Vulgar profanities were spray-painted on a female veteran’s home in Evanston, Wyoming, over the weekend—but what she did next will reaffirm your faith in the brave men and women defending our country.
Phrases like: “Home of a soldier, die for what?” and “F*** the military” covered the entire front of Cassie McEuen’s house. McEuen currently serves in the Army Reserves, and was apparently shocked that such a crime could happen in such a small, close-knit community like Evanston, Wyoming.
The entire town, too, was collectively shocked by the behavior.
“This makes no sense,” said Evanton’s mayor, Kent Williams. “It’s something we can’t get our minds around right now. I’m without words.”
“It’s absolutely out of character for our little community,” Williams continued. “I’d like to believe we’re as patriotic as any community can be. This kind of thing just isn’t us.”
Word spread quickly—and, thankfully, McEuen’s friends, neighbors, and fellow community members in Evanston stepped up to the plate. That very day, they helped paint over the graffiti and get McEuen’s house back into great shape. They donated paint, supplies, and their time to make it happen so fast.
Local businesses, too, did their part: providing food for the volunteers.
By the end of the day, McEuen’s neighbors helped make sure there was no sign of the horrendous vandalism.
“That is what I would hope shows what Evanston is all about,” said Mayor Williams. “They came out in numbers, and that’s what Evanston is.”
But the most amazing part was McEuen’s response to the crime itself.
The victims of other crimes—especially ones that make national headlines, like McEuen’s—might use their newfound celebrity to raise money. But rather than take pity on herself, McEuen’s using this as an opportunity to help other female veterans, like herself.
After Americans across the country offered to send McEuen money to help pay for school and Bills, she instead posted on Facebook:
“There is no GoFundMe account, and that’s ok. I am able to work and eventually I will earn the money I need. There is a donation fund for a reward to capture the vandal and once donations have met the limit of the reward, the extra money collected will go to a charity I picked called Grace After Fire. The charity helps women veterans help themselves.”
Grace After Fire is a non-profit that, like McEuen describes, help female veterans get back on their feet.. According to their website, they “provide the means to women Veterans to gain self knowledge and self renewal.” In other words, help female veterans get a hand up, not a hand out.
Another person might’ve used this attack to get donations for themselves, but McEuen—true to her role as a member of the U.S. Armed Forces—only thought of how she could use her personal tragedy to serve other servicewomen. A kind of dignity and self-respect the vandals in Evanston, Wyoming, would do well to learn.
