The Good Life – January-February 2016
Featuring UFC Fighter, Timothy Johnson. 13-time X Games Medalist, Tucker Hibbert, Local Heroes - Fargo Vet Center and more in Fargo Moorhead’s only men’s magazine.
Featuring UFC Fighter, Timothy Johnson. 13-time X Games Medalist, Tucker Hibbert, Local Heroes - Fargo Vet Center and more in Fargo Moorhead’s only men’s magazine.
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3
BY: MATT LACHOWITZER<br />
<strong>The</strong> automotive world is full of<br />
terminology and misconceptions about<br />
every aspect of vehicles: engines, axles,<br />
transmissions, tires, brakes, bodies,<br />
modules, and the other 25,000-plus<br />
components that make up todays<br />
vehicles. Most of these terms and<br />
misinformation spread like wildfire<br />
through social media, the internet, and<br />
word of mouth. Sit down, grab a pen<br />
and paper, and take some notes about<br />
the things that you may have thought<br />
you knew about your vehicle.<br />
RPM<br />
Revolutions per minute, or RPM, are<br />
often misconstrued to be the speed<br />
at which your wheels rotate. <strong>The</strong><br />
speedometer in your vehicle represents<br />
the speed at which your wheels rotate,<br />
and your tachometer will inform you<br />
of the RPM. RPM is actually how many<br />
revolutions per minute the crankshaft<br />
2<br />
in your engine is turning - so if your<br />
tachometer says 2,000 RPM, that means<br />
your crankshaft is rotating 2,000 times<br />
per minute, not your tires.<br />
Tire Pressure<br />
Some people are under the assumption<br />
that if you exceed the maximum<br />
pressure listed on the sidewall of your<br />
vehicles tire that it could explode. This<br />
is untrue-burst pressure, or the point<br />
at which a tire will explode, is much<br />
higher than the max tire pressure<br />
listed on the sidewall. Always check<br />
your owner’s manual or the place card<br />
located on the driver’s door jamb for<br />
the correct tire pressure setting needed<br />
to carry the load of your vehicle and to<br />
properly inflate your vehicles tires.<br />
Horsepower<br />
Horsepower is the most common unit<br />
of measurement used to determine<br />
the power of an engine. Most people<br />
think that horsepower is referred to the<br />
power possessed by one single horse.<br />
For example, if you removed the engine<br />
from your vehicle and strapped 300<br />
horses to the front of it, you would be<br />
able to get the same amount of power<br />
as your 300hp engine. This is not true.<br />
A single horse actually produces only<br />
.7hp, while the actual conversion is one<br />
horsepower equals 746 watts.<br />
Oil Wear<br />
Did you know that your vehicles “oil”<br />
never actually wears out? By oil, I mean<br />
base oil, the blank slate for your vehicles<br />
motor oil. Motor oil manufacturers<br />
employ thousands of scientists who mix<br />
different “recipes” of oil using different<br />
additive packages. Most of these<br />
packages contain detergents, which<br />
help clean the mechanical parts of your<br />
engine and help prevent the buildup
of sludge and debris. Other parts of<br />
the additive package are viscosity<br />
additives and dispersant additives,<br />
which help make sure the oil flows<br />
properly at different temperatures<br />
and help prevent sludge or acids from<br />
bonding to the metal surfaces inside<br />
your engine. While base oil never<br />
wears out, these additive packages are<br />
only designed to protect your engine<br />
for a specific amount of time before<br />
they are used up, which is why regular<br />
oil change services are required. <strong>The</strong><br />
same principles can be said for the<br />
other fluids in your vehicle as well,<br />
but they are not exposed to the same<br />
elements as your engine oil and will<br />
have a longer service life as a result.<br />
For instance, a recommended interval<br />
for transmission fluid exchanges is 30-<br />
50,000 miles, depending on driving<br />
habits, conditions, and vehicle use.<br />
ABS<br />
Antilock braking systems do aid in<br />
shortening the stopping distance<br />
of a vehicle, but this is not its main<br />
function. <strong>The</strong> main function of ABS is<br />
to allow the driver to brake as hard as<br />
possible while still being able to steer<br />
the vehicle. Shorter stopping is simply<br />
a byproduct of ABS.<br />
All-Wheel Drive<br />
All-wheel drive is most commonly<br />
thought to give you better control of<br />
your vehicle, but the main benefits<br />
of all-wheel drive are to help you<br />
accelerate better, accelerate through<br />
turns, get up hills, get through snow,<br />
mud, etc., and does little to help<br />
you avoid obstacles or corner faster.<br />
Vehicle control is determined by<br />
tires, vehicle weight, suspension, and<br />
weight distribution.<br />
Vehicles can quite often be very<br />
confusing to the average person and<br />
that’s ok. Automotive Service Centers<br />
and their technicians are trained and<br />
are here to help you understand, and<br />
you should direct any questions you<br />
have regarding your vehicle and the<br />
services you may or may not need to<br />
them. ■<br />
3
CONTENTS<br />
VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 4<br />
IN EVERY ISSUE<br />
02<br />
12<br />
14<br />
30<br />
CAR CARE<br />
THINGS YOU MAY HAVE THOUGHT YOU KNEW<br />
ABOUT YOUR CAR<br />
FATHERS<br />
7 WAYS TO CONNECT YOUR KIDS<br />
WITH THEIR GRANDPARENTS<br />
HAVING A BEER WITH ...<br />
KERSTIN KEALY AND DANA MOGCK<br />
LOCAL HEROES<br />
FARGO VET CENTER: HELPS FAMILIES,<br />
VETERANS AND MORE<br />
24<br />
06<br />
PHOTO BY: JOHN HANSON<br />
29<br />
PUBLISHED BY • Urban Toad Media LLP<br />
www.urbantoadmedia.com<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Good</strong> <strong>Life</strong> Men’s Magazine is distributed six times a year by Urban Toad Media LLP.<br />
Material may not be reproduced without permission. <strong>The</strong> <strong>Good</strong> <strong>Life</strong> Men’s Magazine<br />
accepts no liability for reader dissatisfaction arising from content in this publication. <strong>The</strong><br />
opinions expressed, or advice given, are the views of individual writers or advertisers<br />
and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Good</strong> <strong>Life</strong> Men’s Magazine.<br />
4<br />
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JANUARY ■ FEBRUARY<br />
<strong>2016</strong><br />
ON THE COVER<br />
18<br />
TIMOTHY JOHNSON<br />
FIGHTING AND FOLLOWING HIS PASSION:<br />
JOHNSON MAKES SACRIFICES TO MAKE IT BIG<br />
IN THE UFC<br />
14<br />
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS<br />
Jessica Ballou<br />
Meghan Feir<br />
Paul Hankel<br />
Jessica Kromer<br />
Matt Lachowitzer<br />
CONTENTS<br />
06<br />
10<br />
24<br />
28<br />
29<br />
TUCKER HIBBERT:<br />
DRIVEN TO WIN<br />
STEPPING OUT OF THE DARKNESS<br />
GETTING HELP FOR POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER<br />
STAR WALLOWING BULL'S<br />
MINDFUL ART<br />
THE PROPOSAL<br />
PREPARING TO POP THE BIG QUESTION<br />
ENGAGEMENT RINGS<br />
FUN FACTS AND TIPS<br />
18<br />
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5
or as long as I can remember, <strong>The</strong> Winter X Games has<br />
been a part of my mid-winter routine. <strong>The</strong>re was always<br />
something about seeing action sports stars being able to<br />
showcase their talents on one of the major networks sits<br />
really well with me, and speaks to the ever increasing<br />
popularity of winter sports like snowboarding and snowmobiling.<br />
Now called X Games Aspen, named after the city where the events<br />
will be held, the X Games has seen a steady increase in popularity<br />
amongst fans of all ages. Stars like Tucker Hibbert and Shaun<br />
White have become household names and ushered sports that<br />
were once considered, “extreme,” into the mainstream sports<br />
arena.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Good</strong> <strong>Life</strong> was lucky enough to profile one of winter sports<br />
biggest stars, 9-time X Games gold medalist Tucker Hibbert, as he<br />
gears up for another winter of competition on the pro snocross<br />
circuit and at X Games Aspen. Hibbert began his snowmobile<br />
racing career at the tender age of two years old. Since then, he has<br />
gone on to be one of the most decorated winter sports athletes<br />
on earth.<br />
Minnesota Roots<br />
With his busy competition schedule, Hibbert and his family<br />
get to see many different places, nationally and internationally.<br />
Hibbert was born in Idaho, but raised in Minnesota, where he<br />
has made his home.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Good</strong> <strong>Life</strong>: What made you decide to stay in Minnesota, in<br />
order to train and compete?<br />
6<br />
Tucker Hibbert: I’m a Minnesota guy, for sure, and I’ve lived here<br />
my whole life. It’s what I know. For my family, it’s the place we
7
want to be. With the seasons we have, it’s a lot of fun. <strong>The</strong><br />
winters can be brutal, but the summers make up for it.<br />
GL: What is it about Minnesota athletes that make them so<br />
successful at the amateur and professional level?<br />
TH: I think that, for the most part, people who are from<br />
Minnesota are raised with lots of values, like working hard.<br />
I think one aspect of it is just how demanding the winters<br />
can be for winter athletes. You really have to be dedicated.<br />
Minnesota has a lot of successful athletes, in a broad range of<br />
sports, and I’m really proud to be a part of that.<br />
GL: Did you ever play hockey, or any of the other “traditional”<br />
sports?<br />
TH: Haha, no, and I’m a terrible skater, so that left very little<br />
hope for me! I really enjoy the sport and actually got to go to<br />
my first professional game last year. My wife is a huge hockey<br />
fan, so I’m always listening to the games or watching them<br />
on TV.<br />
Outside of Racing<br />
GL: In 2006 you started your own team, the Monster Energy<br />
Team/Arctic Cat. Tell us a little bit about that.<br />
TH: My wife and I, and our friend Rob did. We had been<br />
racing together for many years and, at the time, I raced for<br />
the Arctic Cat Factory Team. During that time, Arctic Cat<br />
handled all of the sponsorship and promotional stuff. We<br />
eventually decided that we wanted to start handling all of the<br />
promotional and marketing, logistics and things, in house.<br />
So, we started our own team and it’s been great ever since.<br />
It’s been a great success and we are having a lot of fun doing<br />
it, too!<br />
GL: If you could pick any other sport to compete professionally<br />
in, what would that sport be?<br />
TH: I’d have to say mountain bike racing. That’s one of<br />
my other hobbies and training tools that I love to do. It’s<br />
something that I look forward to doing more, once I’m not<br />
as busy racing snowmobiling. It’s a really fun sport!<br />
GL: One of your interests outside of racing is graphic design?<br />
TH: I used to do all of the clothing and graphic design work<br />
for our team. Nowadays, we have a full time graphic design<br />
and brand manager, but I still really enjoy getting to work on<br />
projects that are related to our team.<br />
GL: What was a bigger rush for you: winning your first X
Games medal, winning your first X Games gold, or being<br />
the youngest to medal (until recently), or winning 8 straight<br />
gold medals in snocross?<br />
TH: That’s a tough one. I’ve never really been able to come<br />
up with a straight answer for that other than - I won my first<br />
X Games medal at my very first X Games and it was a gold<br />
medal. One cool thing about that race was that I was able<br />
to compete against my dad, who was still competing at that<br />
time. I was able to win the race and he placed fifth, so it was<br />
a really cool moment for us to share together.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Competitive Edge<br />
GL: How do you handle the continual pressure to win?<br />
TH: It gets a little bit challenging. For me, I’m motivated<br />
to win, no matter what, and I think I put more pressure<br />
on myself to win than anybody else puts on me. I’ve been<br />
competing long enough to know how to handle the pressure<br />
and not let it affect what I’m going to do on the racetrack. I<br />
just go about my business.<br />
GL: How do you handle the physical toll of snocross racing?<br />
TH: I’ve had my fair share of injuries, bumps, and bruises<br />
along the way. It’s tough but I feel like I’ve got a really good<br />
balance of training and preparation.<br />
times is incredible. It just goes to show how hard we’ve<br />
worked as a team. I’m just hoping to get nominated a few<br />
more times and win one before I’m done racing!<br />
GL: Any thoughts on X Games Aspen coming up?<br />
TH: I’m really excited! Obviously with 8 wins in a row, I<br />
really want to get that 9th win, and we’re going to work as<br />
hard as we can to get it. We have a handful of races before<br />
the X Games, the ISOC National Series, so we’re going to<br />
have four races before the X Games to get everything geared<br />
up. It’ll be fun.<br />
GL: What does “the good life,” mean to you?<br />
TH: Living the good life is having fun, doing what you love,<br />
and doing it with awesome people. I’m fortunate to be able<br />
to do that, so I feel like I’m very blessed. ■<br />
<strong>The</strong> X Games Aspen will be held at<br />
Buttermilk Mountain, in Colorado, and will<br />
be broadcast on ESPN and ABC. <strong>The</strong> dates<br />
for the competition are <strong>January</strong> 28-31st.<br />
Coverage can also be seen online.<br />
GL: Do you have an advice for the amateur snocross racers out<br />
there, who are trying to make the jump to the professional<br />
circuit?<br />
TH: Work super hard and dedicate yourself to your sport.<br />
You have to be willing to sacrifice a lot of things in order to<br />
reach your goals. It’s really cool to see younger athletes that<br />
are willing to put in the work that’s necessary to succeed.<br />
It should be about working hard, challenging yourself, and<br />
having a good time.<br />
<strong>The</strong> X Games<br />
GL: Do you have a favorite summer X Games sport to watch?<br />
TH: I really like to watch the all the sports. That’s one cool<br />
thing about being involved with the X Games - getting to<br />
be on-site and around all those other athletes that are<br />
competing for gold medals. It’s awesome to be able to see<br />
that variety of sports.<br />
GL: What did it feel like to be nominated for an ESPY Award,<br />
on three separate occasions?<br />
TH: It was a huge honor to be nominated that first time, I was<br />
blown away. And now, to have been nominated two more<br />
9
Getting Help for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder<br />
BY: MEGHAN FEIR ■ PHOTO: VIKTOR HANACEK<br />
A<br />
nytime someone is exposed to a traumatizing<br />
experience, there is a possibility they will develop<br />
symptoms. It can affect a person mentally,<br />
emotionally and physically. Post traumatic stress<br />
disorder is a mental health condition provoked by<br />
experiencing or seeing a terrifying event. It impacts the lives<br />
of many, and women are twice as likely to develop PTSD<br />
than men. Experiencing PTSD does not reflect weakness.<br />
Although combat veterans are most often associated<br />
with having PTSD, you don’t have to be in the military to<br />
experience its frightening grasp.<br />
More harm than good<br />
As with any illness, automatic coping responses often do<br />
more harm than good for yourself and others. It’s natural<br />
10<br />
to feel angry, but it can lead to reckless behavior, violence<br />
and slow down your progress in recovering. You might draw<br />
inward, refusing to discuss your fears with others. However,<br />
bottling everything up won’t help you in the long run.<br />
Paranoia can often follow you around, stealing your hope.<br />
While it makes sense to react in such ways, avoidance tends<br />
to be a poor coping strategy, and living in constant stress not<br />
only wreaks havoc on your mind but your body, as well.<br />
A family member of mine suffers from PTSD, and three of<br />
his friends in the military have committed suicide in the past<br />
year alone. <strong>The</strong>y were fathers of young children, husbands to<br />
loving wives. <strong>The</strong>y were brothers. <strong>The</strong>y were sons.<br />
Please remember that you aren’t just living for yourself.<br />
You play a large and vital role in so many lives. You matter.
Others are depending on you to not give up. <strong>The</strong>se may<br />
be dark seasons in your life, but there is light at the end<br />
of this darkness.<br />
Getting past the trauma<br />
A few methods used in the past to help alleviate<br />
symptoms are cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), eye<br />
movement desensitization (EMD), prolonged exposure<br />
(PE) therapy, and cognitive processing therapy (CPT). For<br />
many people, those therapies can alleviate symptoms.<br />
Talk to a therapist to have your symptoms assessed. Be<br />
open to receiving help, support and love from others.<br />
You may find it pointless to talk about your experiences<br />
with others as you live through this living nightmare, but<br />
that is the very thing you need to do.<br />
Find someone who has gone through experiences similar<br />
to your own and therapists specialized in this area.<br />
Many military couples are finding help through<br />
Samaritan’s Purse at their “Operation Heal Our Patriots”<br />
conferences. Since 2012, the weeklong marriage retreats<br />
have been provided for wounded military personnel and<br />
their husbands and wives. <strong>The</strong>y also provide ongoing<br />
ministry through their aftercare program.<br />
Along with receiving help from others, ask God to give<br />
you a new hope and to relinquish your fears. Find a new<br />
hobby or pick up an old one that you can learn to enjoy.<br />
Find companionship in a pet. Exercise daily, and eat<br />
whole, unprocessed foods. All those practices can help<br />
your body and mind heal faster.<br />
This is obviously too serious and broad of a topic to<br />
cover in a short article, so please, check out these other<br />
online resources to learn more about PTSD and how you<br />
can receive help and spread awareness. ■<br />
Online resources<br />
If you're a veteran and would like more information,<br />
please visit: http://www.ptsd.va.gov/<br />
Samaritan’s Purse: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/<br />
article/military-couples-find-healing-in-alaska/<br />
Contact the Veterans Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255,<br />
press 1 (text 838255)<br />
Confidential Veterans Chat: Talk with a therapist by<br />
visiting www.veteranscrisisline.net<br />
<strong>The</strong> advice in this article was approved by a professional<br />
mental health practitioner.<br />
11
Fathers<br />
My grandparents lived a five and ten minute drive from<br />
my house growing up. I could see them just about anytime<br />
I wanted to. I spent countless hours with them. My<br />
grandmother passed away earlier this year; she was my last<br />
living grandparent. Although I spent a lot of time with them,<br />
I wish I had more time left.<br />
Today, my kids live over an hour away from their grandparents<br />
so they don’t get to see them as much. As they are aging, I<br />
realize the remaining days we have with them are less than<br />
what we’ve already spent.<br />
12<br />
I really want our kids to have a great relationship with them.<br />
Fortunately, although the distance between us is greater,<br />
technology affords additional ways to connect. Here are 7<br />
ways to connect your kids with their grandparents online<br />
and offline.<br />
1. Video chat.<br />
We have just started this with our parents and it is great! <strong>The</strong>re<br />
are several options available. You can use Skype, Google<br />
Hangouts, or FaceTime. All are great options and allow your<br />
kids and your parents to see and hear one another.
2. Quarterly weekends away.<br />
After our kids went to my parent’s house for the weekend,<br />
and my wife and I had the weekend alone, we decided we<br />
had to do this on a regular basis. Talk to your parents and<br />
plan, together, a quarterly weekend away for your kids at<br />
their grandparents’ house. Our kids enjoyed sleeping in<br />
Granny and Paw Paw’s bed, eating Granny’s cooking, and<br />
enjoying breakfast and the morning paper with Paw Paw.<br />
At the same time, we enjoyed unlimited and unrestricted<br />
dates and a good break.<br />
3. Text messaging.<br />
This is probably the number one way my parents connect<br />
with their grandkids. Text messaging has made it easy to<br />
send a quick, short message to say hi or get an update on<br />
your day. Our kids don’t have cell phones yet, but they are<br />
learning to use ours to connect with their grandparents.<br />
4. Don’t miss birthdays.<br />
My wife and my mother-in-law are great about this. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
both go out of their way to show up (normally in surprise<br />
fashion) on birthdays. If your parents are in driving<br />
distance, make sure both your kids and your parents get<br />
to see each other and celebrate life on birthdays. Not just<br />
the big 60th, 70th, or 80th birthday parties, but as many<br />
as you can make.<br />
5. Social media.<br />
Social media has connected the world like no other<br />
form of media has. It is user friendly enough that<br />
grandparents can use it. Posting status updates and<br />
pictures on Facebook or Instagram is a great way to keep<br />
the grandparents in the loop of what is happening in the<br />
lives of their grandchildren. As they get older, they can<br />
communicate with one another using their social media<br />
profiles.<br />
6. Blogs and websites.<br />
Much like social media, a blog can be used to share the<br />
latest and greatest things happening in your kids’ lives.<br />
And as they get older, your kids can create their own.<br />
Show your parents how to subscribe to receive updates<br />
of new blog posts; they will be up to date and able to<br />
comment on what your kids are doing.<br />
7. Family vacations and road trips.<br />
A few years ago we went on a family vacation to Disney<br />
World and we rented a vehicle and drove. <strong>The</strong> road<br />
trip was long, but it was fun for both grandkids and<br />
grandparents. Once we got there, the time we spent was<br />
both memorable and fun! ■<br />
Copyright 2015 Family First. All Rights Reserved.<br />
Reprinted with permission.<br />
13
BY: MEGHAN FEIR ■ PHOTOS: URBAN TOAD MEDIA<br />
You may see them every night and feel as if<br />
you know them personally. After all, they’re in<br />
your living room and kitchen five nights a week.<br />
As longtime producers and news anchors for<br />
WDAY, Kerstin Kealy and Dana Mogck have<br />
become two of the most recognizable faces of<br />
the Fargo-Moorhead area. With water and root<br />
beer at hand, we began this series of queries,<br />
questions you don’t dare ask when you spot<br />
them in the grocery store, out of context.<br />
<strong>Good</strong> <strong>Life</strong>: First off, are you nervous?<br />
Dana Mogck: Yes. Feel my palms. We like to<br />
ask the questions.<br />
Kerstin Kealy: Some people would call us<br />
control freaks, but we don’t like that term so<br />
well.<br />
GL: When did you last feel socially awkward?<br />
KK: Does now count?<br />
DM: Does walking downtown into a bar at noon<br />
on a Saturday? For me, anyway, going out is<br />
always… You can feel people turn and look. One<br />
time, an old lady came up to me and said, “We<br />
know who you are.” Ya know, making me feel a<br />
little better, and then she said, “You’re the cute<br />
little weatherman.” “That’s right. We have a low<br />
pressure system coming in, so you might want<br />
to cover up your vegetables.” Apparently, we all<br />
look alike.<br />
14
15
KK: I get called the wrong name all the<br />
time, names of anchors who haven’t<br />
been here in 20 years.<br />
GL: Like Najila Amundson?<br />
KK: That one I haven’t gotten.<br />
DM: You go to a funeral: “Hey, Kevin!”<br />
“Don’t you ever call me that.”<br />
GL: What is the most endearing part of<br />
your heritage?<br />
DM: I take a day off in December, and<br />
my dad and I take a road trip. We go<br />
to Wishek to pick up sausage, like $150<br />
worth of sausage. <strong>The</strong>n we go up to<br />
Ashley to pick up Kuchen <strong>–</strong> coffee<br />
cake. That’s a big day out for the Mogck<br />
boys.<br />
GL: Did you guys ever play video or<br />
computer games?<br />
KK: Yes. I grew up with a Commodore<br />
64 computer and we played “Frogger.”<br />
My sister was way better at it than me.<br />
One time, I was really, really mad at her.<br />
She wasn’t listening and was on level<br />
40 <strong>–</strong> highest she’d ever been <strong>–</strong> and I<br />
just unplugged the whole thing. She<br />
still brings it up at Christmas.<br />
16<br />
GL: What’s one thing you two wish<br />
people would know about news<br />
anchoring?<br />
DM: That we don’t just work from 6 to<br />
6:30 and 10 to 10:35. <strong>The</strong>re’s a little<br />
more to it than that.<br />
KK: In a market our size, we work really<br />
hard, and 90 percent of what we do is<br />
writing and rewriting and editing. What<br />
we do and what we love to do is tell<br />
great stories. <strong>The</strong> anchoring, reading<br />
and presenting <strong>–</strong> that’s just the icing on<br />
the cake.<br />
GL: If Batman and Superman were at<br />
a party with you, who would make the<br />
better wingman?<br />
DM: Batman. He’s wearing a mask.<br />
GL: What if he’s being Bruce Wayne?<br />
DM: <strong>The</strong>n I’m screwed. <strong>The</strong>n I’m the<br />
wingman. He’s got the looks and the<br />
money. And the car.<br />
KK: I would agree and say Batman<br />
because he’s more incognito.<br />
Superman is like, “Look at me.” He<br />
would take control.<br />
DM: But I will start wearing tights.<br />
GL: <strong>Good</strong>. Can you start doing that for<br />
the evening news?<br />
KK: In that case, we’re going to be doing<br />
a lot of walking stand-ups.<br />
GL: Worst date you guys have ever<br />
been on?<br />
KK: <strong>The</strong>re was a guy who was trying<br />
way too hard and did the scary movie<br />
and arm-around-me thing. On the way<br />
home, he thought it was too foggy and<br />
had to pull over, and I was like “Uh, uh,<br />
uh. Get my butt home.”<br />
GL: What about you, Dana?<br />
DM: Well, I was driving once on a foggy<br />
road… Was that you?!<br />
GL: Why should people stay or come to<br />
the Fargo-Moorhead area?<br />
DM: <strong>The</strong> people. Period. I have a friend<br />
who works in the Phoenix area and<br />
was in charge of hiring people. When<br />
he found out they were from North<br />
Dakota or Minnesota, he hired them<br />
like that because they’re genuine,<br />
honest people.<br />
GL: Do you think that’s kind of shifted
over the past 20 years or so, that<br />
people aren’t as Midwesterny, as<br />
far as work ethic, honesty and<br />
genuineness?<br />
KK: When it comes down to it, we<br />
are still a community filled with<br />
good people. When I came here<br />
for college a couple decades ago,<br />
I had no intention of staying, but<br />
the more embedded you get in<br />
the community, the harder it is<br />
to leave. People are so incredibly<br />
generous, compassionate and<br />
loving here.<br />
GL: What does THE GOOD LIFE<br />
mean to both of you?<br />
KK: I guess it’s back to the people<br />
<strong>–</strong> surrounding yourself with good<br />
people <strong>–</strong> family and friends.<br />
Finding that balance in life, which<br />
is hard to come by. Being lucky<br />
enough to have what you need<br />
and enjoying the ride along the<br />
way.<br />
DM: Even bad things have their<br />
silver linings, like the sad story<br />
about Zach Kraft passing away<br />
from cancer. Everybody came<br />
together and surrounded the<br />
family and helped each other.<br />
Total strangers connected with<br />
each other through Zach Kraft to<br />
help honor his life. That’s a pretty<br />
good life, even in tragedy. ■<br />
17
18
BY: JESSICA BALLOU ■ PHOTOS: URBAN TOAD MEDIA<br />
At different times in his life, Timothy Johnson<br />
thought he wanted to be a farmer, an electrician<br />
and serve in law enforcement. Now he’s<br />
a three-time title-holder for Dakota Fighting<br />
Championship Heavyweight Champion and a<br />
heavyweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship<br />
(UFC).<br />
At 6’3” and 265 pounds, he is a force to be reckoned with.<br />
<strong>The</strong> 30-year-old Lamberton, Minn., native has been signed as<br />
a heavyweight with the UFC since October 2014.<br />
‘I got a little bit hooked’<br />
He became interested in mixed martial arts (MMA) by<br />
accident right after college, and he hasn’t looked back since.<br />
When he finished wrestling at Minnesota State University<br />
Moorhead (MSUM), he had met a few heavyweights from<br />
the area who were doing MMA and looking for new training<br />
partners, which isn’t always easy for that weight class.<br />
“I started training with them, and I got a little bit hooked,”<br />
he said. “I thought, ‘Maybe I want to try this and see what I<br />
think of this.’ And I haven’t looked back. I just kind of kept<br />
going back to it.”<br />
Johnson changed his mind a lot on what he wanted to do with<br />
his life, and it wasn’t until a few years ago he even considered<br />
MMA a serious passion of his. Like most kids who grow up on<br />
a farm, he thought he wanted to be a farmer when he grew up.<br />
As he got into high school, he seriously considered becoming<br />
an electrician. And when he went to college initially, it was to<br />
serve in law enforcement.<br />
Besides training, working out and other hobbies, Johnson<br />
does security work for a local bar in Fargo 20-25 hours a week.<br />
19
“I like to stay pretty busy, otherwise too much down time is never<br />
a good thing,” he said.<br />
Johnson is hoping to go back to school this next spring to finish<br />
the last seven credits he needs to get a degree in criminal justice.<br />
He was close to getting two different degrees before, but he<br />
switched majors in his last semester of both.<br />
He considers himself a Jack of all trades, but currently he keeps<br />
busy driving a truck, working security, and being involved with<br />
the Minnesota Army Guard, apart from all his MMA and UFC<br />
work.<br />
Making sacrifices to make it big<br />
Before he signed with the UFC, he said there were a few things he<br />
didn’t really think about: fame and travel.<br />
“Being known was the biggest thing, I guess,” he said. “And getting<br />
to travel. My first fight was in Virginia, outside of Washington,<br />
D.C., so finally being able to go there and see everything was<br />
great.”<br />
He’s traveled all over the place, but Washington, D.C., has been<br />
his favorite to visit so far. Also, he said he’s learned a lot about<br />
himself since joining the UFC.<br />
“I’d say that probably the main thing I’ve learned is once I decide<br />
to put in the work, things do happen,” he said. “In my first three<br />
years of MMA, I just did it as a hobby, and then about 18, 19<br />
months ago, I decided to actually start taking it very seriously and<br />
up my training and sacrifice a lot of time and money and miss out<br />
on a lot of hours working.”<br />
‘At least two workouts a day’<br />
When he’s not preparing for a fight, Johnson said he only works<br />
out once a day. When gearing up for a fight, he works out two or<br />
three times a day with higher intensity than his workouts during<br />
the “off season” between fights.<br />
Somewhere between eight and 10 weeks before a fight, he likes to<br />
start training and working out at those higher intensities.<br />
“You won’t do a day when you won’t do at least two workouts a<br />
day,” he said. “And generally they’re a little more higher intensity<br />
workouts, too.”<br />
He said this is when he really focuses on getting his cardio up and<br />
going as hard as he can every single day.<br />
20
“<br />
"I’d say that<br />
probably the main<br />
thing I’ve learned<br />
is once I decide<br />
to put in the work,<br />
things do happen.”<br />
21
“<br />
“I always get the<br />
question, ‘How do<br />
you get yourself<br />
mad before you<br />
go out there and<br />
fight?’” he said.<br />
“No, you don’t<br />
get mad. It’s just<br />
a sport.”<br />
“Obviously I’m a heavyweight; I’m fat and happy all the<br />
time,” he said. “I don’t have to make big weight drops, but<br />
when a fight is scheduled, I do clean up my eating quite a<br />
bit.”<br />
He tries to stay away from as much processed food as he can,<br />
but luckily he doesn’t have to go really hardcore with cutting<br />
back.<br />
“I just kind of clean up my diet a little bit,” he said. “Quit<br />
drinking so many dang pops, stuff like that.”<br />
Career highlights and training<br />
During his career with the UFC, he’s had seven first-round<br />
finishes and nine wins, six of which were knockouts. His<br />
favorite grappling technique is wrestling, and his favorite<br />
striking technique is dirty boxing.<br />
He trains at the Academy of Combat Arts in Fargo, mainly<br />
doing Brazilian jiu jitsu, boxing and sparring. On top of that,<br />
he fits in other workouts, including some that are similar to<br />
CrossFit.<br />
<strong>The</strong> biggest stereotype he hears and always corrects<br />
concerning MMA and the UFC involves anger.<br />
22
“I always get the question, ‘How do you get yourself<br />
mad before you go out there and fight?’” he said. “No,<br />
you don’t get mad. It’s just a sport.”<br />
Because of all the traveling he does, he’s met a lot of<br />
well-known fighters and people in the fighting world<br />
during his career so far.<br />
“I’ve gotten to meet a handful of them, and I actually<br />
got to sit down and talk to quite a few of them, which<br />
a lot of fighters and a lot of fans of the UFC would kill<br />
for the opportunity to do,” he said.<br />
One of his favorite UFC fighters he’s had the chance<br />
to meet was Forrest Griffin, which he said was a great<br />
surprise.<br />
So far this year, he’s fought in April and August, and<br />
his next fight will likely be at the end of December<br />
or beginning of <strong>January</strong>. Right now he’s just looking<br />
forward to getting another win or two in the next year<br />
and getting a new contract.<br />
When asked what the good life means to him, Johnson<br />
said:<br />
“To be happy within one’s self. To live within one’s<br />
own perspective, I guess, of what they feel would make<br />
them happy and not try to live by other people or how<br />
other people feel they should live.” ■<br />
23
24
BY: JESSICA KROMER ■ PHOTOS: URBAN TOAD MEDIA<br />
Local artist, Star Wallowing Bull, draws inspiration<br />
from everyday life. Wallowing Bull discovered at an<br />
early age when people speak to him, he sees images-a<br />
gifted way of interpretation-especially for an artist.<br />
“My imagination is pretty much out there,” Wallowing Bull<br />
said. “When people are talking to me or I see something<br />
on TV or I’m reading I see images in my head. It’s like I’m<br />
making art in my mind. A gift is what you could call it.”<br />
Using His Gift<br />
While this way of interpreting positively affects Wallowing<br />
Bull’s creativity, it had the opposite effect in school. Only<br />
after being held back in the third grade, teachers recognized<br />
his abilities and transferred Wallowing Bull to a gifted<br />
classroom where teachers taught with pictures.<br />
Evidently, art has always been in the forefront of his mind,<br />
thanks to the large influence from his father, Frank Big Bear.<br />
An artist himself, Big Bear put a colored pencil in Wallowing<br />
Bull’s hand at eight months old. At the young age of five he<br />
remembers sitting on the floor in the living room to draw<br />
while Big Bear created art.<br />
“Of course when I was a little kid I also wanted to drive an<br />
ice cream van for a living and sell ice cream to the kids in the<br />
neighborhood,” he said. “I thought that was pretty cool. But<br />
other than that I always wanted to be an artist when I grew<br />
up. I’m fulfilling that dream right now.”<br />
Learning From <strong>Life</strong><br />
Wallowing Bull admits to doing okay in school, until his<br />
rebellious adolescent years reared in high school while living<br />
in south Minneapolis. He dropped out, and during this time<br />
art no longer appealed to him as drugs, alcohol and gangs<br />
took over.<br />
“I didn’t make any good decisions back then,” he said.<br />
“Through the ten year gap I didn’t really do anything art<br />
related. It didn’t interest me. Later in life I realized this isn’t<br />
the right road. I decided to start drawing again at 25. I didn’t<br />
lose my touch. I was still an artist.”<br />
In 2001, at the age of 27, Wallowing Bull officially started<br />
his art career with colored pencil drawings. Since 2005<br />
Wallowing Bull taught himself how to paint. Although it was<br />
hard to make the transition from coloring to paint, he would<br />
25
“I always want to be positive<br />
to people and to myself. Always be<br />
there for your fellow artists.”<br />
rather paint because coloring with pencil for so long causes<br />
pain in his hand.<br />
Also, paint allows him to cover more area in a shorter<br />
amount of time. Over the years of practice Wallowing Bull<br />
finds himself painting larger pieces. His goal for the future is<br />
to paint billboard size art.<br />
Humbly Creating And Inspiring<br />
Over the course of 16 years Wallowing Bull has displayed<br />
art all across the country, including three times in the<br />
Plains Art Museum here in Fargo. His latest exhibit at the<br />
Plains Art Museum that ran until <strong>January</strong> 2 <strong>2016</strong> is called<br />
“Transformer.” <strong>The</strong> exhibit illustrated a mixture of his<br />
colored pencil drawings, acrylic paintings and even a couple<br />
from his childhood.<br />
26<br />
Most recently, Wallowing Bull won his third<br />
fellowship, the Jerome Foundation Fellowships<br />
for Emerging Artists, since declaring himself an<br />
artist. <strong>The</strong> fellowship awards Wallowing Bull<br />
with a $12,000 stipend for art supplies, travel<br />
and supplementing living costs. Throughout<br />
the year he’ll work on art for the fellowship<br />
while creating other pieces on the side.
Of the three fellowships Wallowing Bull received,<br />
he estimates he applied to over 30 others only to get<br />
denied. <strong>The</strong>re is a large pool of talented people, so he<br />
urges artists to not give up. Wallowing Bull supports<br />
fellow artists like he’s been supported.<br />
“If you don’t get it [a fellowship], always be happy<br />
for the other artist who gets it, because one day that’s<br />
going to be you,” he said. “You’d want somebody<br />
to be happy for you. I always want to be positive to<br />
people and to myself. Always be there for your fellow<br />
artists.”<br />
Experiencing ‘<strong>The</strong> <strong>Good</strong> <strong>Life</strong>’<br />
For Wallowing Bull “<strong>The</strong> <strong>Good</strong> <strong>Life</strong>” means the surplus<br />
of support in the Fargo-Moorhead community<br />
and his ability to create art daily.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> past three years has been an up and down<br />
situation, and I wasn't thinking too highly of<br />
myself during those times until the opening of my<br />
Transformer show,” he said. “<strong>The</strong> Plains Art Museum,<br />
my friends and the community were there on the<br />
night of my opening and I felt the love, support and<br />
how important I was to everyone. I'm very thankful<br />
and honored to be a part of this community.”<br />
When the creativity spark hits him, it’s hard to stop.<br />
Wallowing Bull’s ritual includes painting in the<br />
mornings. One time he awoke, brewed coffee, and<br />
went to work in his Moorhead apartment where he<br />
paints. It wasn’t until he glanced at the clock and saw<br />
it was only 3 a.m. that he went back to bed.<br />
“"<strong>The</strong>re’s no retirement for<br />
me,” Wallowing Bull said.<br />
“I’m going to be doing this<br />
until the day I die. Hopefully<br />
I’m 100 years old.”<br />
27
BY: MEGHAN FEIR<br />
<strong>The</strong>re she is. <strong>The</strong> woman<br />
you've dreamed about, the<br />
woman you love with your<br />
entire being, and you know<br />
for certain that a life spent<br />
without her is the last thing you’d like<br />
to imagine. You have the ring, now you<br />
just need to plan how you’ll propose,<br />
besides asking the age-old question,<br />
"Will you marry me?"<br />
I have an adequate record of helping<br />
men out with their proposals if you<br />
count my one win out of one attempt. I<br />
personally do. <strong>The</strong> man just happened<br />
to be my brother, and I was honored<br />
to help orchestrate such an important<br />
event in his life. I even went incognito<br />
by wearing a wig and dressing as a<br />
stereotypical college art student as I<br />
secretly snapped photos from behind<br />
a book. My inward paparazzi was<br />
pleased.<br />
Read on, heed my advice and trust me,<br />
like my happily married brother did.<br />
Stop right there: Methods to avoid<br />
• Unless she appreciates the stereotypical<br />
and is obsessed with baseball,<br />
don't take a "Circle me, Burt" kind of approach.<br />
• If you’d like her to go in for more<br />
dental work, you could always bake a<br />
cupcake with the ring in it and watch<br />
as she simultaneously bites into pain,<br />
excitement and your proposed future<br />
together. She might still say yes.<br />
• Proposing at a restaurant is outdated<br />
and unimaginative and makes you look<br />
like you’re in it for the show. Plus, you<br />
may be caught proposing with black<br />
pepper stuck between your front teeth.<br />
• If your sweetie is shy and hates having<br />
a lot of attention drawn toward her,<br />
don’t make her feel like a spectacle<br />
when you ask. She may feel embarrassed<br />
and pressured.<br />
• Does your darling like to make a big<br />
production out of blowing her nose<br />
or eating a peanut butter and jelly<br />
sandwich? <strong>The</strong>n make sure there are<br />
more witnesses than your cat present<br />
for the proposal.<br />
Heed my advice<br />
• If you Google "ways in which to<br />
propose," you’ll get an endless array of<br />
picture-perfect proposals that belong<br />
on Pinterest or a Hallmark movie.<br />
<strong>Life</strong> isn't perfect, and if something<br />
goes amiss during the proposal, don’t<br />
sweat it (depending on the severity<br />
of the mishap). It's not the end of the<br />
world and will probably make it more<br />
endearing to her.<br />
• If you simply Google “propose,” you’ll<br />
undoubtedly get a list of definitions<br />
and equally simpleton, step-by-step<br />
instructions by wikiHow that hold<br />
your hand through buying her flowers,<br />
chocolate and getting down on one<br />
knee. You should already know all of<br />
that.<br />
• If you have organizational problems,<br />
don’t make the proposal too<br />
complicated. You’ll forget at least five<br />
things, like the ring.<br />
• Don’t be boring. Go to some effort.<br />
Be romantic. It really isn’t that difficult.<br />
If you have potato chip crumbs on a<br />
sweatshirt and are sitting on a couch,<br />
that is not the time to pop any question,<br />
besides, “Now what should we watch?”<br />
or “When should we start working out<br />
again?”<br />
• Tell her why you want to spend the<br />
rest of your life with her and don’t<br />
include answers such as “because<br />
I can’t cook,” “because I’d be lonely<br />
without you,” “because you’re hot,” and<br />
“because we’ve been together so long.”<br />
Take a few moments to peel back<br />
the onion layers of your soul to not<br />
only produce a fountain of tears but a<br />
tenderized heart. Tell her why you find<br />
her irreplaceable.<br />
Before you propose to anyone, make<br />
sure you aren’t just hoping she’ll sign<br />
a legal contract to satisfy your needs<br />
and desires (‘til death do you part) and<br />
to produce offspring. <strong>The</strong> healthiest<br />
marriages are always produced by<br />
people who are ready to sacrifice for<br />
one another; by people who realize<br />
it takes hard work and consideration<br />
to keep the friendship and romance<br />
alive; by people who regularly put their<br />
partner’s interests ahead of their own;<br />
by people who show through word and<br />
deed that their spouse is appreciated,<br />
respected and loved every day of the<br />
year.<br />
Do you want to protect her, even if<br />
you know she’s strong? Do you want<br />
to provide for her, even if she’s more<br />
than capable of doing so for her own<br />
sake? Do you want to love and cherish<br />
her, no matter the circumstance or<br />
time in life? Are you willing to grow<br />
old with her, through thick and thin?<br />
<strong>The</strong>n congratulations, sir; you have my<br />
blessing (‘cause you needed that). ■<br />
28
29
THEY'LL be there for you<br />
FARGO VET CENTER<br />
HELPS FAMILIES, VETERANS AND MORE<br />
BY: JESSICA BALLOU ■ PHOTOS: URBAN TOAD MEDIA<br />
T<br />
he counselors at the Fargo Vet Center are there<br />
to help veterans and their families with anything<br />
from PTSD to couples counseling and everything<br />
in between.<br />
Denise Leeby, one of the counselors, said before she started<br />
working here, she had only heard of the Veterans Affairs<br />
Medical Center, also located in Fargo. <strong>The</strong> two programs<br />
are completely separate from one another, which staff<br />
members often have to convey to people.<br />
“It’s a well-kept secret we’re trying to get out,” she said.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Fargo Vet Center provides free counseling to combat<br />
veterans and military sexual abuse veterans through<br />
readjustment counseling, which includes post traumatic<br />
stress disorder (PTSD), bereavement for families who have<br />
lost a veteran, couples counseling and more.<br />
About the Vet Center<br />
<strong>The</strong> Vet Center program was established back in 1979 to<br />
help Vietnam veterans, who weren’t treated the best when<br />
they returned home. Many veterans across the country<br />
were getting together in church basements and people’s<br />
houses for peer-to-peer support groups. Congress saw how<br />
many of these groups were popping up and decided to<br />
form the Vet Center program.<br />
All staff members are veterans themselves or have a<br />
strong background working with veterans. <strong>The</strong>y all aim<br />
to add value to veterans, families and the community<br />
through readjustment counseling, community education,<br />
outreach, balancing services with community agencies<br />
and access links between the veteran and other services in<br />
the Department of Veterans Affairs.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Vet Center also refers veterans and their families to<br />
outside organizations and agencies to assist with housing,<br />
employment or educational counseling, conjoint<br />
treatment with the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and<br />
much more.<br />
‘It’s just a 180’<br />
Counselor Nick Gard said it’s difficult to see some of the<br />
things they do at the Vet Center and some of the outcomes,<br />
but having the veterans ask for help is a great first step.<br />
“If someone were suicidal or really on the brink of<br />
collapsing or falling apart, maybe them coming here<br />
stops that from happening,” he said.<br />
30<br />
“Our biggest obstacle is trying to lessen the stigma of mental health and<br />
GETTING VETERANS THE HELP THAT THEY NEED.<br />
— Christy Karst
31
Leeby said it takes a lot of courage for veterans to walk in<br />
the door and ask for help, especially given how they were<br />
trained. She said some of the veterans are in a lot of pain,<br />
scared and confused, and the fact that they have a place like<br />
the Vet Center provides them hope.<br />
“That way, we can come up with some kind of a treatment<br />
plan and therapy modality that will help them have a happier<br />
life and learn how to cope with their symptoms,” she said.<br />
Timothy Teig, team leader, said they consider any quality of<br />
life improvements a big success, including a veteran having a<br />
smile on his or her face or reporting back that they’re able to<br />
go out in society a little easier.<br />
“Working at the front, I see full-grown men and women come<br />
unsure and nervous,” said Skye Carpenter, office manager.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y want to bolt out that door, and I don’t know what the<br />
counselors do in their offices, but when [the veterans] come<br />
out and say ‘Bye, see you next week!” it’s just a 180 with that<br />
one initial assessment and that blows my mind.”<br />
‘What happens at the Vet Center literally stays here’<br />
While the Vet Center does fall under the Department of<br />
Veterans Affairs, it is a completely separate entity from the<br />
32<br />
Veterans Affairs Medical Center. <strong>The</strong> VAMC falls under<br />
the healthcare system, and the Vet Center falls under the<br />
Readjustment Counseling Service.<br />
<strong>The</strong> two organizations partner together quite a bit for<br />
referrals, but they remain separate programs. <strong>The</strong> Vet Center<br />
staff members can access records from the VAMC, but the<br />
VAMC staff members can’t access Vet Center records.<br />
“What happens at the Vet Center literally stays here,” Karst<br />
said.<br />
Another aspect that sets the Vet Center apart from other<br />
similar programs is that counselors will see active duty<br />
veterans and their families. Also, there is no timeline for<br />
services at the Vet Center, which are completely free for<br />
clients.<br />
Carpenter said another aspect that separates the Vet Center<br />
from the VA or other places for active duty is that it cannot<br />
come back to the veteran.<br />
“So even if their commander calls and they’re still on active<br />
duty, we can’t tell them if [the veteran has] been seen or<br />
not,” she added. “<strong>The</strong> only way it can come back to the<br />
military is if they tell somebody they were seen here.”
"It’s really beneficial<br />
for the newer<br />
veterans to see the<br />
older veterans, and<br />
it’s actually helpful for<br />
them to see<br />
THERE’S STILL LIFE<br />
AND THERE’S<br />
STILL HOPE."<br />
— Kari Appletoft<br />
‘We’re not going to turn anybody<br />
away’<br />
<strong>The</strong> Vet Center takes walk-ins, or<br />
veterans can call to schedule an<br />
appointment. <strong>The</strong> staff members<br />
aim to keep the environment<br />
informal, inviting and not<br />
intimidating to veterans or their<br />
families.<br />
Counselor Kari Appletoft said the<br />
Vet Center provides free services<br />
to combat veterans from all eras<br />
including Korea, World War II,<br />
Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq,<br />
Afghanistan and more.<br />
“It’s really beneficial for the newer<br />
veterans to see the older veterans,<br />
and it’s actually helpful for them to<br />
see there’s still life and there’s still<br />
hope,” she said.<br />
Outreach is another important<br />
aspect of the Vet Center. Christy<br />
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Karst, outreach specialist, is charged with community<br />
outreach and education.<br />
“Our biggest obstacle is trying to lessen the stigma of mental<br />
health and getting veterans the help that they need. <strong>The</strong><br />
more public outreach and spread of knowledge that we do<br />
the easier it gets for people to talk about and ask for help,”<br />
she said.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Vet Center also has a Mobile Vet Center, which is used<br />
for outreach events and allows counselors to assist veterans<br />
on the road where help is needed. <strong>The</strong> counselors also travel<br />
around the region helping individuals and holding groups<br />
so the veterans and their families do not have travel so far<br />
to Fargo.<br />
“When I’m on the road, I talk to everyone, from spouses,<br />
family, friends and veterans themselves,” Karst said. “A lot of<br />
what I do is finding resources and giving referrals. <strong>The</strong>re are<br />
a ton of veteran organizations out there ready and willing to<br />
help. It’s all about educating the public on what’s out there<br />
and how it can help their individual need.”<br />
“We’re not going to turn anybody away,” she said. “We’ll help<br />
whoever walks through those doors: spouse, kid, veteran,<br />
somebody who has been in the military for two hours, it<br />
doesn’t matter.”<br />
‘I’m glad I stayed’<br />
Appletoft said one of the toughest parts of her work is seeing<br />
the veterans in pain.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>se are people that have put themselves in compromising<br />
positions to defend our country and our freedom and they’re<br />
hurting and they’re struggling and that’s so hard to see,”<br />
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"<strong>The</strong>se are people that have put themselves in compromising positions<br />
TO DEFEND OUR COUNTRY AND OUR FREEDOM<br />
and they’re hurting and they’re struggling and that’s so hard to see.”<br />
— Kari Appletoft
she said. “But that’s also why it’s<br />
so rewarding to work here because<br />
when you see their quality of life<br />
improve, it’s huge.”<br />
A few weeks ago, Appletoft met with<br />
a Vietnam veteran who said he sat in<br />
his car for a long time before walking<br />
in those doors, and he almost left.<br />
“But he came in and he sat down<br />
with me for about an hour, and he<br />
said ‘I’m glad I stayed,’” she said.<br />
This kind of situation happens<br />
all the time. Appletoft said some<br />
veterans have never told anyone else<br />
what they have been experiencing, so<br />
sharing that with counselors in a safe<br />
environment can be scary but very<br />
beneficial.<br />
Carpenter said on average 22<br />
veterans a day commit suicide, but<br />
that number could be higher without<br />
programs like the Vet Center.<br />
“Knowing that a lot of the veterans<br />
that come in here are in really rough<br />
shape, it really kind of makes you<br />
stop and think if we weren’t here or<br />
if they didn’t get help somewhere,<br />
that number would be a lot higher,”<br />
she said.<br />
“Oftentimes, when they first come<br />
in, you’re actually genuinely scared<br />
for them because they can be in<br />
such mental distress, they’re having<br />
a panic attack, they don’t know<br />
what to do,” she added. “<strong>The</strong>y’re<br />
all a success story when they keep<br />
coming back and they’re still here.” ■<br />
• • •<br />
<strong>The</strong> Vet Center is open Monday<br />
through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30<br />
p.m. and the last Saturday of each<br />
month from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,<br />
with additional hours available by<br />
appointment. For more information,<br />
visit www.vetcenter.va.gov or call<br />
701-237-0942.<br />
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