Finally A Heartwarming ‘Wasilla Alaska’ Story

Wasilla, nobody knew about that little Alaskan town unless from Alaska. Wasilla’s favorite daughter, what is it now 5 or 6 weeks ago few ever heard the name Sarah Palin and apparently those that did didn’t know much about her either, even Alaskans are quickly finding out that apparently they didn’t really get rid of the corruption and incompetence in the Alaskan Governors office when electing Sarah who ran on cleaning it up and honest government.

Now Wasilla and Sarah palin are well known in the lowere 49, and yes Hawaii is below Alaska despite where some maps of the U.S. put it.

But this isn’t about the hockey mom nor really about Wasilla except for one of the residents of.

It is about a Soldier’s source of hope, and that soldier, John Shaubach, who is an Alaskan veteran struggling with PTSD, and was reunited with his long-lost dog.

I don’t know anything about this except what I read in this article I just caught, link above.

On Friday, Sarha Shaubach made the hour-long drive from her Wasilla, Alaska, home to the Anchorage airport by herself.

The winding road between the mountains carries too strong a reminder of convoys through Afghanistan for her husband, John Shaubach, a veteran suffering from a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder.

But Sarha brought her husband’s hunting jacket with her.

When she reached the kennel crate, Sarha put the jacket against the door. The bone-thin black Lab inside sniffed the jacket and jumped.

Zeus knew he was almost home.

I want you to clink the link and read about how and where Zeus was found but a few snippets won’t hurt.

On the way home to Wasilla, Sarha bought Zeus five cheesburgers and a large order of fries.

He devoured them in seconds. Then he started to crawl on Sarha as she drove. He slurped at her face and then licked a pearl earring right out of her ear.

It goes on to describe, briefly, John’s meeting with Zeus when Sarha finally arrived at their home.

Sarha has been worried John’s condition will worsen as Alaska’s long, dark winter settles in, when her husband won’t be able to go duck hunting or take long walks in the woods.

She still is.

But Sarha hopes reconnecting with his old friend will give her husband a renewed sense of purpose. And hope.

They have this at the bottom of the article:

AT A GLANCE

John Shaubach served 22 years in the Army with the 82nd Airborne Division. He led men in combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan, earning a purple heart and a bronze star.

Now retired and living in Alaska, Shaubach is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and the effects of a traumatic brain injury. He has repeatedly had difficulty receiving the care he requires from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The York Daily Record/Sunday News wrote about Shaubach in June, after his sister, Melissa Gieniec, a dental assistant in Springettsbury Township, went to visit him.

According to the VA, Shaubach is one of more than 75,000 veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan to receive treatment for PTSD at either a VA medical facility or a Vet Center.

You can read the previous story about him at in our veterans and military affairs special section.

Wasilla, just like any American Town, politicians and all, but with Real People and Real People stories, some heartwarming some heartbreaking, but American Stories all, and this one from Alaska which many of us down here know little about, till recently!

Author: jimstaro

Carpenter/Supervisor, Activist, Veterans and Pro-Peace Member of many Groups. USN '67-'71 GMG3 Vietnam In-Country '70-'71