I am the widower of 1LT Connie L Keller. Connie and I met in the Laboratory of the VA hospital in Phoenix. I was a phlebotomist and Connie was a Medical Technologist, and when we first met I had a needle in my hand to draw her blood for her new employee physical. They called me down from the lab because the three assigned to outpatient had already missed. Connie’s first words to me were, “You had better get it on your first try, or I’ll kick you in the balls.” Not nearly as romantic as most first meetings of ‘soul mates’. Got it first try. (Whew).
Connie was in the habit of treating everyone as equals until you gave her a reason not to do so, So one day at lunch she made the mistake of asking me to sit with her and the other Medical Technologists, and boy did she pay for that. Asking a “Mere” phlebotomist to sit and eat with Med-Techs, the nerve of her.
Connie asked me to help her move, and that night she made dinner for me, and we went on a few dates, I helped her move in with me, and we were together for 22 years, married 19 years, 4 months and 11 days. My NCO’s in my National Guard unit called her “Stracker”, because, although I was very good at my job, I wasn’t always turned out in the most military manner, Connie was always strack, and helped me to be as well.
Connie had a varied career in the services, from being a WAC to Air National Guard, back to Active Army, to the US Public Health Service, then back to the Army, in the Reserves.She as a Laboratory Specialist, Aeromedical Technician, Preventative Medicine Specialist, Commissioned Sanitarian, (USPHS), which is where she received her commission. When she returned to the Army Reserves they wouldn’t recognize her commission, but she was able to retire at her commissioned rank.
Connie was called up to go to Iraq in 2008, the orders dated for her 57th birthday and delivered the day after. She served at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq. Bucca was a detainee center. Connie worked in the Lab, doing microbiology, where she saw things she never expected to see outside of a textbook, and even found some things she had never seen before, she wound up sending samples to the CDC on a regular basis.
Connie was medi-vaced to Landstuhl, Germany for acute respiratory distress, and then to the WTU at Ft. Carson.
Connie was sent to Ft. Dix after being returned to duty, where her lungs got worse, and she wound up on oxygen 24/7. She took returned through the WTU again, which she retired from.
Then one night last August I woke up, leaned over and pressed my lips to hers, but not for a kiss, but to try and breath life back into her still, limp body. I placed her on the floor and started CPR while I called 911. The Paramedics took over when they arrived, and transported her to the hospital up the block from our home. I had worked EMS for 20 years, and I am looking at what was left as I was pulling myself together to drive to the hospital, the house, which had been so crowded just a few minutes ago was now empty, except for me and my thoughts. I was thinking “Well, I should keep that, and this, that too might come in handy next time.” Then I fell to my knees and cried out to GOD to let there be a next time, because that would mean she survived this time. They revived her on the way to the hospital, then two more times. They were unsuccessful the fourth time.
I had friends and family, especially from my church, but there was still things they didn’t understand, and I was at a crisis point when I discovered the American Widow Project, called the hotline number, and talked to Taryn for over four hours.
Connie asked me to help her move, and that night she made dinner for me, and we went on a few dates, I helped her move in with me, and we were together for 22 years, married 19 years, 4 months and 11 days.
My Sweetie
I am the widower of 1LT Connie L Keller. Connie and I met in the Laboratory of the VA hospital in Phoenix. I was a phlebotomist and Connie was a Medical Technologist, and when we first met I had a needle in my hand to draw her blood for her new employee physical. They called me down from the lab because the three assigned to outpatient had already missed. Connie’s first words to me were, “You had better get it on your first try, or I’ll kick you in the balls.” Not nearly as romantic as most first meetings of ‘soul mates’. Got it first try. (Whew).
Connie was in the habit of treating everyone as equals until you gave her a reason not to do so, So one day at lunch she made the mistake of asking me to sit with her and the other Medical Technologists, and boy did she pay for that. Asking a “Mere” phlebotomist to sit and eat with Med-Techs, the nerve of her.
Connie asked me to help her move, and that night she made dinner for me, and we went on a few dates, I helped her move in with me, and we were together for 22 years, married 19 years, 4 months and 11 days. My NCO’s in my National Guard unit called her “Stracker”, because, although I was very good at my job, I wasn’t always turned out in the most military manner, Connie was always strack, and helped me to be as well.
Connie had a varied career in the services, from being a WAC to Air National Guard, back to Active Army, to the US Public Health Service, then back to the Army, in the Reserves.She as a Laboratory Specialist, Aeromedical Technician, Preventative Medicine Specialist, Commissioned Sanitarian, (USPHS), which is where she received her commission. When she returned to the Army Reserves they wouldn’t recognize her commission, but she was able to retire at her commissioned rank.
Connie was called up to go to Iraq in 2008, the orders dated for her 57th birthday and delivered the day after. She served at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq. Bucca was a detainee center. Connie worked in the Lab, doing microbiology, where she saw things she never expected to see outside of a textbook, and even found some things she had never seen before, she wound up sending samples to the CDC on a regular basis.
Connie was medi-vaced to Landstuhl, Germany for acute respiratory distress, and then to the WTU at Ft. Carson.
Connie was sent to Ft. Dix after being returned to duty, where her lungs got worse, and she wound up on oxygen 24/7. She took returned through the WTU again, which she retired from.
Then one night last August I woke up, leaned over and pressed my lips to hers, but not for a kiss, but to try and breath life back into her still, limp body. I placed her on the floor and started CPR while I called 911. The Paramedics took over when they arrived, and transported her to the hospital up the block from our home. I had worked EMS for 20 years, and I am looking at what was left as I was pulling myself together to drive to the hospital, the house, which had been so crowded just a few minutes ago was now empty, except for me and my thoughts. I was thinking “Well, I should keep that, and this, that too might come in handy next time.” Then I fell to my knees and cried out to GOD to let there be a next time, because that would mean she survived this time. They revived her on the way to the hospital, then two more times. They were unsuccessful the fourth time.
I had friends and family, especially from my church, but there was still things they didn’t understand, and I was at a crisis point when I discovered the American Widow Project, called the hotline number, and talked to Taryn for over four hours.
6 thoughts on “My Sweetie”
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Travis…I am a widow of a Veitnam vet. I feel your pain. They say it gets better with time, maybe or maybe we just learn to deal wih it better. My Larry did 4 tours to Vietnam. We met after he was out. There was 13 years between us, but that did not seem to matter. We had 20 years together then one day it all changed. Nothing is the same…I count months now not days. 27 on Monday. I just keep putting one foot in front of the other and hope I don’t trip. Life will never be the same, but I hope to find peace.
you never over it you just go own ,,,god bless you
I am counting months and days, 5 months, 6 days today.
Three things which have helped me find some measure of peace are,
1. Connie promised me that she would love me for the rest of her life, and kept that promise.
2. Prayer and the Holy Spirit.
3. AWP – Use the hotline when it starts eating at you, I have.
Of course I still feel the pain of losing Connie, I don’t think that will ever go away. But I think that you are right, that we learn to deal with it better, with help. If you ever get out to Colorado, look me up, I’m in Loveland, and I’m the AWP Ambassador here. Taryn & Tabbatha have my contact information.
Thank you Travis for sharing your story with us. I am so glad AWP was there for you to find and that you are now connected. Though you travel your personal life story, you need not travel it alone. Keep reaching out and accepting a hand from those who know. One step, one breath at a time. <3
i understand where you are coming from i was married to my veteran husband for 17 yrs and was awaken one morning by my 10yr old daughter telling me mommy theres a policeman at the door and when i realised what she waas saying i rolled on my husbands side of the bed and i knew iknew it was something about jim and i ran to the door half asleep to find a coronor and a brantley county cop at my door and i was dumb founded i looked out i guess for jim and the coroner said mama i need you to step back inside and i said dont tell me its my husband and he repeaded mama i need you to step back inside and my 10 yr old daughter was stabding by her dads chair when the coroner help me inside and sat me in the couch and told me this was the worst part of his job and he said jim had been in an accident and i stop him cring saying he is not dead is he and he said yes i lost it, i dont know about the rest of you but that took something out of me that day i can never get back, not onklt=y the loss of him but the screaming of my daughter i want my daddy, that still kills me inside, i loved him more than life itself and i lost apart of my joy , he took that with him to his grave ,,, that was the worst thing to every go through, my kids were 10, 11 and 12 . jim died febuary17 2001 the day before dale ernhart and was buried on our oldest sons birthday, my son will never forget his dad birthday every year he says how long it has been.. the only advice i can give is love each other as me and jim did for 17yrs and never leave or go to bed mad at each other,always tell your partner how much you love them,, we are not promised tommorrow,,,love one another with all your heart,,,,,god bless everyone who has lost someone dear,,,,you are all in my heart.
11 months, 6 days and 12 hours.