know what, that 0:03:13.880 --> 0:03:17.880 meant a lot to me, because we were so overwhelmed 0:03:18.639 --> 0:03:21.880 of the news we had gotten, and we even considered 0:03:21.960 --> 0:03:26.160 not going, but we did anyway. And that Jacob Schick, 0:03:26.840 --> 0:03:31.000 this big bad marine, cared enough to come up and 0:03:31.120 --> 0:03:35.360 love on us and comfort us. And that's what that's 0:03:35.400 --> 0:03:38.560 when I first met him. He's just been my boy 0:03:38.600 --> 0:03:39.320 ever since. 0:03:40.040 --> 0:03:42.360 I know that I can speak for Rashley as well 0:03:42.360 --> 0:03:45.080 when I say we've cherished every moment and that you 0:03:45.200 --> 0:03:48.360 both are very near and dear to our heart, and 0:03:48.440 --> 0:03:49.839 we are just honored. 0:03:49.520 --> 0:03:52.040 And privileged to call you family on our side too. 0:03:52.440 --> 0:03:57.880 I distinctly remember Bradley and Taya setting up the premiere 0:03:58.080 --> 0:04:01.240 and us standing in the front, right in front of 0:04:01.240 --> 0:04:04.200 the screen, and then you all were acknowledged, and I 0:04:04.240 --> 0:04:07.160 remember badly looking at me and he said, you got 0:04:07.160 --> 0:04:10.800 anything you want to say something? But I remember because 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:14.440 all I could think about was just I wanted. I 0:04:14.520 --> 0:04:16.920 just wanted to hug y'all. And I just said no, 0:04:17.160 --> 0:04:20.840 you know, because to me, nothing else seems to be said, right, 0:04:20.960 --> 0:04:23.800 I could just need everything said. We setting up a film, 0:04:24.480 --> 0:04:26.640 and I remember that distinkly well. 0:04:26.680 --> 0:04:30.080 There were a lot of veterans in the audience that night, 0:04:30.520 --> 0:04:35.119 and they had stood up and applauded us when Taya 0:04:35.160 --> 0:04:37.240 had said we were in the audience, and we were 0:04:37.279 --> 0:04:42.440 still processing that. We thought, these war heroes are standing 0:04:42.480 --> 0:04:44.720 up and acknowledging us, who are we? 0:04:45.200 --> 0:04:45.440 You know? 0:04:45.800 --> 0:04:48.279 And then you came up. So we just fell apart. 0:04:48.320 --> 0:04:51.160 You know. The news that we had gotten the day 0:04:51.200 --> 0:04:53.920 before just kind of faded, you know, in the distance. 0:04:54.400 --> 0:04:59.080 We had new good information to process, you know, we 0:04:59.080 --> 0:05:02.120 were able to a table the other and until the 0:05:02.200 --> 0:05:03.200 trial hit. You know. 0:05:03.400 --> 0:05:06.960 So it's so important those little moments, you know, they're 0:05:07.000 --> 0:05:09.880 so important. I think there those those moments where it 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:12.599 carries us to the to the next yard line. I'm 0:05:12.640 --> 0:05:15.520 grateful that I got that moment. That was a hectic 0:05:15.600 --> 0:05:17.839 day because you know, I hadn't watched you know, I 0:05:17.839 --> 0:05:20.599 got hit. Oh four September, oh fourth is when I 0:05:20.600 --> 0:05:25.080 got hurt in Iraq. I had not watched a war movie, 0:05:25.160 --> 0:05:31.279 war show, anything until the premiere. And I've told Ashays, 0:05:31.320 --> 0:05:34.440 I've told lots of people this I felt. And I 0:05:34.440 --> 0:05:37.440 didn't have to write. It's not mandated that I do 0:05:37.839 --> 0:05:41.160 go to the premiere, but I felt as though I 0:05:41.240 --> 0:05:44.640 owed it to the Kyle family and do y'all to 0:05:44.760 --> 0:05:48.920 sit and go through that film and watch it beginning 0:05:48.960 --> 0:05:53.000 to end, to have a genuine and authentic take in 0:05:53.120 --> 0:05:57.240 reaction to it. And so that was the first war 0:05:57.320 --> 0:06:00.680 movie that I sat down and watched since the day 0:06:00.760 --> 0:06:01.159 got hurt. 0:06:01.440 --> 0:06:04.560 N four, Mama little Field, will you please tell us 0:06:04.600 --> 0:06:05.240 about Chad. 0:06:06.640 --> 0:06:09.520 I had a son by a previous marriage, but Chad 0:06:09.600 --> 0:06:14.039 was our only biological child, and I had had three miscarriages, 0:06:14.360 --> 0:06:16.960 and I really got mad at God because I thought, 0:06:17.040 --> 0:06:19.360 why even let me get pregnant if I can't carry 0:06:19.360 --> 0:06:21.719 that baby. So Donn had given up any chance of 0:06:21.760 --> 0:06:24.080 ever having a child. And then I got pregnant with 0:06:24.240 --> 0:06:27.200 Chad and was able to carry him. And he was 0:06:27.279 --> 0:06:31.400 our miracle baby because you know, we hadn't had one 0:06:31.440 --> 0:06:34.880 but then, and he was due on Valentine's Day, so 0:06:34.920 --> 0:06:37.760 he became our love baby also, you know, but he 0:06:37.839 --> 0:06:41.279 decided to come on eleventh instead. You know. Anyway, I 0:06:41.320 --> 0:06:43.919 guess I learned even through that you don't get bitter. 0:06:44.640 --> 0:06:48.200 Didn't help anything, you know, And it made me appreciate 0:06:48.440 --> 0:06:50.640 when we did have him. Little did I know we'd 0:06:50.640 --> 0:06:53.400 only have him thirty five years. But we have to 0:06:54.320 --> 0:06:57.800 rejoice in that time we had and not mourn what 0:06:58.000 --> 0:06:59.080 might have been. You know. 0:07:00.040 --> 0:07:02.120 I know Chad came over and spent that afternoon with 0:07:02.160 --> 0:07:04.200 you the day before he was killed. Will you please 0:07:04.200 --> 0:07:06.760 tell us about that? He said, he talked about all 0:07:06.839 --> 0:07:10.000 kinds of things and life is so good it's almost scary. 0:07:10.200 --> 0:07:12.880 Yeah, if he told me. We talked about where he 0:07:13.000 --> 0:07:16.520 was spiritually, and they had started going to Cowboy Church, 0:07:16.560 --> 0:07:17.840 and he said, Mom, I got to get in there 0:07:17.880 --> 0:07:20.200 and learn these Bible stories. My little girl knows more 0:07:20.200 --> 0:07:22.720 than I do. And I had done, and I had 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:25.800 been named Volunteers of the month at our church. So 0:07:26.280 --> 0:07:28.440 that was written up and I showed that to him 0:07:28.480 --> 0:07:31.679 and I said it's not very big and he said, Mom, 0:07:31.760 --> 0:07:33.960 what makes you think that's not a big deal. So 0:07:34.200 --> 0:07:37.200 I got that approval from him, you know, before he 0:07:37.320 --> 0:07:40.440 left this earth. He stood up at the bar and 0:07:40.480 --> 0:07:43.080 he said, Mom, I would take a bullet for Chris 0:07:43.880 --> 0:07:47.360 chat don't talk like that. And he did. He did 0:07:47.560 --> 0:07:50.680 exactly that the next day. But he said on the couch, 0:07:50.760 --> 0:07:54.360 he said, mom, life is so good, it's scary. Little 0:07:54.360 --> 0:07:58.400 did we know that it would all be over the next. 0:07:58.240 --> 0:08:01.160 Day he talked about being a father, Yeah. 0:08:01.040 --> 0:08:04.360 How he wanted his little girl raised. And keep in 0:08:04.400 --> 0:08:10.360 mind that his little girl turned seven two weeks before 0:08:10.440 --> 0:08:13.560 he was killed. He and his wife had waited five 0:08:13.640 --> 0:08:18.360 years before they had a child. Chad told him one time, 0:08:18.440 --> 0:08:20.680 little girl said, Dad, I want a brother or sister, 0:08:21.080 --> 0:08:23.840 And Chad says, you want to college education our brother 0:08:23.920 --> 0:08:32.720 and sister. I can't afford both that sacks and so 0:08:32.960 --> 0:08:37.079 many times and I have learned this. My reaction when 0:08:37.160 --> 0:08:40.199 he left that day was, oh gosh, I didn't know 0:08:40.240 --> 0:08:42.600 he was going to stay this long. I have work 0:08:42.679 --> 0:08:46.440 to do, you know, real work. Little did I know 0:08:47.160 --> 0:08:51.320 that that conversation, every word would be something I would 0:08:51.800 --> 0:08:54.199 treasure for the rest of my life, you know, go 0:08:54.280 --> 0:08:57.240 over and over all of that, because it was the 0:08:57.320 --> 0:08:59.079 last words we had with him. 0:08:59.480 --> 0:09:05.040 What I see for that to be the last earthly 0:09:05.160 --> 0:09:10.960 encounter in that way, especially working in the line of 0:09:10.960 --> 0:09:14.160 work that I'm in now, with the foundation we do 0:09:14.240 --> 0:09:18.080 with a lot of loss, and it's I just can 0:09:18.160 --> 0:09:21.360 only imagine how much it's played a role for you 0:09:21.440 --> 0:09:26.480 and your family to be able to spread love and 0:09:26.520 --> 0:09:29.360 to be genuine and authentic and subd. 0:09:29.200 --> 0:09:31.920 Lovell And it was such a blessing that we had 0:09:31.920 --> 0:09:36.199 that time. You know, military families and gold Star they 0:09:36.280 --> 0:09:39.360 might not have seen their son or their daughter in 0:09:39.400 --> 0:09:43.000 the last year, last nine months. I walked away that 0:09:43.160 --> 0:09:46.040 day and I thought, I never have to say if 0:09:46.200 --> 0:09:49.000 I had one more I love you, or one more 0:09:49.080 --> 0:09:52.520 kiss or one more hug, because God gave me all 0:09:52.559 --> 0:09:55.760 of those things in that day. And we're given nuggets, 0:09:56.160 --> 0:09:58.080 but we have to be able to look for them 0:09:58.360 --> 0:10:01.720 and everything that seems like a chaos situation. 0:10:02.520 --> 0:10:05.760 Where was he spiritually when he came over. 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:12.520 We raised our boys with a strong faith and in church, 0:10:12.880 --> 0:10:16.920 and Chad had kind of wavered on and off from 0:10:16.960 --> 0:10:22.240 the faith, but he never wavered from his beliefs. That 0:10:22.400 --> 0:10:26.280 day he told me that he was a believer, and 0:10:26.760 --> 0:10:29.280 you know, if anything ever happened him, he knew where 0:10:29.320 --> 0:10:32.600 he would go. So that was not even a question 0:10:32.920 --> 0:10:34.440 when he was killed. 0:10:34.480 --> 0:10:38.240 Through this horrendous tragedy, was there some sense of comfort 0:10:38.360 --> 0:10:41.560 in that and having that conversation and knowing that. 0:10:41.800 --> 0:10:45.880 Oh, definitely, definitely. After he got out of the house, 0:10:46.000 --> 0:10:49.520 it was like we never never mentioned it again. But 0:10:49.720 --> 0:10:53.480 it was rare that unless he was in trouble, and 0:10:53.600 --> 0:10:56.319 then you know, we really prayed, you know, to get 0:10:56.360 --> 0:10:58.560 him out of that. I remember one time he lost 0:10:58.600 --> 0:11:03.520 his company credit card and oh he went home, tore 0:11:03.600 --> 0:11:06.600 the house up looking for that credit card and everything. 0:11:06.640 --> 0:11:09.240 He called me and please pray, I've got to have that. 0:11:09.400 --> 0:11:12.600 I've got to come up with that company credit card. So, 0:11:12.760 --> 0:11:15.760 I mean, he was just a cousin and everything all 0:11:15.840 --> 0:11:18.560 day long. And then that evening he called me and 0:11:18.559 --> 0:11:20.760 he said, well, Jesus did it. And I said what 0:11:20.840 --> 0:11:23.320 And he said, I found my credit card. I said, wonderful, 0:11:23.360 --> 0:11:25.400 where was it? He said, well, I'd gone to the 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:28.559 bathroom and dropped my wallet in the bathroom and it 0:11:28.600 --> 0:11:32.520 was in there. So it all worked out. But you know, 0:11:32.679 --> 0:11:36.360 he would just get so so fried over something, you know, 0:11:36.720 --> 0:11:42.240 But it was a truly a comfort to know that 0:11:42.679 --> 0:11:44.800 I would see him again. That's our hope, you know 0:11:44.880 --> 0:11:47.640 that we will be with him again, that he's not 0:11:47.760 --> 0:11:48.400 gone forever. 0:11:53.120 --> 0:11:56.840 Talk if you will, please about the relationship between christ 0:11:56.840 --> 0:11:57.240 and Chad. 0:11:57.960 --> 0:12:01.160 Okay, they met on the soccer field. Their little girls 0:12:01.200 --> 0:12:04.960 played soccer together, and they had to get out and 0:12:06.040 --> 0:12:09.320 the coaches were not adequate. You know, they had to 0:12:09.360 --> 0:12:10.200 help the coaches. 0:12:10.320 --> 0:12:13.520 You know, I can't look, It's just the way it 0:12:13.600 --> 0:12:17.120 is with two sons that play sports. You feel like 0:12:17.440 --> 0:12:19.400 sometimes you have to assist. 0:12:19.800 --> 0:12:21.680 With vigor the finer lines. 0:12:23.440 --> 0:12:23.880 That's right. 0:12:24.880 --> 0:12:29.320 Anyway, they met out there and I guess started talking, 0:12:29.480 --> 0:12:34.200 and then I guess Chris started telling him stories about 0:12:34.360 --> 0:12:37.720 the Navy Seals and stuff like that, and like I said, 0:12:37.800 --> 0:12:42.720 Chad was patriotic. And then Chris was doing fundraisers for 0:12:42.880 --> 0:12:48.320 veterans and he invited Chad along. One man introduced himself 0:12:48.360 --> 0:12:50.880 to Chad. He said, I know you, and Chad said, 0:12:50.880 --> 0:12:53.559 it scared me because I wasn't military and I wasn't 0:12:53.640 --> 0:12:56.439 nave sealing. You know, I didn't know who he thought 0:12:56.440 --> 0:12:58.640 I was. And Chad to him, says, you don't know me. 0:12:58.880 --> 0:13:02.240 He said, I'm not military. He said, yeah, you are. 0:13:02.400 --> 0:13:04.880 You are the one that brought Chris out of his 0:13:05.040 --> 0:13:07.920 darkest hours. And it was just you know, Chad told me, 0:13:07.920 --> 0:13:09.959 he said, Mom, I didn't know he was doing talk therapy, 0:13:10.360 --> 0:13:14.520 you know, when they're working out, you know, but you know, 0:13:14.760 --> 0:13:17.640 it helped. And Chad was a good listener. And if 0:13:17.720 --> 0:13:20.520 Chris wanted to talk and talk about things that bothered him, 0:13:20.640 --> 0:13:23.120 Chad would listen. If not, they would just work out 0:13:23.160 --> 0:13:26.560 quietly and split their ways. You know. They became good 0:13:26.600 --> 0:13:30.400 friends that way to Chris, and that's what he needed 0:13:30.679 --> 0:13:34.920 at the time. The next morning, February, the second, he 0:13:35.240 --> 0:13:39.120 had texted me because we had an inheritance that finally 0:13:39.160 --> 0:13:41.920 came through, and he was always seizing me. Hey, let 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:43.960 me give you my bank account number. You know, you'll 0:13:44.000 --> 0:13:45.920 you'll probably need that to put that in my bank. 0:13:46.040 --> 0:13:49.400 You know. Chad was a funny kid. You know, we 0:13:49.400 --> 0:13:53.280 were disciplinarians. But you know all of his friends, you know, 0:13:53.320 --> 0:13:55.800 they wanted Chad to be their party in the life 0:13:55.840 --> 0:13:58.760 of the party. But I sent him a text and 0:13:58.800 --> 0:14:01.679 I said, look what I learned to do. And he said, oh, mom, 0:14:01.720 --> 0:14:03.160 I had to pull over the side of the road. 0:14:03.240 --> 0:14:08.680 I could not believe you were texting. It's a big deal. 0:14:08.800 --> 0:14:10.640 So yeah, I mean that even that plays into the 0:14:10.679 --> 0:14:13.760 story because that morning you were texting with him. 0:14:14.480 --> 0:14:17.680 Anyway, he told me. Then after that text, he said, 0:14:17.920 --> 0:14:22.240 we got a marine that's not doing well and Chris 0:14:22.280 --> 0:14:23.680 and I are going to take him to the range 0:14:23.720 --> 0:14:26.040 and just get him out for the day. So I 0:14:26.120 --> 0:14:29.560 knew where Chad was and they went down there. This 0:14:29.760 --> 0:14:33.760 was I don't know nine or ten o'clock in the morning, 0:14:33.880 --> 0:14:37.040 I guess on a Saturday morning. So that was the 0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:40.760 last text that I got from Chad and we went 0:14:40.800 --> 0:14:44.200 on the day. Don and I are very active in 0:14:44.280 --> 0:14:49.600 our church and we usually keep Saturdays open. We usually 0:14:49.600 --> 0:14:52.400 don't go out on a Saturday night because then were 0:14:52.400 --> 0:14:54.640 too tired to get up and go do anything Sunday. 0:14:55.240 --> 0:15:00.280 But this time we were having a ladies conference and 0:15:00.400 --> 0:15:04.000 I had to get up and go set up the 0:15:04.200 --> 0:15:08.120 display and everything. And because I'm pretty high maintenance, I 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:10.880 had to make sure that my clothes were picked out 0:15:10.920 --> 0:15:14.480 and that, you know, my hair was done, and I 0:15:14.600 --> 0:15:17.520 was ready to go. God forbid that my makeup was 0:15:17.560 --> 0:15:21.480 not ride or something like that. You know, late, always 0:15:21.480 --> 0:15:23.160 on time, that's right, that's right. 0:15:23.360 --> 0:15:27.040 Me neither right, always late. 0:15:29.040 --> 0:15:32.120 That's awesome. So we went about our business and we 0:15:32.200 --> 0:15:38.200 got a call from Taya, Chris's wife, and she said, 0:15:38.240 --> 0:15:40.760 we need to come. You need to come to my house. 0:15:41.680 --> 0:15:43.920 And Don said why, and she said, there's been an 0:15:43.960 --> 0:15:47.080 accident and you need to get your wife and come 0:15:47.120 --> 0:15:51.920 to our house. And from our house to they live 0:15:51.960 --> 0:15:57.960 in Middalothian, Texas, it's about fifteen miles and it's dark, 0:15:58.040 --> 0:16:02.600 winding roads. I mean there's no light at all out there, 0:16:03.040 --> 0:16:04.720 so you just kind of you have to know where 0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:08.480 you're going, you know, you get lost. So we got 0:16:08.520 --> 0:16:12.360 out there. There was probably a two block perimnium around 0:16:12.360 --> 0:16:17.240 the house that you couldn't even get through, and cars 0:16:17.280 --> 0:16:20.520 were just lined up everywhere, and the police stopped us 0:16:20.520 --> 0:16:24.800 and we told them we were the little Fields and 0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:29.240 the policeman said, we know Chris has been shot but 0:16:29.360 --> 0:16:32.360 we don't know about Chad yet, and I thought, how 0:16:32.400 --> 0:16:35.240 strange is that that you know my son's first name. 0:16:36.160 --> 0:16:40.200 And anyway, he led us through and so Donn and 0:16:40.240 --> 0:16:45.280 I walked hand in hand up to the house with 0:16:45.360 --> 0:16:49.160 the lights. And this was maybe nine thirty at night. 0:16:49.880 --> 0:16:53.640 The garage door was open and law enforcement was everywhere. 0:16:53.760 --> 0:16:59.240 There was FBI and Navy seal, local police, DPS officers, 0:16:59.320 --> 0:17:02.600 you know, just everywhere. And they directed us through the 0:17:02.680 --> 0:17:06.040 kitchen and my former daughter in law met us there 0:17:06.040 --> 0:17:08.119 and she said, Chris has been shot. We don't know 0:17:08.119 --> 0:17:14.760 about Chad. So we all went and sat down. Ta 0:17:14.920 --> 0:17:18.680 had come in, Chris's wife had come in, and we 0:17:18.680 --> 0:17:22.119 were all in a very dim lit room and people 0:17:22.160 --> 0:17:26.560 were whispering. Nobody was talking out loud at all, and 0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:30.000 it was full of people, I mean, people lying around 0:17:30.040 --> 0:17:33.840 the walls, and nobody sat except for the family, you know. 0:17:34.840 --> 0:17:38.480 And TAA came in and she said, now there's people here, 0:17:38.600 --> 0:17:41.840 Navy seals. If y'all need anything, they can help you. 0:17:42.600 --> 0:17:44.199 And I said, if you would show me where a 0:17:44.240 --> 0:17:46.280 trash can is, i'd appreciate it. On to get rid 0:17:46.320 --> 0:17:49.040 of my gum, and this man just held out his 0:17:49.119 --> 0:17:51.720 hand to take my gun, and I thought, I said, no, 0:17:51.840 --> 0:17:54.680 just give me a tissue or something, and you know, no, 0:17:54.880 --> 0:18:00.560 I'll take it. I said, okay, and then asked for 0:18:00.640 --> 0:18:03.480 a glass of water, and it was right there. I mean, 0:18:03.560 --> 0:18:05.560 they just took it off the candet and I thought, 0:18:06.080 --> 0:18:10.080 whose water was this? Whose water am I drinking? But 0:18:10.359 --> 0:18:14.600 I didn't care. I was thirsty, you know. And like 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:18.280 I said, everybody was so eager to help. Nobody knew 0:18:18.320 --> 0:18:24.119 what to do or when to do it until, you know, 0:18:24.320 --> 0:18:30.080 we could be till we knew that Chad was involved 0:18:30.200 --> 0:18:35.480 and that he had been killed. Also, we just began 0:18:35.560 --> 0:18:39.479 the weight to set there and waited. Chad was his 0:18:39.640 --> 0:18:42.679 wallet and everything was in Chris's truck, and the shooter 0:18:42.800 --> 0:18:45.639 had taken Chris's truck, so they had no way of 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:51.560 identifying Chad. And we knew he was, you know, with Chris, 0:18:51.760 --> 0:18:54.760 but nobody else knew that. So we sat there and 0:18:54.800 --> 0:18:57.320 then later on we found out the shooter had been 0:18:57.359 --> 0:19:00.719 taken into custody. Before we ever found out that Chad 0:19:01.160 --> 0:19:05.440 was the other end down. Chad had had in my house. 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:08.520 You didn't do tattoos. You got kicked out if you know, 0:19:08.720 --> 0:19:12.200 got a tattoo well, he got a huge one and 0:19:12.280 --> 0:19:14.840 it was Jesus Christ on this side and a big 0:19:14.920 --> 0:19:18.119 eagle on this side. But he shortened them, you know, 0:19:18.280 --> 0:19:20.560 short enough that he could still wear a shirt and 0:19:20.560 --> 0:19:23.720 you wouldn't see the tattoo. I decided at that point, hey, 0:19:23.720 --> 0:19:26.600 I got to choose my battles and that's not worth fighting, 0:19:26.760 --> 0:19:28.560 you know. Of course he was out of the house 0:19:28.600 --> 0:19:32.000 by then. Anyway. Anyway, that's the way they identified him 0:19:32.040 --> 0:19:36.240 in death. Anyway, finally the captain and the Middle Othian 0:19:36.240 --> 0:19:39.240 Police Department came in and the phone had been binging 0:19:39.920 --> 0:19:42.399 all night and back then, you know, it was a 0:19:42.400 --> 0:19:45.399 little flip phone thing. You know. My son and my 0:19:45.480 --> 0:19:49.639 grandson were wanting to know if Chad was okay, and 0:19:49.680 --> 0:19:52.320 I thought, how do you know about this? What is 0:19:52.359 --> 0:19:55.520 going on? We were in shock. We still tell you 0:19:55.600 --> 0:19:59.040 had set an accident. We're thinking that they wrecked the 0:19:59.080 --> 0:20:02.199 truck because Chad was a football player in high school 0:20:02.560 --> 0:20:06.160 and we had several dangerous things that happened. I had 0:20:06.400 --> 0:20:10.560 to go to the hospital, so we're thinking that's the accident. Anyway, 0:20:10.600 --> 0:20:13.040 we sat there and sat there, and finally he came 0:20:13.080 --> 0:20:17.560 in and he said, we have identified Chad and he 0:20:17.920 --> 0:20:23.000 is the other man down with Chris. Anyway, I went 0:20:23.080 --> 0:20:27.919 to my knees and just scream, not my chatty, not 0:20:28.040 --> 0:20:32.879 much chatty. It was true. And here we were sitting 0:20:32.960 --> 0:20:37.040 among strangers, and my little former daughter in law said, 0:20:37.040 --> 0:20:40.520 I've got to get to my daughter. She was, you know, 0:20:40.720 --> 0:20:43.679 with a sitter. And by this time it was eleven 0:20:43.800 --> 0:20:46.560 or twelve o'clock at night. I think we didn't know 0:20:46.560 --> 0:20:48.840 what to do. We just stood there and we thought, here, 0:20:48.880 --> 0:20:52.080 we're in a strange house. And my husband he just 0:20:52.160 --> 0:20:55.159 had to, you know, get us out, and so we 0:20:55.280 --> 0:20:59.560 decided to go with her over to her parents' house. 0:21:00.080 --> 0:21:03.239 We had nobody, We didn't have any family there, we 0:21:03.320 --> 0:21:06.359 had no support or anything. So we just followed her 0:21:06.560 --> 0:21:09.840 and we went over there. And my former drawing in 0:21:09.920 --> 0:21:14.280 law was in the education field, so they had counselors 0:21:14.480 --> 0:21:18.200 there immediately, several of them too for my little granddaughter. 0:21:18.480 --> 0:21:20.280 You know, they were all in the room with her. 0:21:20.440 --> 0:21:23.840 And anyway, we got ready to go home, and I 0:21:23.880 --> 0:21:27.400 went and hugged her and kissed her, and my little 0:21:27.400 --> 0:21:32.080 granddaughter said, mem is this a nightmare? I said, honey, 0:21:32.080 --> 0:21:36.200 I'm afraid it is. And we weren't going to wake 0:21:36.280 --> 0:21:41.959 up from this one. When she's here. We got cemetery 0:21:42.040 --> 0:21:46.520 and put a Christmas ornament on a reeve for something 0:21:46.680 --> 0:21:49.920 for her. And I keep flags, American flags and Texas 0:21:49.920 --> 0:21:52.600 flags out there all the time. And you know, one 0:21:52.600 --> 0:21:55.879 of the funny things, we were going to pick AD's 0:21:55.920 --> 0:22:00.159 headstone out and her mother said, oh, no, I'll have 0:22:00.200 --> 0:22:03.000 to find a sitter. That will traumatize her. I said, 0:22:03.040 --> 0:22:05.960 she needs to be in on this stuff. So anyway, 0:22:06.359 --> 0:22:09.040 she went with us, and she gets out of the 0:22:09.080 --> 0:22:12.160 car and walks in this monument place and the lady said, 0:22:12.200 --> 0:22:14.439 did you all need some help or do you know 0:22:14.480 --> 0:22:17.640 what you want? And she said, no, we know what 0:22:17.680 --> 0:22:19.879 we want. And the lady said, did you want a 0:22:20.000 --> 0:22:24.240 rough cut or a smooth cut? And she said no, 0:22:24.400 --> 0:22:26.760 we want a smooth because if a bird poops on it, 0:22:26.840 --> 0:22:29.160 we want to be able to get it off. I said, 0:22:29.280 --> 0:22:31.720 so much for that trisation. 0:22:32.080 --> 0:22:35.280 I mean, and how logical. Yeah, that's yeah, you know, 0:22:36.359 --> 0:22:37.640 from the mouth of babes. 0:22:37.960 --> 0:22:40.800 Well, and she wanted to do something on the headstone, 0:22:41.160 --> 0:22:43.520 and so I said, we'll go over there and sit 0:22:43.560 --> 0:22:45.600 down and come up with something. Well, she had a 0:22:45.640 --> 0:22:49.960 plaque in her room that said I found my prince 0:22:50.520 --> 0:22:53.280 and his name is Daddy, and they were able to 0:22:53.359 --> 0:22:55.840 let her and she had beautiful handwriting at that aid 0:22:56.280 --> 0:22:59.919 do her handwriting, and it's on the grapes. 0:23:00.640 --> 0:23:03.399 Well, I think what a Greek call it had to 0:23:03.560 --> 0:23:07.280