The SOTECH and VIPER / Veterans Industry Program for Employment Reintegration family mourn the tragic and sudden loss of one of their leaders and greatest inspirations, Darrell Rolen. After experiencing severe PTSD from surviving two shipboard fires, Darrell lived 20 years homeless on the streets of Los Angeles, including 5 years living under a bridge next to the Good Year blimp park and near the SOTech plant. While in treatment at the WLA VA hospital, Darrell joined the VIPER program while transitioning from the domiciliary to supported housing and finally showing his strength and vision Darrel achieved his own apartment and car. Not only did Darrell power through his own issues, but he led his fellow vets in the program and inspired them with his tremendous heart. Drawing from his leadership experience as a Navy Boatswain’s Mate, Darrel organized his team to contact California legislators to urge support for the single use plastic bag ban. Darrel was supremely honored to be one of three VIPER vets featured in a recent Los Angeles Times article. In tragic irony, Darrel was quoted in the article saying that his greatest fear while living under the bridge was dying unknown on the street. Darrel’s story was told – first in the Times, and then it was reprinted in Star and Stripes to his brothers. In his last week, Darrel’s face carried a glow of pride. VIPER’s director, Jim Cragg coordinated with Good Year who generously offered to fly Darrell and his team in the blimp above the area where he had lived on the street. On Friday of that week, Darrell proudly presented Jim a report on the legislative phone calls his team had completed when Jim told him of Good Year’s promise. Darrel couldn’t have been prouder, commenting on the wonder of having lived on that street and the chance to fly over it in the blimp. Not having a watch, Darrell said he had marked the beginning and end of his days by watching the blimp take off and later be secured. According to his team mates, Darrell with his new found self esteem intended to confront his abusive girlfriend. At some point between his conversation with Mr. Cragg and 2:45AM, Darrell Rolen was stabbed in the heart and his girlfriend was arrested on the scene by the LA County Sheriff’s Department. In a final testament to the great things that this once homeless man had done, Darrell spent his last month working at SOTECH assembling thousands of IED sensor harnesses that will measure the blast wave affects that cause Traumatic Brain Injury. These harnesses will not only help the thousands of soldiers going downrange wearing them, but the metrics analyzed from these devices will hopefully help treat the thousands of veterans out there who suffered from TBI from the last decade of war. Darrell will be buried in uniform this Saturday, contact SOTECH for details.
