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Speaker 1: You are listening to wrko's annual radiothon to benefit the

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Speaker 1: Disabled American Veterans Department of Massachusetts, and this hour is

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Speaker 1: brought to you by Kelly Financial Services. We are now

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Speaker 1: joined again, very special guest. This is Irwin Frankel. He

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Speaker 1: is a Marine Corps veteran, Day Transportation Network driver and

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Speaker 1: a DAV volunteer.

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Speaker 2: Irwin, how are you.

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Speaker 3: I'm great, Thanks for you.

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Speaker 1: Well, you sounds so cheery, it's infectious. I'm very good, Irwin.

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Speaker 1: I've got to ask you. I've asked this almost of

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Speaker 1: everybody who's called in today, but to me, it's the

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Speaker 1: seminal question. What drove you or motivated you after you

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Speaker 1: left military service, you know, when you started to transition

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Speaker 1: to domestic life.

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Speaker 2: Why the DAV.

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Speaker 1: Why were you drawn to the DAV and why do

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Speaker 1: you support the DAV.

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Speaker 3: Oh, let me just say, my three years of service

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Speaker 3: in the military, in the Marine Corps were three of

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Speaker 3: the best years of my life. My best friends till

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Speaker 3: this day, and I've got a few days behind me

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Speaker 3: were Marine F four pilots and these people were special,

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Speaker 3: lend and they're special today. So what it was to

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Speaker 3: me friendship just was the number one thing in my life,

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Speaker 3: and these people we formed a bond, especially when we

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Speaker 3: were over in Vietnam, that was you couldn't top it.

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Speaker 3: So I owed to the Marine Corps for these three years,

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Speaker 3: I owed something to the United States of America, and

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Speaker 3: by giving something back, it just meant so much to me.

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Speaker 3: I got more from giving something back that I got

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Speaker 3: from taking and that was the reason.

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Speaker 2: Wow er wow erwin. I know.

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Speaker 1: I'm here with Dan Stack, CEO of the dav for

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Speaker 1: the Department of Massachusetts, and he wants to say a

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Speaker 1: few words. Dan, We're very short on time, but please,

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Speaker 1: if you could just say a word or two.

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Speaker 4: If it weren't for individuals such as irv IRV is

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Speaker 4: one of our best volunteers. He is there constantly driving

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Speaker 4: patients to and from the VA in order to make

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Speaker 4: sure that they get their healthcare. A veteran, a Marine

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Speaker 4: Corps veteran is also very proud Marine Corps veteranis and

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Speaker 4: so happy birthday to her Halft year he'll be He'll

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Speaker 4: be attending the Marine Corps luncheon this afternoon and he

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Speaker 4: has a table there and he's always invited other disabled

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Speaker 4: veterans to join him.

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Speaker 2: IRV.

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Speaker 4: Thank you for all you do for the DAV and

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Speaker 4: God bless.

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Speaker 2: You, Erwin. God bless you, and thank you for your service.

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Speaker 1: Truly thank you from the bottom of my heart. Erwin.

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Speaker 1: Have a wonderful, wonderful day and a wonderful weekend. Okay,

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Speaker 1: my friends, please, if you want to donate, donate. The

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Speaker 1: lines are open now nine seven eight six three two

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Speaker 1: nineteen eighty five nine seven eight six three two one

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Speaker 1: nine eighty five uh, and a lot more to come,

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Speaker 1: believe me.

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Speaker 2: Special guests next, welcome.

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Speaker 1: Back to the annual Radiothon to benefit the dav Department

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Speaker 1: of Massachusetts, and this hour of our radio thon is

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Speaker 1: brought to you by Kelly Financial Services. We're joined here

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Speaker 1: by Dan Stack, CEO of the Disabled American Veterans and

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Speaker 1: joining us now in studio as well very special guest

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Speaker 1: Mike Vaalilla, adjutant for the dav Department of Massachusetts, US

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Speaker 1: Army and Prout, a Rock War veteran. I want to

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Speaker 1: welcome all of you and two very special guests. Well

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Speaker 1: one we've kind of introduced already, but the other one

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Speaker 1: and your father is definitely looking down from heaven with

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Speaker 1: tremendous Pride. We are joined now by William Kelly Junior.

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Speaker 2: How are you, William A fantastic thank you for asking.

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Speaker 2: How are you? Very very good?

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Speaker 1: And you know, Dan Stack and I were just talking

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Speaker 1: off the air a couple of five minutes ago, looking

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Speaker 1: at you talking to my son Ashton outside the studio,

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Speaker 1: and he says, you know, he remembers you guys when

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Speaker 1: you were small. And he looks at you. You're built

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Speaker 1: like a you know, you're built like a truck. He

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Speaker 1: looks at Ashton, He's built.

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Speaker 2: Like a tank. Oh yeah, you know.

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Speaker 1: And the two of you are talking and he says, boy,

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Speaker 1: they grow up so fast, and they both of you

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Speaker 1: really do. So I've got Ashton in studio with me.

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Speaker 1: I've got you, William. I got to ask you. You're

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Speaker 1: Kelly Financial, big supporter, you're obviously sponsoring this hour. Why

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Speaker 1: do you, in particular, why does Kelly Financial care so

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Speaker 1: much about our veterans and especially the dav.

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Speaker 5: Well for starters. I'll say that without our veterans, and

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Speaker 5: without our armed forces in general, we would not have

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Speaker 5: the things that we have today.

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Speaker 2: And I know that we hear that.

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Speaker 5: A lot, We say it a lot, but we literally

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Speaker 5: wouldn't like if we did not take up arms during

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Speaker 5: the Revolutionary War, we wouldn't have our country. So it's

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Speaker 5: our fighters who protect us and keep us in this

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Speaker 5: way of life. And you guys have probably heard that

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Speaker 5: a million times now, but truthfully, that's the ethos of

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Speaker 5: it pretty much, that's the core. And my father understood

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Speaker 5: that him being a veteran himself. And truly, we just

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Speaker 5: love veterans and we love the military.

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Speaker 1: There are many organizations and I know you give a lot.

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Speaker 1: You're very generous, Kelly Financial is very generous. Why the

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Speaker 1: disabled American veterans.

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Speaker 5: It's focused and it's local. My brother's keeper, for example,

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Speaker 5: same way I've worked with them before. I volunteered for them.

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Speaker 5: And you see it with dav Massachusetts. You see it

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Speaker 5: as well. And it's completely focused, and it's it's in

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Speaker 5: an area in our community. And I think one of

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Speaker 5: the best things you can do as an American citizen

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Speaker 5: is help your community. Obviously helping the grand scheme of

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Speaker 5: things is great as well. I'm not denouncing that at all,

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Speaker 5: but I am saying that I think a community focus

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Speaker 5: is what makes it very special, and I have a

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Speaker 5: lot of respect for that and also, we've known you

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Speaker 5: guys forever. You guys are amazing folks.

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Speaker 1: So before I go to Dan Stack and Mike Valilla, Ashton,

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Speaker 1: you and William have grown up together. You guys knew

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Speaker 1: each other when you were both very very small. How

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Speaker 1: does it feel to see William Kelly Junior in studio

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Speaker 1: making a donation to the disabled American Veterans? How does

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Speaker 1: it feel right now?

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Speaker 2: Ashton?

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Speaker 6: Well, I'm very impressed by him, and I'm very proud

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Speaker 6: of him. I kind of wish I was kind of

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Speaker 6: in his situation because I do not have a job,

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Speaker 6: and I kind of well not yet, okay, but I

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Speaker 6: do not have any money really to my name, and

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Speaker 6: if I had money, I probably donated to a lot

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Speaker 6: of veteran communities, to the DAV to help other people

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Speaker 6: all the time. I love helping people. But I'm very

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Speaker 6: proud because like he's like a cousin to me. I

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Speaker 6: see him as a cousin, I see him as families. Likewise,

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Speaker 6: I love him, I'm very proud of him. He's like

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Speaker 6: my mentor in my life. I care from very deeply,

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Speaker 6: and I'm very happy that he donated money to the DA.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, we're going to ask him how much his donation is.

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Speaker 1: In fact, maybe you can do the you can ask

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Speaker 1: the question, Ashton. But just before you do so, the

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Speaker 1: audience knows how old are you Ashton.

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Speaker 6: I'm fifteen years old.

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Speaker 1: Now apparently though don't say where. Don't say where. But

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Speaker 1: you're going to be sixteen in March, and I think

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Speaker 1: hater is out there. But you're going to be getting

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Speaker 1: a job at sixteen. Correct, that is correct. I will

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Speaker 1: get a job at sixteen, Okay, good, all right, yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 1: we don't want you dosing yourself there, Ashton.

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Speaker 3: Yes.

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Speaker 1: So, and so when you start making your own money

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Speaker 1: and you get your job, which I believe you will,

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Speaker 1: you're saying you're going to start making donations out of

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Speaker 1: your own pocket to the DAV.

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Speaker 2: Correct.

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Speaker 6: Of course, I will donate as much as I can

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Speaker 6: to the DAV to help them, to help disabled veterans,

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Speaker 6: to help veterans in general. I'm gonna do it my

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Speaker 6: best to help veterans that fought for this country. And

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Speaker 6: I just care about people and I wish that they

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Speaker 6: have a great life. I just like love people and

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Speaker 6: wish that everybody didn't fight. In my personal opinion, I

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Speaker 6: don't know why we fight. But I'm still young. I

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Speaker 6: don't know everything about life. I can't I can do

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Speaker 6: simple bath, but I can't say. Oh, I know about marriage.

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Speaker 6: I'm not married yet. I can't do that, but I

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Speaker 6: wish that.

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Speaker 1: Okay, all right, so okay, Ashton Sandy is giving me

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Speaker 1: the hook here. So I want you to ask William

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Speaker 1: what his donation is.

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Speaker 2: Go ahead, how much did he donate?

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Speaker 5: William Kelly Services would like to donate three thousand dollars

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Speaker 5: to the additional one. Yeah, and on top of the sponsorship,

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Speaker 5: I would also like to donate an additional two thousand dollars.

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Speaker 1: Are you serious? Out of your own this, out of

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Speaker 1: your own bank account? Yes, sir, two thousand dollars. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: why not?

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Speaker 2: God bless you? Mice been good?

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Speaker 1: Hey, I only have ice for my wife. But I

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Speaker 1: love you in a non sexual way, my friend. We

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Speaker 1: got less than a minute dance stack. Anything you want

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Speaker 1: to say to William.

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Speaker 4: I don't know what to say to William, to be

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Speaker 4: quite honest with you, because you made me cry the

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Speaker 4: first time you called in just after your dad had passed,

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Speaker 4: And your dad has been a sponsor of our program

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Speaker 4: since we started, and I can't thank him enough, but

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Speaker 4: I know he's looking down very proud of you. That

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Speaker 4: day that you called in as a young young man

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Speaker 4: and donated what you had saved was something that broke

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Speaker 4: my heart. And you have done that every year since. William,

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Speaker 4: thank you so.

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Speaker 5: Much, Thanks Asha, Thank you guys for this opportunity.

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Speaker 1: William, thank you again, truly from the bottom of my heart,

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Speaker 1: thank you so much. Six one seven two six six

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Speaker 1: sixty eight sixty eight is the number. Okay, welcome back

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Speaker 1: to wrko's annual radio fond to benefit the Disabled American

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Speaker 1: Veterans Department of Massachusetts, and this hour is brought to

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Speaker 1: you by Kelly Financial Services. Now we want to go,

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Speaker 1: obviously to Mike Valilla. He is the adjutant for the

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Speaker 1: dav Department of Massachusetts US Army, proud of Rock War veteran.

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Speaker 1: He's with me right on my left in the studio.

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Speaker 1: But before we go to Mike, we're joined by uh

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Speaker 1: Betty in Quinsy. Betty, thank you so much for calling in.

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Speaker 1: How are you hey.

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Speaker 7: Jeff, I'm great, great, How are you listen? I can't

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Speaker 7: thank you enough. This is so amazing that you do

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Speaker 7: this for our heroes. It's totally amazing. And I just

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Speaker 7: hold on.

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Speaker 2: This is Ginger Betty.

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Speaker 7: Ginger Betty Betty.

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Speaker 1: Hey, I'm saying I heard I said Betty and Quinsy

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Speaker 1: and the way you were talking, I'm like, that sounds

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Speaker 1: like Ginger Betty.

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Speaker 2: It is Ginger Betty, Ginger Betty.

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Speaker 1: Uh. I'm so happy that you called so uh. I

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Speaker 1: know you're a big supporter of the vets. Uh. I'm

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Speaker 1: not surprised now why you called. Please keep going. I

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Speaker 1: didn't mean to interrupt you. Go ahead, Ginger Betty.

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Speaker 7: Yeah, you got a Ginger Jeff. I want to say,

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Speaker 7: this is so amazing. You know, all the veterans in

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Speaker 7: you know, the military have such a special and sweet

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Speaker 7: place in my heart. We have the Gi Ginger Betty Foundation,

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Speaker 7: and it's like the best thing about Ginger Betties. We

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Speaker 7: love sharing cookies, making friends with our soldiers, and we

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Speaker 7: have operations Sweet Salute, And you know I love the

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Speaker 7: dav Jeff, because I've been involved with them for many years.

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Speaker 7: A friend of mine, Mike Cheney, he brings them out

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Speaker 7: on a boat every year at Harvey's Fishing Pierre down

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Speaker 7: here in Quincy. Everybody has a great time, and you know,

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Speaker 7: for us to just give a little sweet salute cookie

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Speaker 7: metal to them. You know, it just warms my heart

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Speaker 7: really unbelievable. And you know, we've been doing this since

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Speaker 7: two thousand and seven. We've traveled all around the country,

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Speaker 7: like Knoxville, Tennessee. Some of the soldiers who you know

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Speaker 7: passed in the.

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Speaker 8: You know, on the.

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Speaker 7: Coming out of what you call it. Oh my gosh,

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Speaker 7: I'm covered here in frost, and Jeff, I'm trying to

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Speaker 7: get this story out in Knockbell. You know the people,

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Speaker 7: and it's the families that are left behind the withdrawal

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Speaker 7: of afghanisty. And I mean I go out to Knoxville

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Speaker 7: and you know the look on the mother's face. We're

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Speaker 7: just trying to create miles of smiles in operation Sweet

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Speaker 7: Salute and the flavor of freedom. We want to share

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Speaker 7: that all around the world and especially here at home

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Speaker 7: with our soldiers. And listen, I would love to sweeten

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Speaker 7: the pot over down the Nomays. I love peppermint, Paul,

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Speaker 7: and I'd be willing to send a sweet salute cookie

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Speaker 7: break to you know, the guess that he has when

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Speaker 7: the dinner. I would love to do that.

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Speaker 1: You are very kind. You are so kind, Ginger Betty.

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Speaker 1: Before I let you go. Look, you're obviously well known

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Speaker 1: on Cooner Country, on the Kooner Report around Boston. Why

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Speaker 1: do you in particular care so much about veterans and

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Speaker 1: especially our disabled veterans?

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Speaker 7: Jeff, Well, you know, our veterans, they are the single

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Speaker 7: reason why we are walking around here living our lives free.

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Speaker 7: You know, they put their lives on their lines. They

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Speaker 7: don't even know people, and it's just that that proud

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Speaker 7: American and they just do it. They don't ask for anything,

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Speaker 7: and I think we owe them the world. I really do.

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Speaker 7: And so these disabled veterans, you know, just to know

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Speaker 7: that somebody cares. I mean, it really warms my heart.

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Speaker 7: Every time I go to a dav event. We bring

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Speaker 7: the cookies and stuff, and you know, I love getting

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Speaker 7: these letters in pictures, you know, when we ship out

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Speaker 7: the care packages and people can go to Ginger bettys

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Speaker 7: dot com if they want to sponsor a soldier. Jeff,

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Speaker 7: We we love doing that. And I just want to

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Speaker 7: say it's all about and I'm going to dedicate this

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Speaker 7: Veteran's Day to WALTA met him a couple of weeks

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Speaker 7: ago and unfortunately he passed, But it was about a

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Speaker 7: handshake and a cookie break.

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Speaker 2: Jeff God bless you, God bless you.

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Speaker 1: Ginger Betty. Where can people go to buy your cookies?

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Speaker 1: I want people to support you because you do so

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Speaker 1: much for our vets in our military.

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Speaker 2: Where can people.

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Speaker 7: Go, thanks Jeffer. They can come down to Ginger Betty's

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Speaker 7: Bakery at two fifteen santaset Ad and Quinsey and if

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Speaker 7: they can't get here, they can go to ginger Betties

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Speaker 7: dot com and we can ship cookies out. We will

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Speaker 7: have an event we're going to kick off that people

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Speaker 7: can come down, help package boxes for the soldiers and

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Speaker 7: the help write letters. They can look on our website

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Speaker 7: ginger Betties dot com.

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Speaker 1: Oh beautiful, beautiful Ginger Betty again, thank you, thank you,

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Speaker 1: thank you. You can go to Gingerbetties dot com Gingerbetties

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Speaker 1: dot com. I've had her cookies. I'm telling you they're

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Speaker 1: the best, the best cookies period.

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Speaker 2: Full stop.

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Speaker 1: Okay, let's go right now to Mike Villilla on my

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Speaker 1: left again, the adjutant for the dav Department of Massachusetts,

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Speaker 1: US Army, Iraq war veterans, and Mike, I've got to

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Speaker 1: ask you. I ask everybody why the DAV and what

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Speaker 1: Drew you to the DAV after your service.

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Speaker 7: Yeah.

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Speaker 9: Thanks, thanks for having me, Jeff, my pleasure. So my

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Speaker 9: story is not much unlike most of the stories we've

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Speaker 9: heard today. I served my time in service. Coming home,

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Speaker 9: you know, I dealt with some of the effects of

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Speaker 9: my service. I was going through some mental health issues.

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Speaker 9: I had some physical health issues. I wasn't sure where

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Speaker 9: to go and address these. I went to the v

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Speaker 9: A on on my own right and and there I

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Speaker 9: ran into some other veterans and got to talking, as

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Speaker 9: as veterans tend to do, and and somebody said, are

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Speaker 9: you connected with DAV. I hadn't heard of DAV at

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Speaker 9: that point. So they connected me with a service officer

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Speaker 9: that kind of laid the road before me of what

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Speaker 9: was available to me, where to go and seek the

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Speaker 9: proper treatment care, et CETERA. Long story short. A few

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Speaker 9: years later, while I was working in grant management helping

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Speaker 9: veterans in my capacity there, one of the former national

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Speaker 9: commanders of DAV kind of scouted me, poached me, and

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Speaker 9: brought me into DAV as a National Service officer at

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Speaker 9: the time. So now I was the guy helping other

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Speaker 9: veterans with their claims and benefits. You know, fast forward

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Speaker 9: a few years later, I came over to the department

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Speaker 9: end of things as Dan's assistant, and then when Dan

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Speaker 9: stepped out of that role, I became the adjudant for

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Speaker 9: the department. So now as the adjutant of DAV Massachusetts,

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Speaker 9: I oversee virtually the entirety of it. Our our transportation network,

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Speaker 9: our our housing program, food pantry. We assist veterans with

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Speaker 9: really any need that they may have, claims and benefits.

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Speaker 9: Obviously in our service Corps is a huge piece of it.

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Speaker 9: We go to the VA's and the soldiers' homes, nursing homes,

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Speaker 9: out in the community wherever veterans are. We are to

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Speaker 9: ask what is your need and then we provide that

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Speaker 9: service to assist them.

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Speaker 1: Oh that's incredible. Honestly, it's incredible. Look, I want to

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Speaker 1: urge everybody, Veterans Day is right around the corner. It's next,

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Speaker 1: you know, Tuesday, next week's let's not forget our veterans.

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Speaker 2: You just heard Mike. The DAV.

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Speaker 1: They've been with us now for how many years. They

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Speaker 1: do incredible work. They're there for our veterans. They're there

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Speaker 1: for them when it comes for healthcare, mental health, food, transportation,

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Speaker 1: helping them get the benefits that they've earned, that they've deserve. Please,

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Speaker 1: whatever you can give, call be generous. Give as much

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Speaker 1: as you can nine seven eight six three two nineteen

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Speaker 1: eighty five nine seven eight six three two one nine

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Speaker 1: eight five. If you prefer you can vote online or sorry,

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Speaker 1: you can donate online.

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Speaker 2: My bad. You can donate online.

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Speaker 1: DAV five k dot Boston, DAV the number five, the

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Speaker 1: letter K DAV five k dot Boston. Mike, what is

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Speaker 1: the DAV doing. I know you cater to all veterans obviously,

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Speaker 1: but especially younger veterans. What is the DAV doing to

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Speaker 1: help younger veterans?

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Speaker 9: Yeah, so great question. Across the board, all all veterans

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Speaker 9: service organizations have been increasingly having a harder time reaching

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Speaker 9: that that younger generation of veteran. What DAV has kind

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Speaker 9: of done to step outside of that. Like I mentioned earlier,

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Speaker 9: we go with the veteran is to meet them. So

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Speaker 9: now we're doing a lot of outreach events in the community,

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Speaker 9: We're doing a lot of service projects in the community.

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Speaker 9: We're getting hands on and making creating opportunities for veterans

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Speaker 9: to put a helping hand in. So, whether it's installing

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Speaker 9: a handicap, ramp on a veteran in needs household helping

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Speaker 9: clean up or repair or landscape a local playground in

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Speaker 9: the community, working out a veterans stand down, and giving

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Speaker 9: out food, clothing, et cetera, essential needs to veterans in need.

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Speaker 9: We're kind of at the forefront of all of that,

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Speaker 9: and given these younger veterans something they can come and

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Speaker 9: participate in, be proud of doing. Instead of just sitting in,

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Speaker 9: you know, a smoky old hall bsing one another, We're

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Speaker 9: giving them a mission to continue serving good I mean excellent.

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Speaker 2: Mike.

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Speaker 1: I've got to ask you. We hear a lot, we

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Speaker 1: see a lot homeless veterans, veterans who aren't being given

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Speaker 1: their health care that they didn't that they need, that

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Speaker 1: they deserve. How much is that is real? How much

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Speaker 1: of that does the da V help? How many homeless

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Speaker 1: veterans have you encountered the DAV has encountered, and what

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Speaker 1: does the d a V DAV do to help our

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Speaker 1: homeless veterans?

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Speaker 9: Great question, Veterans homelessness is real. It's it's an astronomical

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Speaker 9: number in comparison to our civilian counterpart. What DAV is

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Speaker 9: doing is we're sending our members out almost as street teams,

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Speaker 9: where finding these veterans where they're at on the street.

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Speaker 9: We're letting them know that DAV is there for them.

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Speaker 2: A lot of times we.

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Speaker 9: Put care packages together, you know, with basic hygiene supply,

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Speaker 9: you know, warm blankets, jackets, et cetera. But we're educating

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Speaker 9: them on where they can go and seek mental health

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Speaker 9: and physical health care, letting them know that we're they're

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Speaker 9: to provide transportation them at no cost, making them aware

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Speaker 9: of our housing programs that we have here within the state,

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Speaker 9: and that you know, we can bring them in, put

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Speaker 9: a roof over their head, put a warm meal in

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Speaker 9: their belly, help get them, you know, to that next

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Speaker 9: step that they need to be to in Our housing

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Speaker 9: programs are one of a kind. You know, DAV is

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Speaker 9: a national entity here in Massachusetts. We are the only

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Speaker 9: state that is into housing and I'm proud to say that,

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Speaker 9: you know, of all the veterans that we take into

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Speaker 9: these housing programs, we have over ninety five percent of

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Speaker 9: them that are leaving as first time home buyers. Because

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Speaker 9: we take them in, we treat everybody as an individual.

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Speaker 9: We don't put timelines on them. We charge them as

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Speaker 9: little as we can so that we're not impacting their finances.

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Speaker 9: We help them with repairing and rebuilding credit, accessing all

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Speaker 9: of their benefits, assistan them and filing their claims and

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Speaker 9: getting those through the finishing line, connecting them with any

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Speaker 9: state or federal benefits that they've earned. Outside of that,

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Speaker 9: if their goal is to go to school, we help

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Speaker 9: them with those educational benefits. We're also able to help

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Speaker 9: their spouses and dependents along the way with any of

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Speaker 9: the needs that they have. So we're helping repair that

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Speaker 9: entire family unit and take them to that next step

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Speaker 9: in life. And it's a wonderful program.

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Speaker 1: Oh God, bless you really look Please to everyone listening,

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Speaker 1: Cooner country, no Americans should be homeless. Don't misunderstand me,

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Speaker 1: but no veteran should ever be homeless on our streets.

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Speaker 1: And to me, it is a national disgrace, it is

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Speaker 1: a national shame, It is a national tragedy. And that's

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Speaker 1: another reason why I strongly support the dav We can

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Speaker 1: get our homeless veterans. We can give them a place

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Speaker 1: to stay, we can put them in a home, we

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Speaker 1: can put them in an apartment or whatever. Put a

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Speaker 1: roof over their head. That's what the DAV does. It

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Speaker 1: helps get homeless people off the streets, It helps feed them,

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Speaker 1: it helps clothe them, it helps give them the mental

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Speaker 1: health and the healthcare that they need, and that again

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Speaker 1: that they have earned. So please, whatever you can give,

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Speaker 1: it's not the amount, it's the thought behind the call.

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Speaker 1: Uh nine seven eight sixty three to two nineteen eighty

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Speaker 1: five is the number nine seven eight six three two

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Speaker 1: one nine eight five. You can also give online DAV

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Speaker 1: five k dot Boston, DAV five k dot Boston.

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Speaker 2: Again.

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Speaker 1: Please every a dollar, five dollars, ten dollars, twenty dollars,

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Speaker 1: fifty dollars, whatever you can give is so tremendously appreciated.

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Speaker 1: And joining me now where just yeah, the General as

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Speaker 1: they call them, he's going to be sitting down right

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Speaker 1: next to me. We've had him on a couple of times.

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Speaker 1: Great to see you, General Johnson. General Ron Johnson is

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Speaker 1: joining us. And by the way, this hour of our

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Speaker 1: radiothon to benefit disabled American veterans of Massachusetts is brought

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Speaker 1: to you by Post nineteen seventeen Steakhouse in Reading and Lexington.

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Speaker 1: We're now joined by General Ron Johnson, retired US Army Iraq, Afghanistan.

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00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:38,280
Speaker 2: Not retired US Army. That's what it says here us hearty.

439
00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:39,080
Speaker 10: Well, they got it wrong.

440
00:26:41,119 --> 00:26:44,840
Speaker 2: Okay, I'm sorry. It's Marine Mrius Marines. I'm sorry. Oh,

441
00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:47,119
Speaker 2: I didn't mean to offend you. I'm so sorry.

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00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:50,760
Speaker 9: Coming up on the two hundred and fiftieth.

443
00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:52,760
Speaker 5: Your darn right mean, Oh my god, I want to

444
00:26:52,760 --> 00:26:53,919
Speaker 5: know who wrote those notes.

445
00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:57,560
Speaker 2: I want to be here standing to that wasn't me.

446
00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:04,000
Speaker 1: And if that name rings a bell, and it should

447
00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:07,240
Speaker 1: ring a bell, he was the general that helped us

448
00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:10,840
Speaker 1: take Fallujah in Iraq, really one of the biggest battles

449
00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:14,520
Speaker 1: of the war, General Johnson, true honor and privilege to

450
00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:17,640
Speaker 1: have you on as always. I've got to ask you, sir,

451
00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:21,960
Speaker 1: you always come out to support disabled American veterans.

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00:27:22,440 --> 00:27:27,880
Speaker 10: Why you know, Jeff, Now as you should start getting older,

453
00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:33,320
Speaker 10: you start to reflect back on what I have, what

454
00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:41,080
Speaker 10: I've gotten. You know, the men and women who died

455
00:27:41,119 --> 00:27:45,400
Speaker 10: in battle wounded in battle were young people seventeen, eighteen,

456
00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:50,840
Speaker 10: twenty years old, Max. They didn't get to enjoy the

457
00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:55,879
Speaker 10: same opportunities that I have back here living with a

458
00:27:55,920 --> 00:28:01,360
Speaker 10: great family, my children, my grandchildren, and enjoy life. They

459
00:28:01,480 --> 00:28:06,720
Speaker 10: sacrifice so much for us, and it's nothing for me

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00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:09,720
Speaker 10: to come back and try to give and to support

461
00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:12,720
Speaker 10: those veterans that gave so much to our country.

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00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:18,120
Speaker 1: You support many causes, obviously military, you're a military man

463
00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:23,440
Speaker 1: to your core. Why disabled American veterans? What stands out

464
00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:24,360
Speaker 1: for you about the.

465
00:28:24,359 --> 00:28:28,240
Speaker 10: DAV What I like most about the DAV is that

466
00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:32,879
Speaker 10: they give. They're not takers to the givers. You know,

467
00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:35,400
Speaker 10: the return on your dollar, you return on your investment,

468
00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:39,840
Speaker 10: goes directly to support the disabled American veterans. As we

469
00:28:39,880 --> 00:28:41,520
Speaker 10: start to look, we got to have to take care

470
00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:45,560
Speaker 10: of our own. That's what we're here for. I feel

471
00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:49,200
Speaker 10: blessed to be here, be able to give just an

472
00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:51,960
Speaker 10: ounce of my time in order to support those that

473
00:28:52,040 --> 00:28:53,280
Speaker 10: give them so much to us.

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00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:59,160
Speaker 1: Oh amen, Please donate generously. You heard the general nine

475
00:28:59,320 --> 00:29:03,200
Speaker 1: seven eighths six three to two nineteen eighty five. Uh,

476
00:29:03,240 --> 00:29:06,720
Speaker 1: they're standing by waiting to take your calls. Nine seven

477
00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:10,440
Speaker 1: eight six three two one nine eight five. Again, you

478
00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:15,720
Speaker 1: can donate online DAV five k dot Boston, DAV five

479
00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:24,480
Speaker 1: k dot Boston, General Johnson. Okay, they're for the General

480
00:29:24,640 --> 00:29:26,840
Speaker 1: for him. Okay, I was going to ask you a

481
00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:30,440
Speaker 1: question follow up. But apparently we've got people on the

482
00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:34,960
Speaker 1: line for you. That's you're a popular guy. They're not

483
00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:36,440
Speaker 1: calling for me, they're calling for you.

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00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:37,440
Speaker 2: Yeah.

485
00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:39,400
Speaker 10: Next week, I'm going to have my own radio show.

486
00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:43,040
Speaker 10: Jeff Cooner is no longer going to be done w RKO.

487
00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:44,640
Speaker 10: You're gonna be able.

488
00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:44,960
Speaker 2: To talk to me.

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00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:48,360
Speaker 10: No, I'm kidding. Jeah's a great American. We'd love to

490
00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:54,360
Speaker 10: have them. No, Jeff, I probably have some of the

491
00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:59,200
Speaker 10: best friends in the world, and they're great Americans and

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00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:03,440
Speaker 10: always willing the help and support uh the dav annually

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00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:06,600
Speaker 10: uh And I'd like to throw them back on just

494
00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:11,720
Speaker 10: to uh let our audience know what true Americans are

495
00:30:11,760 --> 00:30:12,920
Speaker 10: there to help support us.

496
00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:15,680
Speaker 1: Oh great, great, Okay, who do you want to get

497
00:30:15,720 --> 00:30:20,800
Speaker 1: on first? Mike, all right, let's go to uh Paul

498
00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:22,120
Speaker 1: in Salem.

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00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:26,240
Speaker 2: Paul Paul is Paul Is okay?

500
00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:28,120
Speaker 1: Sorry, because the way we have it on the board,

501
00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:29,959
Speaker 1: you have the name and then the city beside it.

502
00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:34,520
Speaker 1: But that's Paul Salem. Okay, Paul, thank you so much

503
00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:36,880
Speaker 1: for calling in to w r K O the Cooner

504
00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:41,760
Speaker 1: Report on our annual radio fon to benefit dav of Massachusetts.

505
00:30:42,080 --> 00:30:45,880
Speaker 1: You are on with General Ron Johnson. How are you, Paul.

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00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:49,160
Speaker 8: I'm doing great. Hello, General, how are you?

507
00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:51,040
Speaker 2: Thanks Paul for coming on with me today.

508
00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:55,720
Speaker 8: Mike Pleasure, Mike Pleasure. It's uh, it's always a privilege.

509
00:30:55,720 --> 00:30:55,880
Speaker 7: You know.

510
00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:59,040
Speaker 8: The General is a true leader, so you know when he's.

511
00:30:58,880 --> 00:30:59,680
Speaker 7: On, we follow.

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00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:06,480
Speaker 2: Uh.

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00:31:06,520 --> 00:31:09,400
Speaker 1: Paul, is there a specific question you have for the

514
00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:12,480
Speaker 1: General or do you want to make a donation or both?

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00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:15,960
Speaker 8: I want to I obviously want to make a donation,

516
00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:18,760
Speaker 8: but I I do want to say that, you know,

517
00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:23,640
Speaker 8: when you have someone like General Ron Johnson, who is

518
00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:28,000
Speaker 8: from Massachusetts, just like I was born in Worcester, you know,

519
00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:31,480
Speaker 8: these people like the General don't come around every time,

520
00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:35,040
Speaker 8: and and there's such great Americans that we're just so

521
00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:38,200
Speaker 8: lucky to have people like General Ron Johnson.

522
00:31:38,280 --> 00:31:40,120
Speaker 3: Let's let's let's us sleep.

523
00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:42,920
Speaker 8: In a comfort of our own bed while he's out there,

524
00:31:43,040 --> 00:31:44,920
Speaker 8: you know, when he was out there in Iraq and

525
00:31:44,920 --> 00:31:48,080
Speaker 8: in helping protect America. And I'm just privileged to know

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00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:51,400
Speaker 8: someone like General Johnson. And I definitely want to make

527
00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:54,080
Speaker 8: a donation. And and and Ron, you get to pick

528
00:31:54,120 --> 00:31:54,560
Speaker 8: the number.

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00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:54,960
Speaker 7: How's that?

530
00:31:56,520 --> 00:31:56,840
Speaker 1: Wow?

531
00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:00,920
Speaker 2: Go high? Don't go long, go high?

532
00:32:01,640 --> 00:32:01,880
Speaker 7: Paul?

533
00:32:02,720 --> 00:32:07,560
Speaker 10: All right, I'm on Paul, so Kath and I gave stix.

534
00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:09,880
Speaker 10: How about fifty?

535
00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:11,040
Speaker 1: Okay?

536
00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:12,920
Speaker 2: Is that too much dash for you? Paul?

537
00:32:14,080 --> 00:32:14,840
Speaker 3: How about twenty?

538
00:32:15,560 --> 00:32:16,280
Speaker 10: How about twenty?

539
00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:19,000
Speaker 2: How about twenty five? How about twenty five?

540
00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:20,840
Speaker 7: I got?

541
00:32:21,080 --> 00:32:23,840
Speaker 8: I thought, Ron, what did you say? Did you say fifteen?

542
00:32:24,720 --> 00:32:24,920
Speaker 2: Yeah?

543
00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:25,240
Speaker 3: No?

544
00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:29,040
Speaker 1: No, no, he said fifty. Then you went to twenty.

545
00:32:29,880 --> 00:32:31,400
Speaker 1: Now going to twenty five?

546
00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:35,560
Speaker 8: No, we got how about twenty five?

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00:32:35,680 --> 00:32:36,880
Speaker 2: Oh? My god, I.

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00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:40,880
Speaker 1: Love you, Jezon, I love you. I love you, Paul Salem.

549
00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:44,520
Speaker 1: I love you, my friend. I can't thank you enough.

550
00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:45,440
Speaker 1: We all love you.

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00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:46,760
Speaker 7: Paul.

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00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:50,800
Speaker 1: You are a great American. My god, man, you deliver well.

553
00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:52,640
Speaker 1: I could see how you kicked all that ass.

554
00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:52,880
Speaker 2: In the rock.

555
00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:56,160
Speaker 1: Man, you deliver, buddy. All right, we're talking at General

556
00:32:56,280 --> 00:32:58,920
Speaker 1: Ron Johnson. I promise you you're getting the last word.

557
00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:01,680
Speaker 1: I promise we're going to come back. We're up against

558
00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:04,720
Speaker 1: the heartbreak. Other people want to talk to the General.

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Speaker 1: Paul Salem. God bless you, and thank you, sir,