Out of the darkness
<p>Post Falls residents Tad Brown, left, and his wife Debbie have reached out to multiple veterans by sending them care packages and spending time with them. Here they are shown on a huckleberry-picking outing with Ethan Thornton, who is serving in the Army and from Priest River, and his wife Valerie.</p>
<p>Five years after sleeping on the streets of Coeur d'Alene and being lifted by a fellow veteran and stranger at the time, Cody Kittelson, left, has received a heating and air conditioning certificate and is engaged to be married to Breanna Myers.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE — When Tad Brown saw Cody Kittelson emerge from behind bushes in downtown Coeur d'Alene, Brown felt compelled to ask the stranger a simple question.
"I asked him if he had slept there last night," Brown said of the encounter in 2010.
Wearing Army fatigues and flip-flops, Kittelson softly confirmed what Brown had suspected.
When Brown asked Kittelson if he had anything to eat, Kittelson said he had a Pop Tart.
That's when Brown, a Post Falls resident who was working on a downtown surveying job at the time, sent Kittelson to a restaurant with money for breakfast and rallied local veteran groups and the Idaho National Guard to help Kittelson with other needs.
"He was in a really dark place, traveling around the country on his thumb," Brown said of Kittelson, who served in the Army in Iraq from 2007 to 2010.
After serving overseas, Kittelson came to Coeur d'Alene to be with a woman only to be "pushed away."
"I was staying on the streets because I didn't know what to do," said Kittelson, adding that he had suicidal thoughts as a result of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Little did Brown, also a veteran who served in the Navy in the late ’70s and early ’80s, know that he met a friend for life with his simple gesture.
The two corresponded off and on over the past five years with Brown even documenting their texts to each other out of concern for Kittelson's well-being.
Kittelson, 27, has turned corners after getting back on his feet. He's engaged and, on Friday night, he graduated after earning a heating and air conditioning certificate in Sacramento. He said he still faces challenges, but Brown's encouragement helped give him hope.
Overcome with emotion, Kittelson and his fiancee, Breanna Myers, called Brown and his wife, Debbie, on Thursday on the eve of the graduation ceremony to thank the Post Falls couple for following their instincts to help a stranger in need.
"He's a great man," Kittelson said of Brown. "I wouldn't be where I'm at now without him. He's a brother in arms, and his family has been there for me. It's a moment that I won't forget and that I'm still thankful for."
Myers said, like many people, she's also fallen on hard times. She said she's grateful for the Browns for supporting Kittelson, who has helped turn her life around.
"I had to thank them personally," Myers said. "When I met Cody, I felt more at ease. It's very difficult to find your one and I don't know how we would have met if it wouldn't have been for them because they allowed for him to come out here."
Myers said that she and Kittelson plan to get married through the court system before the end of the year and, when they have money saved up, they'll plan a ceremony. They may consider moving in a year or so from Sacramento to Pennsylvania where Kittelson has relatives.
Brown said that he and Debbie thought about traveling to California to attend Kittelson's graduation ceremony after Kittelson's invitation, but opted instead to set those funds aside to help Kittelson pay for a practical vehicle as a graduation present because Kittelson has been riding a bus for transportation.
Brown said his offerings of help to Kittelson show that small gestures can make a life-changing difference in people's lives.
"I don't feel like we've done that much, but I just tried to show him love and encourage him whenever I get a chance," Brown said. "He's touched my wife and I. He's always been so appreciative."
Brown said he and his wife send care packages to multiple veterans and active military members.
He knows the small tokens of thanks give military members a lift.
"I never got a single package the whole time I served," Brown said. "When one of the guys would get a box, we'd all be really jealous. I know how much it would have meant to me, so that's why we do it."
Brown shares his experience with Kittelson in hopes that it may provide an extra spark to help others, including veterans, even if it's with something as simple as words of encouragement.
"Doing little things for these veterans makes a huge difference in their lives," Brown said. "Sometimes we've spent more than we can afford, but I think the return has been 100-fold on how much they appreciate it."