Blog | Todd McKinley

Todd McKinley
- Nov 17
- 1 min read

Veterans Coffee Roundtable (December)

I’m proud to announce the fourth Veterans Coffee Roundtable will be held on December 9th, at 9:00 am in Kingsport, TN.

Who: Everyone, especially Veterans What: Veterans Coffee Roundtable When: December 9, 2023 Where: Two Dads Cafe 301 E. Sullivan Street Kingsport, TN Why: Because Coffee and Fellowship Keynote Speaker: Retired Air Force Master Sergeant Dustin Odom will be our December speaker. He’ll discuss the Tennessee Eastman’s Hiring Our Heroes program.

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Todd A. McKinley, BA, MSL SFC, USA-Ret. Todd@toddmckinley.com www.toddmckinley.com Facebook Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn

Todd McKinley
- Apr 3
- 2 min read

The Todd A. McKinley Scholarship (2024)

Updated: Aug 10

Memorandum For: Sullivan West Ridge High School Seniors (Class of 2024)

SUBJECT: The Todd A. McKinley Scholarship

1. I’m pleased to announce the Todd A. McKinley scholarship for the third graduating class of West Ridge, the Class of 2024.

2. This scholarship will be available to only 1-graduating senior, from West Ridge’s class of 2024, the third graduating class. It will be awarded primarily based on character, academic qualifications; career goals, projects, accomplishments, and educational plans, and any recommendation letters will also be considered. The amount of this scholarship is in the amount of a one-time payment of $500, which will be made to the awardee after officially and successfully graduating, but the winner will be named during the 2024 awards day.

3. Minimum Prerequisites:

a. Be a person of good character.

b. Be a West Ridge 2024 graduate in 4 years or less.

c. Have at least a 3.0 GPA

d. Be involved in at least one extracurricular activity outside of normal school hours, either sponsored by the school or a reputable organization. Regularly volunteering in the community will suffice.

e. Not required but encouraged: A letter of recommendation from a West Ridge faculty member, former Teacher, an elected official, community leader, coach, etc., but not from a relative.

4. How to apply:

a. Complete the attached application. (Email me for an application: Todd@toddmckinley.com)

b. Submit all required documentation before the deadline. Applications will not be reviewed until after the deadline, therefore changes to submitted applications will be allowed until then.

5. Application deadline is 5:00 pm on Friday, April 5th, 2024.

6. Submit all applications to Todd@toddmckinley.com

Subject: Todd A. McKinley Scholarship: Your Last Name, Your First Name

Title all documents appropriately. Use Word and/or PDF if possible.

7. I look forward to receiving the applications and rendering a timely unbiased decision. Note, my decision will be based solely on the criteria above, no applicant will be discriminated against based on race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc.

8. Any questions and all applications should be emailed to the undersigned.

Todd A. McKinley, BA, MSL

SFC, USA-Ret.

Todd@toddmckinley.com

Todd McKinley
- Nov 18, 2022
- 2 min read

Veterans Suicide and My Late Best Friend Bradley J. Bush

Updated: Nov 5

On November 18th, 2022, I began writing a book, with the working title “Veterans Suicide and My Late Best Friend Bradley J. Bush.” I hoped to have finished and published it by now, but with my schedule, I put it to the side, so as not to rush it.

That said, I should reiterate that I'm dedicating the book to the memory of my late best friend, fellow Army Veteran and Paratrooper Bradley J. Bush (March 11th, 1975-December 24th, 2017), who committed suicide on Christmas Eve 2017. I'm dedicating it to every Veteran who’s committed suicide, and their families. https://www.forevermissed.com/brad-bush/about

My plan is to introduce you (the reader) to my late best friend through a series of short stories, and dozens of sayings Brad used regularly. But this will not be a biography, instead, it’ll serve as a reminder that life is precious and that a Veteran or anyone who commits suicide is more than just a number or statistic, they are fellow human beings.

It's important to remember that those who take their own lives not only end their earthly existence permanently, but they affect the lives of those who loved and cared for them for the rest of their lives. Or, as I’ve heard it said, “suicide is a permanent solution, to a temporary problem(s),” but in reality, it only creates more problems for those they leave behind. Now I get it, people who take their own lives do so for many reasons, such as suffering from life-altering illnesses, and/or injuries that they’ve suffered through for years and will have done so for the rest of their natural lives. While others commit suicide due to mental illness, post-traumatic stress, depression, drug and alcohol addiction, or similar reasons.

Regardless, you’re not going to find any judgment, nor will you find me justifying a person’s choice(s). However, after I discuss Brad, I plan to shift the focus by pointing out ways every one of us can identify signs of someone who may be suicidal. I’ll also discuss ways all of us can intervene by providing resources that can help those who may be feeling suicidal, as well as those who care.

I hope people will support me in this endeavor, given I plan to donate the proceeds from the sale of this book to support combatting Veteran suicide and the American Legion’s “Be the One” campaign. https://www.legion.org/betheone