Soldier Dad

This is a follow-up story I did on the Wisconsin District Attorney and Soldier who went to Iraq to fight a war, and came back with a whole other mission.  Watch it by clicking here.

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V6 Cattle Drive I love being invited to help round-up cattle come branding season, and love that some ranchers along the central and south coast invite the public to be a part of this spring ritual now and then.  The V6 ranch is 22-thousand acres that spreads over portions of both San Luis Obispo and Monterey Counties and offers spectacular views.  Read More V6 Ranch Cattle Drive It's a spring ritual on the central coast that I just love.  And fortunately, I've been lucky to be a part of a few times.   Springtime is branding season for local ranchers and in order to brand their herds, they have to gather their herds.  And since the central coast has some of the most picturesque ranches anywhere, that process can be a spectacular journey.  Read More Salvation Bell Ringer During holiday season, shoppers and workers alike have all seen bell ringers hoping to fill red kettles with money. WCCO-TV's Jeanette Trompeter recently visited the Mall of America and heard a bell ringer long before she even saw him. Oddly enough, it wasn't the bell that caught her attention. One would be hard pressed to miss Curtis Benson and his Christmas spirit outside Bloomingdale's. Six days a week, customers and employees find him ringing the bells and singing the sounds of season. "They told me I could just come and ring the bell, but I can't just stand here and ring the bell," said Benson. He stands there no matter how quiet the crowds, or how cold the conditions. "Well, they told me I could be inside, but I choose to be outside," said Benson. He loves to sing, and the architecture of the atrium where he stands provides a perfect stage for his voice. "I'm just happy to be doing this. It's a privilege to do this," said Benson. His love of singing and the season began in Chicago "Through the church, one of the major churches in Chicago, Illinois, the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, the Honorable Reverend Clay Evans. My whole family came up through that church," said Benson of his background. Benson's siblings are scattered all around. He stayed in Chicago and began a painful love affair with drugs.  "I'm trying to give back all that's in me, I'm so grateful. Only if you knew, this time last year. I was homeless, I strung out. I was out there really bad," said Benson. Benson then came to Minnesota and found help though the Salvation Army. "See, I know they just think they're giving and putting in there, but I know what they're giving to. See I know they're housing people, they're feeding people, they're helping people go through treatment facilities," Benson said of those who donate. "I understand what we're doing, and uh, the people we're trying to help with what we're doing. So it's a joy and a privilege." Now, six months sober, Benson has found his spirit again and finds it remarkable that he has the opportunity to share it with others as he stands watch at a red kettle. Benson is a perfect example of the reason for the red kettles, the role of the Salvation Army, and the spirit of the season. "God has given me another chance through the Salvation Army.  I'm just so grateful." Benson said that he now has his own apartment through the Salvation Army. He is planning to go to school to learn how to become a soldier so he can help others find the hope he did to start over. Read More Soldier Dad