I am new to all this and I hope I am doing this right but HCW it is great to see you on here. I am 11th WC or was or what ever we are calling ourselves now. I was one of the youngest in the 11 WC, same age as Rochelle (we turned 20 in the first months there) and we were very good friends. We lived on the same floor our first block inresidence second floor Uncle Harry. I would walk by her all perky saying "HI" and she always had some glum thing to say back. I made her my personal project to figure out what made her click and why God chose her to be in the WC. We became very dear and precious friends. One day when I was working in the sewing room she worked next door (I can't remember what was next door now...housecleaning?) any way she came in and kneeled down next to me and began to quietly telling me why I was a great person and why she loved me so much. It was so heartfelt and meaningful and she would NOT let me laugh it off and make light of it. It was something she just really believed I needed to hear and was determined to make me hear it and believe it. When she was done I left the room and went to the bathroom and cried my eyes out. I had never been loved so verbally might I say. She was a diamond in the rough. She was a great woman and worth the effort to know and couldn't help but love once you did know her. She was honest and caring and appreciated LOVE. She was a sponge for it. I have had my suspicions through the years that her and Dr. Wierwille might have had a "special" relationship because she was always invited to the coach when he came to the campus. I have know proof because Rochelle was far to loyal to run her mouth about that. I do think that also contributed to her demise though.
She lived at the Weirwill home while at HQ and from what I knew she was Mrs. Weirwille's "project" to nurse her back to health. Al, her brother an ordained clergy who Rochelle idolized but yet I don't know how close they really were. I don't think Al was there for her either but I don't know that forsure.
I was at Gunnison when the accident happen along with another very good friend of Rochelle's Jill Ann. When we were going through for Block change on our way to HQ Jill and I stopped in to see Rochelle in her room. She was all bandaged but made herself smile and be pleasant for us. She was such a cuddle bug. She wanted Jill and I right next to her she loved to be hugged and to hug people...touchy feely Rochelle. She just could not get enough love and you couldn't help but just flood her with it.
The slice on her skull was a HUGE C. It went from her temple area up toward the crown of her head and back toward the ear loab on right side of her head. I always said that any where else on her body BUT her head she would have healed and survived. I think she could have lost a limb. Been paralized and she would have dealt with it but because it being her head and all the trouble she had controlling it with out pain but she was in pain 24/7.
I knew she had grown up with constant thoughts of suicide and at the beginning of our last year inresidence even before the accident she was very disappointed in herself concerning her interm year and her wow brother.
After the holidays Rochelle went to HQ and Jill Ann and I went to Emporia. I found out about Rochelle commiting suicide the night before Howard Allen announced it to the Corps at Breakfast because my Corps sister who knew I was good friends with Rochelle pulled me aside and told me she had heard it on the radio. I was cut to the bone. I was so mad at HQ that they did not handle this before the media.
I got with Jill Ann on the way to breakfast and told her I needed to eat breakfast with her because I figured Howard would announce it or else I was told he was going to. I let Howard tell Jill and then I swooped her up and we went out the backdoor of the dinning room and we cried together for quite awhile.
I struggled for quite a while with the "What if's". I was mad at myself that I didn't stay in better contact with her through this horrible time for her. I was just so sure she had the best attention. I never understood why they would just "let her go".
Thank you so much Howard for reliving all this. I did not know any specifics of the accident. I never pushed for details from anyone because I knew what a painful experience it was. I knew Don Juan and loved him so. I felt bad for the pain he endured too. I wonder how he is now. I never knew you were this involved in the accident. Thank you for putting the dots together for me.
I will keep good thoughts, energy, prayers what ever positives I can send your way to your healing in this. Hopefully this has been a very healing experience in sharing this.
Thank you for letting me share about a great diamond of a friend in my life that I still miss. So many of the 11th WC were and are that for me. I will hold them so dear in my heart. We did a lot of growing up together.
I do not miss TWI I miss all my brothers and sisters that have been scattered through out the world and hurt so badly that we can't even barely communicate with each other because of the pain we associate with the time we shared with each other. What a tragedy.
I hope I did all this right for Rochelle so everyone can know my dear friend better. Thank you again Howard.
PS formally PW...we sat in the amen corner together I was the Wolfe behind you and not Lisa. lol : )
