Honoring Vietnam Era Vet, Frank Reed

Hi. I’m Cryss Reed, Frank’s wife, and I want to be able to properly honour my veteran husband of 20 years, and lay to rest this extraordinary man I’ve had the pleasure to know and love all these years. 

Unfortunately, losing him has meant losing his income, as well. So I haven’t had the funds to pay for his final expenses, which has been very stressful, in addition to adjusting to having to go on with my life without him.....

Our love story began when I walked into a Denny’s for their $2.99 Grand Slam special, and walked out with what would become 20 years of good times and lasting memories.

I had just lost my mother, and was sitting at the end of the counter, when he came in and ordered coffee. When he was done, he came and sat by me and asked if I’d like to “carry on a little conversation.” I said “sure,” not knowing that one word would change my life.

As I got to know him, I learned he was a disabled veteran from the Vietnam era. He had been badly injured in an accident back in the early 70’s, while serving in the army.

He had caught a ride with a fellow soldier in an open vehicle, when a guy ran a red light, and they couldn’t avoid slamming right into him.

Frank went flying over the windshield a couple hundred feet onto the asphalt. He slammed his head, shattered his legs, and should have died right there.

But this “miracle man” somehow survived and made it to the operating table where he then died — twice. 

They had to drill holes in his head to relieve the swelling, resulting in short term memory loss. 

He then spent 9 months in a coma, and 5 years, relearning how to walk and talk, and be halfway “normal,” again.

They actually managed to put “Humpty Dumpty” back together again.

One day, he suddenly started talking about “when we get married.” I thought I’d missed a question, somewhere. But I looked at him and thought, could I stand to stare at those beautiful blue eyes of his for the next 25 years? Yeah. So I said, “ok, when we get married.” 

A few months later, we decided to run up to Tahoe to marry. But they were already rolling up the sidewalks. So we drove up to Reno, got our license, and got married at 11:30 at night. 

We then drove back to Tahoe for our honeymoon weekend, where it snowed, overnight. So I went down and wrote, “Just Married” in the snow on the hood of our SUV. 

It was wild and crazy, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Except the ending....

Back in December, Frank started having some trouble walking and breathing. Then he fell a week before Christmas, and couldn’t get up. 

The paramedics came and checked him out, took his vitals, asked him some questions, all while I held his arm. Then they put him in the ambulance, and that’s the last I saw of him....

He spent a week in the VA hospital over Christmas, another week in a rehab facility over New Year’s, while I called everyday to talk to him over the phone.

Then he suddenly couldn’t breathe, one night, and they rushed him to Mercy San Juan hospital, where he stayed until they placed him in a board and care home in El Dorado Hills for what would end up being his final 4 days.....

He passed away on January 31st.

The beautiful, sweet “Miracle Man” I had loved for all these years, couldn’t come back, this time. Cancer took him, just like it took his mother, years before. He had been a smoker, like she had been. And even though he had quit, several years ago, it still managed to take his life.

This has left me so devastated and heartbroken. I haven’t been alone in over 20 years. He’s always been at my side. And I’m having a hard time without my “other half.”

So a friend helped me set up this fundraiser to honour him and his service to our country, and lay him to rest with his fellow veterans in Dixon. Then I will be laid there, as well, and finally reunited with him. 

Anything extra will go to help me get back on my feet, and try to move on with my life without him.....

Thank you, in advance, for your generous help, and for reading about this truly unique, remarkable “miracle man,” Frank Reed.

I miss him so much.......