Notified of another Seawolf passed 10/11/2019

[Dan Arnes]

----------Received a Facebook Message this morning, posted last night 10/17/19, from (Estranged) Son Chris Gillett:

Hi Dan. I have some sad news about my father. I had chatted with you in the past about my dad and his whereabouts. Unfortunately, I was notified by the sheriffs office that he was found deceased in his residence.
I had not spoken to him in nearly 3 years. He isolated himself from everything. He left me with at least 6 cats and 2 pit mix dogs and a slough of things to go through. He lived in Branford, Florida but his body is in Tallahassee.
I am desperate for any help if you can share any resources. Thank you

His Dad is Seawolf Terry Lee GILLETT, ADJ2, Maintenance, Binh Thuy, 05/25/1970 to 4/3/1971.
Terry was one of the "Unfound" Seawolves on my list because he tried to not be found. Son Chris and I had talked through the years, and as he said in his message above, he had some contact with him around 3 years ago,
and he had given Terry my contact information, but he never did contact me.

I gave Chris what info I could think of to help him, and Chris Gillett is on Facebook, and is a member of our Seawolves Group Page, so if you can help him in anyway, Please Message him. He lives in Flint, Michigan.

*He passed away on 10/11/2019
Dan

[Dan Arnes]

Just ran across a Facebook post pertaining to Chris and his Dad Seawolf Terry Gillett:

Long, sad post:

For those of you who don’t know already, Chris Gillett’s dad died last week, and he’s headed to Florida tomorrow morning to take care of his father’s remains and belongings. This is complicated for him, for us. Chris’s dad was profoundly damaged by a horrific childhood and by his years as a Navy Seawolf in Vietnam. Chris’s relationship with his dad was strained by his dad’s poor mental health and refusal to get help or even get service-connected through the VA. Dina’s relationship with her grandfather was non-existent. Terry Gillett died alone, having chosen to sever ties with all of us.

But also: Terry Gillett was a proud Vietnam vet and an animal lover. As a young man he was a gifted athlete, excelled at every sport he tried. He worked for GM in Flint for years and passed his mechanical smarts along to Chris — as well as that tenderness for lost and injured creatures of all varieties. There was a period when he spent what little money he had on hot dogs, brought them in a cooler to the park, and fed every homeless vet he could find. (Chris tipped off the Columbus Dispatch, and they did a story on him.) When he and Chris reconnected after one long period of estrangement, Terry had 9 cats and a dog named Kitty. In a tent. He had given his trailer away to a friend who needed it at the time.

Uncovering the details of his death and living conditions has been surreal and sad and not surprising all at once — but it’s probably nothing compared to the task Chris has ahead of him (including the rehoming of 6 cats and 2 pit bulls in a county so rural there are no animal shelters). Send him some loving, supportive energy, if you can.

Losing a toxic, complicated parent is still a loss. I wish nothing but peace and acceptance for anyone who has gone through this.

[kid purington]

                                   ...Rest Easy Seawolf...

[the Judge]