Hey, um yeah, so I've been kind of behind on writing on my blog. The last post was published in October. My bad. Well, just because I've been quiet, doesn't mean I've been idle. I've been waiting until everything was final before I shared the big news. And believe me, this is big. Big, Huge! As you can tell from the title of this blog post, I was interviewed on WFLA Channel 8 News in Tampa, Florida. The interview took place in November, but I wanted to wait until it went live before I shared it with you all. Well, it was posted last night, so it's time!
Let me tell you how this came to be. Actually, it all started back in September when I was in Colorado for my nephew's wedding. Beautiful wedding by the way. I was checking my email when I noticed a message from blogger. Someone had filled out the contact form on my blog. See image below.
It had been sent at the beginning of September, but I was just now seeing it at the end of September! Oops! Darn email! While I immediately wanted to get excited, I was skeptical. You know, you get those emails from people who claim to want to talk to you about your content, but they are actually looking to scam you. Yeah, I've gotten a few of those in the past few years. So I decided to do my research first and check this Walt Buteau out.
Well, turns out this Mr. Buteau is legit. He is a senior investigative reporter for WFLA Channel 8 News in Tampa, Florida. Holy Cow! This is for real! A real reporter wants to talk to ME about MY video. The video about the 1973 fire at the Personnel Records Center. So I emailed him back as quick as I could, apologizing for the delay in my response, and told him I would be very interested in talking with him. But it would have to be after I got back from Colorado. We exchanged a few emails about some details but agreed to do a zoom interview sometime after I got back.
Fast forward a few months to November. We finally were able to set up a time to do a zoom interview. Let me tell you, I was very nervous. I didn't know what to expect. I've never been interviewed like this before. I suddenly felt very inadequate. And I had one more obstacle to overcome: my computer did not have a webcam. So we set up hubby's new camera to see if it would work. And it did! Then it didn't... It kept freezing up on me at the very beginning of the zoom call. Ugh... I finally got it to work, but not before I got all flustered. Anyway, after a few minutes of discussion, we began the interview. It only last a few minutes, but I was still so excited to share the story behind my video. See some of the photos I took of my setup below.
Originally the video was supposed to air right around Thanksgiving but got pushed off until now. That's why you see my fall decorations in the background. I also got to share pictures of my Dad and Father-in-law.
I hope this interview brings awareness to other veterans and will guide them to the help they need. Mr. Buteau's father was also a veteran so he is very passionate about helping other veterans. Watch some of his other videos on their website.
But without further ado, here is the interview with Mr. Walt Buteau from WFLA Channel 8 News in Tampa, Florida.
If you wish to read the story yourself and check out the links mentioned in the video, click the link on their Twitter Post. Or Click here to read the story on their News Page.
Disastrous 1973 fire continues to burn Tampa Bay veterans trying to claim benefits | @WFLAWalt reports https://t.co/h363PuBPTg pic.twitter.com/Ph821jOkFb
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) December 30, 2022
Click the video below to re-watch my video on the 1973 fire at the Personel Records Center.
The effects of the 1973 fire are still felt to this day by many veterans. Unless you kept your own paperwork, like my dad, then you are going to have a difficult time trying to get benefits. Even though my dad had his paperwork, they still denied him some benefits. This was something I only recently found out. I was going through my dad's VA file when I came across two denial letters from the VA for benefits relating to PTSD. I just started crying. We knew my dad had PTSD, but he would never admit it to us. But to know he tried to apply for benefits and was denied, TWICE, just broke my heart. He finally recognized he needed help, but they would not give it. So even if you have all your paperwork, there is no guarantee you will get help.
I'm going to write another blog post soon sharing information about what to do if you lost your DD214 in the 1973 fire. So check back soon. Let me close this post by saying Thank you to Mr. Buteau for the opportunity to share my story. And thank you to all the Veterans who have served our country. You deserve to be treated better.
Side note: I wish my dad could have seen this. I think he would have been very proud. Miss you dad. The second anniversary of your passing is fast approaching. Love you dad and thank you for your service.
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