EDITORIAL: May 7 a big day for veterans — and for commissioner
Bill Brooks has slowed down a bit in the home stretch of his tenure as a Kootenai County Commissioner.
Navigating political minefields will do that to people of a certain age. Navigating those minefields in a wheelchair, as Brooks has done for years now, would slow anybody down no matter what.
Yet here he is, putting together an important Town Hall set for Tuesday, May 7 from 6 to 8 p.m., an event for and about veterans that Brooks fully intends to head from his wheelchair.
It’s an event he plans to lead without one of his legs.
On Wednesday afternoon, Brooks had his entire left leg surgically removed. A gift of Agent Orange that led to hospitalizations, surgeries, gangrene and no end to annoyance and agony, the limb had reached a point where something had to go: the leg or Bill’s life, according to his doctor.
Adios, leg.
Hello, new chapter of life that Bill’s determined to chase with a fine prosthetic and a heaping helping of rehab.
It seems fitting that the commissioner is harboring no doubts about leading Tuesday’s event, which Adjutant Sarah Benoit of American Legion Post 143 in Post Falls described this way:
“This Town Hall is not just for veterans — everyone in Kootenai County at some point will run across a veteran or vet family member in need of assistance. Additionally, we plan to have the Town Hall live on the County YouTube Government channel so people can watch and call in as well.”
The Veterans Town Hall will include information on the North Idaho Veterans Stand Down, scheduled May 18 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds. County residents will also receive loads of valuable information about services available to veterans, their families, friends and neighbors.
Tuesday’s Town Hall will take place in Meeting Room 1A/1B, 451 N. Government Way in Coeur d’Alene. The event will provide more than a perfect opportunity to learn the latest about all things veteran; it’ll offer a chance for folks to wish Bill a full and speedy recovery.
Brooks has a reputation for backing down from no challenge. We suspect that by the time his term as commissioner ends late this year, he’ll already be known as Kootenai County’s most respected one-legged arse kicker.
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For information on Tuesday’s Town Hall, Tom Freeman, Veterans Services Office Director, is the point of contact. He can be reached at 208-446-1090 or tfreeman@kcgov.us.