DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!

Steve Ramos & De'on & Greg Miller

Lubbock International Airport

October 5, 2006

Enroute to Iraq?

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Hi De'on, I'm sorry, but this is the first time I've gotten on the computer pretty much all weekend. If I got on, I can't remember! Please don't be frantic ... I'm still here trucking on. I just haven't been on the computer much. Just reflecting and thinking. It's good stuff. I'll write more in a bit and bring you up to date.

I've thought for days about what to say, and I've come up with various versions. But writing them would require a physical and emotional strength I don't have right now. There really is much I want to say. However, all I'm going to say is yes, all I want to do is go off and die.

***
These are the last two e-mails I received from Steve Ramos. The first one was sent on March 4, 2007, and the second was sent on March 5th. That was the last time I heard from him.

For those of you who have read this blog for sometime, you already know who Steve is. For those of you who are new, and I know there are at least a couple of new readers, Steve Ramos was supposed to co-author a book with me. Believing that we both had a deep loyalty to our troops, we decided to join together and send him to Iraq for the “good news” about our troops. My sister, Lisa, asked Steve if he might bring back a bit of sand from there if at all possible. Long story short, Steve said he went to Iraq; that there he was robbed of his computer, camera, the leased satellite phone (that alone was $1,000.) He also said he was shot there, that the $1,000.flak jacket saved his life. He came out of it with broken ribs and a wound in his hip from small arms fire. Not only then had he been shot in the chest like Aaron, but in the same exact place in Fallujah that Aaron was killed. He did all this for me! And even managed to hold on to the rock and sand that he’d gotten. Sand and rubble that he gave to Aaron’s dad and to me. I then shared with my sister, my sister-in-law, and my dad. Many of you have seen pictures on the old blog of this sand and rubble.

From there we went through a blown engine on a vehicle, and I don’t really know what all. It ended with cancer. It ended with between $12-$15 K, counting airline tickets, supposed partnerships, a car and nearly $5,000. in loans to get through cancer without a job. No doubt, it would have been more … it would have been more had I not finally kept a secret about a gift.

Semper Fi Mom made a Marine blanket to send to Steve while he “went through treatments” for Stage III Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Due to this, I began pressing Steve for an address. After me asking three times, he gave me one.

I never told him what the gift was; only that it would be the best surprise of his life. A Marine blanket along with cards have been sent back because the address in Houston did not exist. But even before this, it became apparent how badly we’d been duped.

I had every reason, I thought, to trust this man. He is a journalist and he was at Aaron’s memorial in Sunray. He later wrote an article for the Amarillo paper about the Fallen Heroes Memorial on the web, which is how he first introduced himself to me over two years ago … maybe closer to three now. He lives in Dumas where he said he lived. I’ve met his dogs. And to my knowledge at this time, that is possibly all that is true about the man. We’ve since found out he’s been in trouble with theft several times before, to include a prison sentence at Huntsville.

Let this serve as a warning to those in grief. There truly is no one in this world that wants to spend 24/7 talking about the one you’ve lost.

I prayed with this man many times. I’ve cried before him and shared every little part of Aaron with him. I’ve left him alone in my home to go through letters and photos. I’ve been stupid. But I don’t feel stupid. I feel very used, of course.

Steve knew the only “lump sum” of money I had came from Aaron’s death. He took that money and then on March 5th he wrote the above e-mail.

March 31, 2007 at about 2:30 MDST, Steve Ramos was taken into custody in Dumas, Texas. Two weeks or so ago, a warrant was issued for his arrest with the charge of embezzlement.

Thanks goes to an anonymous source who contacted Doug after having seen my car at Steve’s house. What an arrogant fool he must be!

Shortly after the arrest, Doug asked to speak with Steve. Steve came to the window to meet him. Doug didn’t pick up the phone, but started the, no doubt, loud conversation there. The officers told Doug he needed to pick up the phone and when he did; Steve turned around and walked off.

I have no idea why he picked me and Aaron out.

Please be careful. People like this have no conscience and are smart. They will pick up on a lot. They will act as your best friend. And they may even believe their own lies.

More than even using Aaron, Steve used my spiritual beliefs and yes, I’ll say it, my good heart that God’s spent years on to eek out an existence for himself and to bring added grief to a Marine’s family.

I will add this: I am okay. I’ve had a while to deal with it, but I do ask for your prayers during the extradition process as well as the trial. Evidently, I’ve given them enough to press charges. Now I will have to begin the weary job of combing through more than a hundred e-mails that will make me want to puke. But I will do that. I will find everything I can to help put this pond scum behind bars for as long as possible.

And I’m sorry for those of you who got used by him too.

Steve didn’t just mess with me. He messed with Aaron. I don’t see any of us in Aaron’s family letting that one go. That must be the piece of the puzzle Mr. Ramos didn’t quite “get.”