Serving with Sergeant Bartow

Sergeant Shaun Paul Tousha (too-SHAY)

By: Brad Bartow

This April will be 13 years since I lost my buddy, Sergeant Shaun Paul Tousha. A brother to be more accurate. I refer to the time that has passed cautiously, because I know it has not gone by so fast for those who were closest to him – his wife, his kids, and his extended family. I try to give credit where it’s due, but even that still can’t quite compare to the 113,000 hours that Colton and Maycee have had to live without their daddy, and Christy without her husband. Anyone who has experienced loss can hopefully grasp the jest of what I’m trying to say. I think you know, but you just DON’T know, unless you’ve experienced specific loss like they have. As I try to rewind the years to the moment I first found out about Shaun, it’s difficult for me to recall the details. As I do that, I’m reminded of the movie Forrest Gump, when he said, “I bet if I thought hard enough…I could remember my first pair of shoes. Momma said they’d take me anywhere.” Unfortunately, I’m not trying to remember my first pair of shoes. It’s something harder. I guess it’s just tough trying to remember something that you once put so much effort into trying to forget. So, for those Soldiers who were there with me in that moment, it’s possible they remember it slightly different than I, as grief is processed and stored differently according to an individual’s prior experiences and mental hardiness.

See more in this weeks Boone County Journal