WEBVTT - DAV Hour 4

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, welcome back to the WRKO DAV Department of Mass Radiothon.

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<v Speaker 1>It is happening all day today here on WRKO, and

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<v Speaker 1>this hour is brought to you by Brighton One. If

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<v Speaker 1>you want to donate, the number to call, 978-632-1985, 978-632-1985.

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<v Speaker 1>And of course, you can also go right online, dav5k.

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<v Speaker 2>Boston, dav5k.

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<v Speaker 3>Boston.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, joining me now, and it's my distinct honor and privilege,

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<v Speaker 1>is former Army Colonel Mike McNamara. He served in the Army, wow,

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<v Speaker 1>for over 30 years all over the world during both

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<v Speaker 1>peace and war times. He also worked for the VA

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<v Speaker 1>for 15 years as the Director of Veterans Outreach.

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<v Speaker 2>Mike, Colonel, welcome to the Kuna Report. Hello, how are

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<v Speaker 2>you today? I am very good. How are you, sir?

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<v Speaker 4>Very good. Thank you. Honour to be here.

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<v Speaker 1>If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you about

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<v Speaker 1>the incident that you were involved in. It's an unbelievable

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<v Speaker 1>story how you were in a flipped Humvee and apparently

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<v Speaker 1>you were trapped under it. Did I get that story right?

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, it was when your producer asked what was the

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<v Speaker 4>closest brush I ever had, so to speak, that's probably

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<v Speaker 4>the one that comes to mind. And that's the one

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<v Speaker 4>that I've had to deal with as far as like

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<v Speaker 4>being in tight spaces and such. And it was during

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<v Speaker 4>my first deployment, during the first Gulf War, we were

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<v Speaker 4>moving to Reckonoiter to do a recon of a new

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<v Speaker 4>position there. Uh, and we kind of hit a rut.

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<v Speaker 4>The driver just hit a rut and the side of the, uh,

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<v Speaker 4>of the trail, so to speak, gave out. Uh, and

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<v Speaker 4>the next thing I knew the, the Humvee I was

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<v Speaker 4>traveling in with, uh, with three other individuals, we were

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<v Speaker 4>upside down at the bottom of this, uh, of this

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<v Speaker 4>ravine and, uh, all the stuff inside the Humvee. And

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<v Speaker 4>I was in the back left passenger area and I

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<v Speaker 4>had people and equipment all over me and, uh, couldn't move. And, uh,

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<v Speaker 4>And we had, I guess the Humvee had like ruptured

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<v Speaker 4>a fuel line. And the next thing I knew, my

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<v Speaker 4>legs were soaked in fuel. And at that second, I

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<v Speaker 4>just realized if anything happened, I'm not getting out. If

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<v Speaker 4>this thing bursts into flame or whatever, there's no way.

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<v Speaker 4>I can't move. This is it. And I was trapped

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<v Speaker 4>there for about 40 minutes before we could get everybody

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<v Speaker 4>out and get everything out and then get the Humvee moved. Luckily,

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<v Speaker 4>I wasn't severely injured, but that was probably the closest

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<v Speaker 4>when I ever thought, wow, this is an interesting situation.

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<v Speaker 4>And I don't know that I'm walking away. And you

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<v Speaker 4>start to think about, as people always say, I thought

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<v Speaker 4>about at the time I was married, had two kids

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<v Speaker 4>at the time. And you start to say, wow, I

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<v Speaker 4>wonder how my wife's going to find out about this.

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<v Speaker 4>And all those thoughts kind of go through your mind

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<v Speaker 4>as you're literally laying there and you can't do anything

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<v Speaker 4>to help yourself. You're totally dependent on everybody else to

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<v Speaker 4>hopefully help you and get you out of there quickly

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<v Speaker 4>enough before the situation becomes really dire.

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<v Speaker 1>Colonel, let me guess. Colonel, please, you can't swear. Please

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<v Speaker 1>say crap or whatever. Please, because we're going to get fined, Colonel.

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<v Speaker 1>All the money we're raising for the DAV, we're going

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<v Speaker 1>to have to give it back in fines to the FCC.

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<v Speaker 1>But basically you're saying, you know, shucks.

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<v Speaker 2>Please keep going.

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<v Speaker 4>And then you quickly realize you have no control, and

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<v Speaker 4>you just kind of– and, you know, you also realize

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<v Speaker 4>it's not imminent, like the vehicle's not on fire yet

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<v Speaker 4>or whatever. And so eventually you just kind of say, okay,

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<v Speaker 4>there's really nothing I can do. I really have no control.

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<v Speaker 4>I just kind of have to wait it out and

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<v Speaker 4>hope that– you know, my friends and comrades. And they did.

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<v Speaker 4>They get everybody out of there and get everybody out

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<v Speaker 4>of there safely and ended up being a non-situation.

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<v Speaker 1>You see, Colonel, that's what I admire about warriors like you, really.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not doing this to stroke your ego. I'm just

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<v Speaker 1>being honest with you. These incredible situations under tremendous pressure.

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<v Speaker 1>You're facing death. You're lying there. It's potentially your grave.

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<v Speaker 1>You've got gasoline all over your legs. And there you

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<v Speaker 1>are like steel. I mean, you're cool, you're calm, you're collected. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, you're ready to meet your maker. If this

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<v Speaker 1>was me, I'd be yelling, screaming.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh, I'm serious. I'd be like, for God's sakes, get

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<v Speaker 2>me out of here. Get me out of here. Get

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<v Speaker 2>me out of here. I mean, I probably dropped out

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<v Speaker 2>of a heart attack.

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<v Speaker 4>You would be surprised. You probably wouldn't. I mean, once

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<v Speaker 4>you realize this, this, you know, and, and, and everybody's

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<v Speaker 4>talking to, I mean, there's everybody's around there and, And

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<v Speaker 4>everybody's trying. So you realize you're not totally alone. And

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<v Speaker 4>that's a big difference. I would tell you that makes

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<v Speaker 4>a big difference.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, you're very humble.

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<v Speaker 4>You're very, very humble. When you realize you're not by

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<v Speaker 4>yourself and everybody's trying to help you.

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<v Speaker 1>Honestly, Americans like you, American soldiers, American warriors, you're a

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<v Speaker 1>very special rare breed. I'm just being brutally honest. Colonel,

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<v Speaker 1>we've got less than two minutes. You worked for the

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<v Speaker 1>VA for 15 years. You were 30 years in the military.

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<v Speaker 1>Why the DAV? For people listening, why should they give

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<v Speaker 1>to the DAV? Why is it so special to you,

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<v Speaker 1>Colonel Mike McNamara?

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<v Speaker 4>What I quickly found, just to let you, it's a bridge.

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<v Speaker 4>It's an important bridge. When I first got back and then,

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<v Speaker 4>you know, when I got out. I got into some

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<v Speaker 4>trouble as far as I really started to have the

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<v Speaker 4>typical PTSD issues, a lot of anger, a lot of

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<v Speaker 4>anger management issues. And I didn't know what to do.

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<v Speaker 4>I had no clue. I hadn't started working for the

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<v Speaker 4>VA yet. And the DAV was a bridge for me.

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<v Speaker 4>It was something that was in my hometown. It was

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<v Speaker 4>something that I passed every day. They had an office.

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<v Speaker 4>at the local Knights of Columbus hall with a big

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<v Speaker 4>sign that said, come on Tuesday nights, we have an open,

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<v Speaker 4>you know, like an open clinic type thing where we

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<v Speaker 4>help veterans. And that's how I got started. Uh, and

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<v Speaker 4>they got me, uh, they quickly assessed what I needed.

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<v Speaker 4>The VAV assessed what I needed, the person there, she

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<v Speaker 4>was wonderful. And then she got me, she was the

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<v Speaker 4>bridge to the VA to get the services and the,

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<v Speaker 4>and the counseling and the other, other things that I needed.

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<v Speaker 4>So that was my bridge. And I didn't know enough.

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<v Speaker 4>That was my issue. I was a typical veteran. I

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<v Speaker 4>didn't know enough. I thought I could handle it myself.

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<v Speaker 4>When I realized I couldn't, I had no idea where

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<v Speaker 4>to start. And the DAV was my hometown bridge that

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<v Speaker 4>got me into the VA and got me all the

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<v Speaker 4>other services that I needed to get myself back on track.

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<v Speaker 2>Colonel, God bless you.

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<v Speaker 1>And thank you so much for your service. And I'm

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<v Speaker 1>happy you got all the help you got because you

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<v Speaker 1>earned it and you deserve it. And Colonel, thank you

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<v Speaker 1>again from the bottom of my heart.

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<v Speaker 4>Thank you. And I implore everybody out there to continue

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<v Speaker 4>to help our veterans and continue to help our veterans

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<v Speaker 4>through wonderful organizations like the DAV.

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<v Speaker 2>God bless you, sir, and have a beautiful weekend.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you. Okay, Colonel Mike McNamara, you heard him. PTSD,

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<v Speaker 1>had all kinds of rage. It's happening all day today,

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<v Speaker 1>and this hour is brought to you by Brighton One. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>many of you are still texting me, calling in, saying, Kunar, Kunar,

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<v Speaker 1>can we still bid on that incredible eight-person dinner? with

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<v Speaker 1>world-renowned chef Paul Wahlberg at his five-star, I'm talking world-class

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<v Speaker 1>restaurant in Hingham. The answer is yes. We started bidding

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<v Speaker 1>at $ 1, 000 earlier this morning.

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<v Speaker 2>It is now up to.

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<v Speaker 1>$ 8, 000.

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<v Speaker 5>Do I hear $ 8, 500?

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<v Speaker 2>Come on, we can do this.

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<v Speaker 6>$ 9, 000.

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<v Speaker 2>This is a dinner for eight people.

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<v Speaker 1>Multiple course, some of the finest wine you're ever going

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<v Speaker 1>to drink. Paul will be there with his incredible chef.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm telling you, I've heard this for so many years now.

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<v Speaker 1>People call me, email me, Jeff, it was a dining

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<v Speaker 1>experience we will never forget. So not only are you

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<v Speaker 1>going to have the time of your life with your

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<v Speaker 1>family and your friends, but guess what? It's all for

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<v Speaker 1>an amazing cause. So call now, 978-632-1985, 978-632-1985, or go

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<v Speaker 1>to DAV5K. Boston, DAV, the number 5K. Boston, and joining me now

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<v Speaker 1>in studio with us, and you know how much I

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<v Speaker 1>love our Vietnam War Vets. I love all the vets,

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<v Speaker 1>but especially the Vietnam War vets. Joining me now is

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<v Speaker 1>Vietnam veteran Bob Dyer and his wonderful wife, Patti Boone. Bean.

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<v Speaker 2>Bob, Patty, welcome.

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<v Speaker 5>Thanks for having us.

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<v Speaker 6>Thank you.

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<v Speaker 1>Bob, I know Vietnam was very difficult for many who served.

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<v Speaker 1>and it's not easy, but could you just talk a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit about the hard things, the difficult things that

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<v Speaker 1>you saw while you served our nation in Vietnam?

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<v Speaker 6>Yes. So I never thought I'd be doing this, but

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<v Speaker 6>in Vietnam, I was 20 years old by a month

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<v Speaker 6>when I got there. They put me in charge of seven, eight,

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<v Speaker 6>nine other guys. I was a radio man. I was

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<v Speaker 6>a team leader. I had 19 days left before I

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<v Speaker 6>went back to the world. And we got attacked. I

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<v Speaker 6>was at the top of this mountain, Elsie Baldy. And

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<v Speaker 6>the next morning, as I was walking around.

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<v Speaker 1>I saw....

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<v Speaker 6>A hand grenade, a CHICOM hand grenade. They're made in

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<v Speaker 6>balance so that it lands on the handle and explodes.

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<v Speaker 6>This one had not. One of the men on my

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<v Speaker 6>team picked it up, and I dove to the ground,

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<v Speaker 6>and I told him to throw it. And he threw

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<v Speaker 6>it three or four feet, and it hit some barbed wire,

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<v Speaker 6>and it didn't go off. But if it had, we

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<v Speaker 6>both would have been killed. And I totally freaked out

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<v Speaker 6>and demanded to talk to the sergeant major, and I did.

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<v Speaker 6>And lo and behold, I found out it was one

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<v Speaker 6>of McNamara's 100,000 people that they took in that three

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<v Speaker 6>out of five could not give a return address. He

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<v Speaker 6>could have killed me. And to my shame, sometime during

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<v Speaker 6>the occupation... The man had told me he had been

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<v Speaker 6>with an artillery unit and another unit, and I never

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<v Speaker 6>thought anything about it because everybody that went there, you

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<v Speaker 6>go with one unit, you don't move around. And I

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<v Speaker 6>realized afterwards that that's why people realized he was a

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<v Speaker 6>danger to the rest of the soldiers and got rid

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<v Speaker 6>of them. And I didn't think that anybody would be

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<v Speaker 6>interested until I probably read about 80% books about Vietnam

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<v Speaker 6>in the first 10 years I was home, that it's

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<v Speaker 6>just awful what happened. The whole thing is just awful

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<v Speaker 6>what happened, where they had to stoop so low to

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<v Speaker 6>take people that couldn't really take care of themselves.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, special needs. People with special needs. It's heartbreaking. It's

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<v Speaker 1>absolutely heartbreaking. Yeah. Patty, if you don't mind me asking,

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<v Speaker 1>as the wife of a veteran and a mother of veterans,

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<v Speaker 1>what are some of the things that you've had to

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<v Speaker 1>deal with?

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<v Speaker 5>I've been married almost 22 years to Bob. And for

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<v Speaker 5>the first 18 years, I heard Bob talk about all

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<v Speaker 5>these stories. And each time he would cry, and some

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<v Speaker 5>days he'd cry harder, and I would cry with him.

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<v Speaker 5>And for so many years, he suffered with anger and

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<v Speaker 5>hurt and shame and so many feelings that Vietnam veterans

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<v Speaker 5>don't talk about, but they were all there. They were

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<v Speaker 5>very raw. And I've also.

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<v Speaker 5>On a very personal level, had to replace four mattresses

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<v Speaker 5>living with my husband because he came home with malaria,

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<v Speaker 5>and it's never left his body. So when I tell

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<v Speaker 5>you he soaks the bed at night, I'm telling you

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<v Speaker 5>he soaks the bed at night. So four mattresses in

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<v Speaker 5>almost 22 years I've been through.

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<v Speaker 2>I am so sorry.

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<v Speaker 5>And that's just the physical piece of it, and there's

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<v Speaker 5>several more. But hearing and listening to him every day

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<v Speaker 5>and feeling helpless, I knew I needed to do something.

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<v Speaker 5>And the first thing that I did for him was

0:14:41.070 --> 0:14:44.010
<v Speaker 5>I took him to DC to see the Vietnam wall

0:14:44.750 --> 0:14:48.040
<v Speaker 5>and the memorial. And we were just dating, I think

0:14:48.080 --> 0:14:52.980
<v Speaker 5>at the time. And when you see the man that

0:14:53.000 --> 0:14:59.680
<v Speaker 5>you're dating, you know, at the wall and he holds

0:14:59.720 --> 0:15:04.370
<v Speaker 5>the wall and starts to cry, you don't really comprehend everything. And,

0:15:05.650 --> 0:15:07.930
<v Speaker 5>And I was very young when the Vietnam War happened.

0:15:09.470 --> 0:15:12.950
<v Speaker 5>But I saw all this emotional strife that Bob was

0:15:12.990 --> 0:15:15.230
<v Speaker 5>going through, and I just thought there has to be

0:15:15.330 --> 0:15:17.720
<v Speaker 5>something that can be done. And I've heard him say

0:15:17.800 --> 0:15:21.720
<v Speaker 5>for so many years that he refused to take disability

0:15:21.780 --> 0:15:24.730
<v Speaker 5>because his mother told him it was blood money. that

0:15:24.750 --> 0:15:27.170
<v Speaker 5>it was needed for somebody else who was worse than him.

0:15:28.240 --> 0:15:31.780
<v Speaker 5>And it never quite settled with me. And whenever I

0:15:31.800 --> 0:15:34.060
<v Speaker 5>would bring it up, Bob would say, I'm not doing

0:15:34.100 --> 0:15:35.980
<v Speaker 5>anything about it. This is just what I have to

0:15:36.040 --> 0:15:39.160
<v Speaker 5>live with. And while it may seem like a very

0:15:39.340 --> 0:15:45.070
<v Speaker 5>noble thing to do, it's very hard to be with

0:15:45.110 --> 0:15:50.230
<v Speaker 5>somebody who lives with it every day. And even today,

0:15:50.670 --> 0:15:52.170
<v Speaker 5>if he wakes up in the middle of the night

0:15:52.980 --> 0:15:54.480
<v Speaker 5>or I wake him up in the middle of the night,

0:15:54.580 --> 0:15:57.320
<v Speaker 5>he's still putting his hands in a fist fighting position

0:15:58.260 --> 0:16:04.070
<v Speaker 5>because those wounds never, ever leave you. And so a

0:16:04.130 --> 0:16:08.479
<v Speaker 5>number of years ago from my previous company, I joined

0:16:08.500 --> 0:16:12.100
<v Speaker 5>the Military Veterans and Families Network and, And somewhere along

0:16:12.140 --> 0:16:14.260
<v Speaker 5>the line, it was kind of cobbled together. There were

0:16:14.540 --> 0:16:18.080
<v Speaker 5>really maybe a dozen people, less than that, and no

0:16:18.200 --> 0:16:20.460
<v Speaker 5>organization or structure to it. And I hate to say this,

0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:22.150
<v Speaker 5>but a man ran it. It was the chair. And

0:16:22.170 --> 0:16:25.390
<v Speaker 5>I love this man. He was my former boss. But

0:16:26.890 --> 0:16:28.510
<v Speaker 5>at some point along the way, he asked me to

0:16:28.530 --> 0:16:30.810
<v Speaker 5>take over and be the chair. And I said, 100%.

0:16:30.810 --> 0:16:36.870
<v Speaker 5>And it was through all of those interactions and moving

0:16:36.930 --> 0:16:41.930
<v Speaker 5>that veterans network within my former employer to the largest

0:16:42.170 --> 0:16:45.810
<v Speaker 5>network of resource groups within the company that I was

0:16:45.890 --> 0:16:49.190
<v Speaker 5>most proud of because it brought to light these stories

0:16:49.670 --> 0:16:52.989
<v Speaker 5>where I got to sit down and have conversations with,

0:16:53.410 --> 0:16:57.000
<v Speaker 5>you know, some pretty fabulous people from Medal of Honor

0:16:57.040 --> 0:17:01.520
<v Speaker 5>winners to Woody Enoch here in the Boston area. Everybody

0:17:01.560 --> 0:17:05.359
<v Speaker 5>knows Woody. And at one point I just said, this

0:17:05.380 --> 0:17:07.740
<v Speaker 5>has got to stop. My husband needs to be compensated

0:17:07.780 --> 0:17:13.980
<v Speaker 5>for this. And so I intentionally sat Bob next to

0:17:14.020 --> 0:17:19.040
<v Speaker 5>Dan Stack, CEO of DAV, one night at a gala

0:17:19.080 --> 0:17:21.640
<v Speaker 5>that we were at, and I just let him talk.

0:17:22.700 --> 0:17:27.659
<v Speaker 5>And Dan asked all the right questions. And at that moment,

0:17:28.510 --> 0:17:31.109
<v Speaker 5>it was my husband turning to me at that gala,

0:17:32.500 --> 0:17:35.459
<v Speaker 5>really right before COVID started and said, okay, I'm going

0:17:35.480 --> 0:17:40.030
<v Speaker 5>to finally file for my disability. And it was Dan

0:17:40.050 --> 0:17:43.050
<v Speaker 5>Stack that helped my husband through every step.

0:17:42.830 --> 0:17:43.310
<v Speaker 4>Of the way.

0:17:43.330 --> 0:17:47.350
<v Speaker 5>And I couldn't be more grateful because my husband deserves

0:17:47.410 --> 0:17:52.139
<v Speaker 5>that and more. And for that reason, Being part of

0:17:52.180 --> 0:17:57.190
<v Speaker 5>the DAV is so important to me because they've given

0:17:57.250 --> 0:18:05.550
<v Speaker 5>him a little piece of, I don't know, dignity or gratefulness.

0:18:05.790 --> 0:18:12.040
<v Speaker 1>Yes, acknowledgement, dignity, respect that many of our Vietnam veterans

0:18:12.119 --> 0:18:13.040
<v Speaker 1>did not get.

0:18:12.840 --> 0:18:14.000
<v Speaker 2>And that they should have gotten.

0:18:14.260 --> 0:18:17.800
<v Speaker 5>Never got, right. And so I feel so grateful that

0:18:17.859 --> 0:18:21.119
<v Speaker 5>I do all that I can for the DAV. And

0:18:21.180 --> 0:18:24.910
<v Speaker 5>my husband's union, I got our son involved and now

0:18:24.930 --> 0:18:31.669
<v Speaker 5>his union is, yep, is involved. And, you know, it's huge.

0:18:31.890 --> 0:18:34.970
<v Speaker 5>And I'm so proud of what it has become from

0:18:34.990 --> 0:18:38.609
<v Speaker 5>me crying in my pillow every night, listening to my

0:18:38.650 --> 0:18:42.429
<v Speaker 5>husband and not knowing what I could do to now

0:18:43.270 --> 0:18:46.560
<v Speaker 5>it's so much bigger. And I am so grateful for

0:18:46.619 --> 0:18:49.360
<v Speaker 5>the DAV's help and for the help that my husband received.

0:18:50.260 --> 0:18:51.189
<v Speaker 5>has received from it.

0:18:52.359 --> 0:18:55.940
<v Speaker 6>I'd like to add that the reasoning my mother had

0:18:56.680 --> 0:18:59.220
<v Speaker 6>growing up in Jamaica, playing in the city of Boston,

0:18:59.880 --> 0:19:05.490
<v Speaker 6>the World War II veterans were 90% shell-shocked. And in

0:19:05.609 --> 0:19:11.109
<v Speaker 6>our neighborhood, some wealthy people, wealthy families, some poor families,

0:19:12.070 --> 0:19:17.929
<v Speaker 6>it was wicked suffering from what they had witnessed. And

0:19:17.970 --> 0:19:24.399
<v Speaker 6>they were compensated with help from the government and because

0:19:24.440 --> 0:19:28.120
<v Speaker 6>they were trying to bury their pain they drank alcohol

0:19:28.160 --> 0:19:32.040
<v Speaker 6>with the money so frequently that they became what we

0:19:32.080 --> 0:19:38.090
<v Speaker 6>call bums and they lived in in the storeway entrances

0:19:38.240 --> 0:19:42.950
<v Speaker 6>and and all that and my mother said i think

0:19:42.990 --> 0:19:44.870
<v Speaker 6>that was my mother's idea that.

0:19:44.690 --> 0:19:47.810
<v Speaker 2>It it's oh that the money would be bad it

0:19:47.850 --> 0:19:49.070
<v Speaker 2>would it would corrupt you.

0:19:49.070 --> 0:19:49.570
<v Speaker 6>And and.

0:19:51.210 --> 0:19:53.390
<v Speaker 2>And she was just afraid.

0:19:53.580 --> 0:19:58.940
<v Speaker 6>And I just loved my mother so that I went

0:19:59.400 --> 0:20:02.680
<v Speaker 6>along with it, having no idea about how much help

0:20:02.720 --> 0:20:07.100
<v Speaker 6>would it be with brethren and financially, because I just

0:20:07.119 --> 0:20:10.500
<v Speaker 6>so loved my mother. And the way that Patty positioned

0:20:10.540 --> 0:20:13.530
<v Speaker 6>me with Dan, and I told him that story, and

0:20:13.570 --> 0:20:16.270
<v Speaker 6>he said, that's a good story, Bob, but look me

0:20:16.330 --> 0:20:19.350
<v Speaker 6>in the eye. And I did, and he said, you

0:20:19.530 --> 0:20:20.470
<v Speaker 6>earned that money.

0:20:20.530 --> 0:20:20.970
<v Speaker 1>That's right.

0:20:21.670 --> 0:20:25.660
<v Speaker 6>And from there, here I am. And I never thought

0:20:25.740 --> 0:20:29.619
<v Speaker 6>anybody would be interested in hearing anything I have to say.

0:20:30.640 --> 0:20:34.600
<v Speaker 6>I was 20 years and a month when I got there,

0:20:35.320 --> 0:20:37.479
<v Speaker 6>and they put me in charge of eight other people.

0:20:38.359 --> 0:20:41.960
<v Speaker 6>And I didn't think anything of it. It was business

0:20:42.020 --> 0:20:45.350
<v Speaker 6>as usual for me. But when I came home and

0:20:45.380 --> 0:20:50.210
<v Speaker 6>then did this review, besides being a Christian and always

0:20:50.330 --> 0:20:53.350
<v Speaker 6>asking for God's help, I've been saved so many times.

0:20:53.470 --> 0:20:57.169
<v Speaker 6>I have so many stories, but it's not the moral

0:20:57.210 --> 0:21:00.580
<v Speaker 6>of the story. This one is the DAV takes care

0:21:00.619 --> 0:21:04.459
<v Speaker 6>of people that have been injured physically and mentally. And

0:21:04.520 --> 0:21:06.080
<v Speaker 6>I so appreciate being here.

0:21:07.130 --> 0:21:09.190
<v Speaker 2>Bob, it's my honor. It truly is.

0:21:09.410 --> 0:21:13.900
<v Speaker 1>And I want to thank you for your service. After that,

0:21:13.960 --> 0:21:20.219
<v Speaker 1>just powerful, moving story from both Bob Dyer and his

0:21:20.260 --> 0:21:25.780
<v Speaker 1>wonderful wife, Patty Bean. 9.51 now on The Great WRKO,

0:21:25.800 --> 0:21:31.250
<v Speaker 1>our annual DAV Department of Massachusetts Radiothon. I want to

0:21:31.270 --> 0:21:35.010
<v Speaker 1>let everybody know it's happening all day. It will continue.

0:21:35.130 --> 0:21:37.690
<v Speaker 1>After the show ends today in about five, six minutes,

0:21:38.750 --> 0:21:44.430
<v Speaker 1>the next, the Barry Armstrong show the Financial Exchange, they

0:21:44.470 --> 0:21:49.060
<v Speaker 1>will also be doing the annual Radiothon. So please continue

0:21:49.100 --> 0:21:53.420
<v Speaker 1>to listen even after the show today. This entire hour

0:21:53.560 --> 0:21:56.480
<v Speaker 1>of the Radiothon has been brought to you by Brighton One.

0:21:56.920 --> 0:21:58.600
<v Speaker 1>I want to give them a big thank you one

0:21:58.619 --> 0:22:01.520
<v Speaker 1>more time. And please, if you can, donate 978-632-1985, 978-632-1985.

0:22:01.540 --> 0:22:03.500
<v Speaker 1>Or you can go right to DAV5K. Boston, DAV5K.

0:22:03.240 --> 0:22:03.500
<v Speaker 5>Boston.

0:22:04.000 --> 0:22:25.310
<v Speaker 1>And joining me now is truly my honor. General Andrea

0:22:25.450 --> 0:22:31.430
<v Speaker 1>Gail Bennett. She is the Department Commander, U.S. Army, Mass

0:22:31.490 --> 0:22:36.710
<v Speaker 1>Brigadier General, and Iraq War veteran. General Bennett, thank you

0:22:36.910 --> 0:22:42.510
<v Speaker 1>so much for coming on WRKO's Radiothon to benefit the DAV.

0:22:42.850 --> 0:22:43.830
<v Speaker 2>How are you?

0:22:44.810 --> 0:22:47.280
<v Speaker 3>I'm good, thanks. And thank you so much for the

0:22:47.340 --> 0:22:49.780
<v Speaker 3>opportunity to join you here today.

0:22:50.340 --> 0:22:51.680
<v Speaker 2>Oh, it's truly my pleasure.

0:22:52.420 --> 0:22:55.659
<v Speaker 1>General, we've got about three minutes before we have to

0:22:55.700 --> 0:23:00.260
<v Speaker 1>go to break and end the show. Something happened in

0:23:00.260 --> 0:23:05.200
<v Speaker 1>2009 in Iraq that shocked you. Could you quickly tell

0:23:05.290 --> 0:23:07.530
<v Speaker 1>us what happened? What was that?

0:23:08.609 --> 0:23:08.880
<v Speaker 5>All right.

0:23:08.980 --> 0:23:11.010
<v Speaker 3>I'll do my best to be really quick. So I

0:23:11.030 --> 0:23:15.290
<v Speaker 3>was in Iraq in 2009 with the 101st Engineer Battalion.

0:23:15.450 --> 0:23:18.850
<v Speaker 3>I'm a physician assistant by training. And so my job

0:23:18.910 --> 0:23:22.670
<v Speaker 3>is really to take care of soldiers. And, you know,

0:23:22.730 --> 0:23:26.510
<v Speaker 3>when as a health care provider in a combat zone,

0:23:26.590 --> 0:23:29.760
<v Speaker 3>my job is to focus on everybody else's well-being.

0:23:30.780 --> 0:23:32.140
<v Speaker 4>But one of.

0:23:32.100 --> 0:23:36.080
<v Speaker 3>The incidences that happened for me and I'll say, you know,

0:23:36.100 --> 0:23:38.300
<v Speaker 3>for me, it wasn't one big thing, but there were

0:23:38.320 --> 0:23:40.500
<v Speaker 3>a lot of little things. And one of the things

0:23:40.619 --> 0:23:44.300
<v Speaker 3>was it was getting close to the end of my deployment.

0:23:44.700 --> 0:23:47.510
<v Speaker 3>I only had like 11 days left before going home.

0:23:48.280 --> 0:23:52.219
<v Speaker 3>And there was a soldier in a parking lot, and

0:23:52.280 --> 0:23:55.379
<v Speaker 3>he was checking his machine gun.

0:23:55.420 --> 0:23:57.090
<v Speaker 4>When it accidentally discharged.

0:23:57.530 --> 0:24:00.710
<v Speaker 3>So he's in the parking lot. I was in a trailer.

0:24:00.869 --> 0:24:04.870
<v Speaker 3>The round that, you know, that accidental discharge came through

0:24:04.910 --> 0:24:07.770
<v Speaker 3>the trailer that I was in, passed right past my head.

0:24:08.150 --> 0:24:13.570
<v Speaker 3>I heard the whiz. And it stopped at a T-wall

0:24:13.670 --> 0:24:17.650
<v Speaker 3>that was guarding the dining facility, but it went right

0:24:17.670 --> 0:24:20.689
<v Speaker 3>past my head. And so just to think that, you know,

0:24:20.710 --> 0:24:24.410
<v Speaker 3>I've only got 11 days left and I could have

0:24:24.490 --> 0:24:29.080
<v Speaker 3>been dead. And so it's things like that. And there

0:24:29.119 --> 0:24:33.840
<v Speaker 3>were other instances, rocket fires and lots of all other things. But,

0:24:33.980 --> 0:24:37.419
<v Speaker 3>you know, with 11 days left, when something like that happens,

0:24:37.500 --> 0:24:38.990
<v Speaker 3>it really does shake you up.

0:24:39.480 --> 0:24:43.510
<v Speaker 1>Oh, I can imagine. General, I hate to rush you.

0:24:43.530 --> 0:24:46.689
<v Speaker 1>We've got about a minute. Why the DAV? There's so

0:24:46.730 --> 0:24:51.330
<v Speaker 1>many organizations. Why should people donate to the Disabled American Veterans?

0:24:52.390 --> 0:24:58.399
<v Speaker 3>So DAV for me is about connection. The DAV helps

0:24:58.460 --> 0:25:03.140
<v Speaker 3>veterans access their benefits and services and support when they need.

0:25:03.220 --> 0:25:07.460
<v Speaker 3>And I've experienced that connection myself. I've been able to

0:25:07.640 --> 0:25:12.050
<v Speaker 3>serve in the DAV. and serve in different capacities. And

0:25:12.090 --> 0:25:16.210
<v Speaker 3>so it really is, it's about the connection and just

0:25:16.359 --> 0:25:20.940
<v Speaker 3>understanding that you're not alone in the pain, in what

0:25:20.980 --> 0:25:26.740
<v Speaker 3>you've experienced. So yeah, DAV is full of disabled people

0:25:26.800 --> 0:25:28.060
<v Speaker 3>who are helping each other.

0:25:29.570 --> 0:25:33.510
<v Speaker 1>We have been talking with the true American patriot and hero,

0:25:34.050 --> 0:25:38.780
<v Speaker 1>Brigadier General Andrea Gail Bennett. General Bennett, I want to

0:25:38.920 --> 0:25:41.540
<v Speaker 1>thank you for your service from the bottom of my heart.

0:25:42.100 --> 0:25:44.720
<v Speaker 1>And God bless you. Thank you so much for everything

0:25:44.740 --> 0:25:46.139
<v Speaker 1>you've done for our country.

0:25:47.340 --> 0:25:48.160
<v Speaker 6>All right. Thank you.

0:25:48.670 --> 0:25:52.719
<v Speaker 1>Thank you. Okay, my friends. Again, the number if you

0:25:52.780 --> 0:25:55.419
<v Speaker 1>want to give and donate, it is 978-632-1985. Please, it's

0:25:55.590 --> 0:25:56.409
<v Speaker 1>not the amount.

0:25:56.430 --> 0:25:57.450
<v Speaker 2>It's the thought that matters.

0:25:57.470 --> 0:25:57.530
<v Speaker 5>978-632-1985.

0:25:57.570 --> 0:25:59.850
<v Speaker 2>Or you can go to dav5k. boston. ca.