More Alaska Memories--a Friend is Shot to Death

Later on, in my Alaska years, which are a jumble really in memory, because of the all the traumas of my life I suppose, I ended up working at rest home in Seward. I never had a problem getting a job up there.

I think the restaurant had changed owners, not sure, can't remember clearly. I ended up managing the restaurant awhile, because the boss had a difficult time keeping reliable workers, due to drinking issues up there. And then she got cancer. I liked her a lot. I can't remember all the details.

I was deep in the mental health thing at this point, believed the professionals who told me I was nuts in Oregon, brought that belief to Alaska, but was trying to escape Oregon and my past in Alaska.

I'd ended up at API, Alaska Psychiatric Institute. There I met a messed up former Mormon, who had been in the military and been thrown out. I think he said he'd run naked through the Air Force base. Richie and I hit it off. He had money from a claim against the military, he said, and was going to buy a boat and live in it, at the small boat basin in Seward. He wanted me to live with him.

Richie was very kind to other patients at API, went out of his way to do anything he could for everyone.

I had this job in Seward in the laundry room at the rest home. I'd already been reprimanded by the big boss because I'd been seen "fraternizing" with one of the people who lived there, an old native named John. I'd encountered him at a local restaurant and sat with him while we both ate breakfast. I had no idea this was wrong or against rules at the rest home. It was an extremely small town and for gosh sakes, why couldn't we be friendly, even with residents many of whom freely roamed the town during the day. So my employment was in jeopardy, due to this incident.

The radio was on in the laundry room that day. The program was interrupted with breaking news. A former psych patient had attempted to hijack a plane and been shot dead by police. I believe at first they said he killed himself. But the truth was that the police shot him. The former pscyh patient shot dead was my friend Richie.

I was blown away by the news. With my employment already in jeopardy, I tried to show no emotion over the news of his death. Later on, however, I fell apart.

I heard from friends of his, whom I also knew, they had become nervous when he showed them guns he had, in his apartment in Anchorage. They'd called the police, but he'd taken off in the meantime. He drove to the airport and stormed a plane, let the passengers go, and was shot dead by police. They said he claimed he wanted to fly to Utah and set the Mormons straight on key issues. I could hardly disagree with a need for that but, of course, this was no way to reform the Mormons!

I knew Richie was very kind and that none of those passengers were ever in any danger. But the news made him out like a monster. Way later, I ran into someone who worked on the psyche ward in Corvallis at Good Same who used to live in Alaska. This man died suddenly in middle age of a massive heart attack. His wife, however, had worked at API during the time Richie was shot and killed. He told me way more went on, than was said in the papers, about Richie's death and the truth was never told the public, who wants to hear simplicity--'that a monster was shot by the police and everyone innocent was safe. Yahoo.'

This man said his wife raised concerns at API that the real truth be told the public, but nothing came of it. I believe part of this truth was that he did not kill himself, because I think the papers claimed that, but that the police shot him. For some reason, I already knew the police shot him, but the claim was made he killed himself. I didn't ask what the rest of the real truth was. I knew Richie was really a very kind person, so the reports in the paper I knew already were not the real truth of what likely occurred.

Loosing Richie hurt me, however. I have lost scores of friends over the years. Nine or maybe more have committed suicide.