WEBVTT - DAV Hour 1 0:00:00.150 --> 0:00:07.680 Good morning, Cooner country. Okay. My friends, um, I say 0:00:07.740 --> 0:00:12.139 this every single year and I'll say it again this 0:00:12.220 --> 0:00:17.150 year because it's all true. Not a hundred percent, a 0:00:17.230 --> 0:00:22.030 thousand percent true. It's my favorite show of the year. 0:00:23.050 --> 0:00:26.460 It's my most important show of the year. It's also 0:00:26.500 --> 0:00:29.840 the most emotionally draining show. 0:00:29.700 --> 0:00:30.160 Of the year. 0:00:31.200 --> 0:00:34.980 I am always exhausted by the end of these four 0:00:35.020 --> 0:00:41.659 hours because you're going to listen to some incredible disabled veterans, 0:00:42.780 --> 0:00:48.419 their stories, what they had to endure, what they suffered, 0:00:49.300 --> 0:00:53.269 the sacrifices that they made for you and for me. 0:00:54.300 --> 0:00:59.420 And so I'm urging all of you, please, A, if 0:00:59.460 --> 0:01:03.480 you can give, and I mean any amount, it's not 0:01:03.640 --> 0:01:08.060 the exact dollar amount that people here at the DAV 0:01:08.180 --> 0:01:12.580 ultimately care about. It's that for these disabled veterans, it's 0:01:12.600 --> 0:01:15.060 that you care. $ 5, $ 10, $ 20, $ 50, $ 100, whatever you 0:01:15.080 --> 0:01:25.870 can give, please give. And I would like for all 0:01:25.910 --> 0:01:30.090 of you to listen because you need to hear these stories. 0:01:31.330 --> 0:01:35.289 These are stories of our warriors who went off to 0:01:35.370 --> 0:01:44.000 fight in many wars, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, 0:01:45.020 --> 0:01:51.110 and many of them came home broken, wounded, maimed, crippled, 0:01:52.530 --> 0:01:59.040 many of them abandoned, betrayed, forgotten. You need to hear 0:01:59.080 --> 0:02:05.180 their stories and how the DAV played such a critical 0:02:05.260 --> 0:02:10.709 role on their road back to full recovery and rehabilitation 0:02:11.230 --> 0:02:14.940 and to giving them a second chance at life. And 0:02:15.020 --> 0:02:19.490 that's what your donation will do. That's what your donation does. 0:02:20.330 --> 0:02:24.350 So if you want to give, the number to call 0:02:24.370 --> 0:02:24.500 is 978-632-1985. 0:02:24.510 --> 0:02:24.570 978-632-1985. 0:02:33.940 --> 0:02:41.790 Or if you prefer, you can go right to their website, dav5k. boston, d-a-v, 0:02:42.130 --> 0:02:49.710 the number 5, k.boston. This hour of the WRKO DAV 0:02:49.770 --> 0:02:54.320 Department of Massachusetts Radiothon is brought to you by Wilson 0:02:54.460 --> 0:02:58.480 Farm in Lexington. And we want to give a special 0:02:58.560 --> 0:03:03.000 shout-out to Wilson Farm. Not just for sponsoring this hour, obviously. 0:03:03.120 --> 0:03:06.200 Thank you from the bottom of my heart. But you've 0:03:06.240 --> 0:03:09.710 got to see the beautiful spread that they laid out 0:03:09.780 --> 0:03:17.950 for us right outside the Coonerman studio. Pastries. Croissants, orange juice. 0:03:18.650 --> 0:03:25.210 I mean, let me tell you something. They make phenomenal food. So, again, 0:03:25.270 --> 0:03:29.829 a big thank you to Wilson Farm in Lexington. Okay, 0:03:30.010 --> 0:03:33.549 joining me now, he needs no introduction. Every year we 0:03:33.590 --> 0:03:36.910 have him. He's on first. He always comes on first. 0:03:37.450 --> 0:03:41.640 In the studio now is Dan Stack. He is the 0:03:41.740 --> 0:03:47.660 chief executive officer, the CEO for the DAV Department of Massachusetts. 0:03:48.220 --> 0:03:50.790 Dan has been part of the DAV for over 50 years. 0:03:50.790 --> 0:03:59.340 50 years he's been part of the DAV. He is 0:03:59.540 --> 0:04:04.600 an Air Force veteran. He is a Vietnam veteran. He's 0:04:04.640 --> 0:04:06.700 a dear friend of mine and a dear friend of 0:04:06.800 --> 0:04:11.960 all of yours here at Kunar Country. Dan, as always, welcome. Well, 0:04:12.000 --> 0:04:13.870 thank you very much, Jeff. It's great to be here. 0:04:13.880 --> 0:04:16.670 It's great to once again be able to do the 0:04:16.710 --> 0:04:20.469 Radiothon with you. This is a special Veterans Day weekend 0:04:20.510 --> 0:04:23.810 for the DAV with our 5K road race tomorrow at 0:04:24.130 --> 0:04:27.229 Castle Island. So we're very excited to be here as always. 0:04:27.740 --> 0:04:30.020 and looking forward to the four hours that we are 0:04:30.040 --> 0:04:30.320 with you. 0:04:31.580 --> 0:04:36.540 Dan, I want to ask you, what was it initially? 0:04:36.600 --> 0:04:41.000 I know you served, obviously, in Vietnam. Why did you 0:04:41.060 --> 0:04:44.640 decide to be a part of the DAV? Why have 0:04:44.660 --> 0:04:48.489 you given 50 years of your life to the DAV? 0:04:48.890 --> 0:04:50.830 What is so special about the DAV? 0:04:51.670 --> 0:04:56.950 Well, I think like many veterans that Following kind of 0:04:56.990 --> 0:05:01.310 like my footsteps, I was not a combat veteran. Fortunately, 0:05:01.330 --> 0:05:03.130 I was in the United States Air Force, so therefore 0:05:03.170 --> 0:05:06.630 I was never on the front line. I was just 0:05:06.690 --> 0:05:10.450 a support person. But like anyone, you still come down 0:05:10.529 --> 0:05:13.130 with certain kind of conditions that need to be treated 0:05:13.210 --> 0:05:16.680 or that happen to you. And in my particular case, 0:05:16.770 --> 0:05:19.680 I had to be med-flight out of Da Nang. And 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:22.860 I was an ambulatory patient, so I just got to 0:05:23.140 --> 0:05:27.800 walk onto the aircraft. But what was so stunning to 0:05:27.860 --> 0:05:32.020 me was all of the, I would have to call 0:05:32.040 --> 0:05:35.140 them veterans, or in our case, young guys, because we 0:05:35.160 --> 0:05:39.940 were all in our teens or early 20s that were 0:05:40.000 --> 0:05:45.839 being carried or littered onto the aircraft with so many, 0:05:46.580 --> 0:05:50.560 bandages and wounded and missing limbs. And you just saw 0:05:50.600 --> 0:05:53.960 them being stacked up one on top of the other 0:05:54.339 --> 0:05:57.740 in the C-141 that we were coming home in. And 0:05:57.800 --> 0:06:01.640 I can remember that I was sitting in the back of, 0:06:01.930 --> 0:06:05.450 not in the back of the ambulatory section, but the 0:06:05.529 --> 0:06:08.950 nurse's station was right behind me. And those four nurses 0:06:09.010 --> 0:06:12.390 were running left and right and taking care of patients. 0:06:12.930 --> 0:06:15.860 And they would Basically, for the most part, they were 0:06:15.900 --> 0:06:18.860 sedated because we had a long flight from Da Nang 0:06:18.900 --> 0:06:22.219 back home. And, you know, you could hear when the 0:06:22.279 --> 0:06:25.740 sedation would be coming out, these men and mostly men 0:06:25.760 --> 0:06:29.240 at that point in time would be literally, because we're 0:06:29.260 --> 0:06:31.760 still young, they would be calling out for their mothers, 0:06:32.240 --> 0:06:36.320 for their wives. And that always stuck with me. And 0:06:36.520 --> 0:06:41.760 when I was in Chelsea Naval Hospital, and it was, 0:06:42.400 --> 0:06:46.180 you know, when I I was still helping out, you know, 0:06:46.200 --> 0:06:48.310 they would take us ambulatory patients and we would try 0:06:48.350 --> 0:06:52.190 to take these guys around and kind of in wheelchairs 0:06:52.210 --> 0:06:55.610 from one spot to another. But it was the DAV 0:06:55.650 --> 0:06:58.690 that actually was coming in and helping guys with their 0:06:58.770 --> 0:07:02.190 claims and working on things. And so when I finally 0:07:02.230 --> 0:07:05.710 got discharged, I can remember going into the JFK federal 0:07:05.750 --> 0:07:10.080 building and finding where their office was. And I asked, 0:07:10.320 --> 0:07:13.140 what college courses do I need to take in order 0:07:13.200 --> 0:07:16.420 to do a job like you guys do, helping people? 0:07:17.260 --> 0:07:20.710 And they told me, we'll train you. And put me 0:07:20.750 --> 0:07:24.850 through a class of anatomy and physiology and pre-law in 0:07:24.910 --> 0:07:28.070 order to be able to represent veterans before the VA. 0:07:28.110 --> 0:07:32.830 So I've been doing it since 1974. And it's one 0:07:32.850 --> 0:07:35.510 of those things that every time you want to think 0:07:35.570 --> 0:07:38.840 about you know, kind of giving up, you always realize 0:07:38.880 --> 0:07:41.320 there's one more veteran to help. There's one more guy 0:07:41.400 --> 0:07:44.760 out there that doesn't realize that the VA is there 0:07:45.020 --> 0:07:47.320 for them. And I'm not talking about many of the 0:07:47.360 --> 0:07:51.080 men that are really physically wounded. They know the VA 0:07:51.140 --> 0:07:54.800 is there. I'm talking about all the people that feel like, well, 0:07:55.600 --> 0:07:58.940 you know, I'm not a combat veteran. Really nothing happened 0:07:58.980 --> 0:08:02.060 to me. I got a few injury, a few aches 0:08:02.120 --> 0:08:04.460 and pains, but that doesn't mean anything. And they never 0:08:04.520 --> 0:08:07.140 file a claim. when many of those aches and pains 0:08:07.170 --> 0:08:09.230 that they have are due to the training they have, 0:08:09.250 --> 0:08:11.510 due to the chemicals they were exposed to, due to 0:08:11.530 --> 0:08:14.310 the noise exposure, due to some of the trauma that 0:08:14.330 --> 0:08:17.030 they've hidden within. So that's why the DAV is here, 0:08:17.050 --> 0:08:18.790 and that's why I continue to do the job that 0:08:18.830 --> 0:08:19.570 I do. 0:08:19.650 --> 0:08:23.130 God bless you, Dan. If you want to give, please 0:08:23.250 --> 0:08:24.090 be generous, 978-632-1985. 0:08:30.520 --> 0:08:30.740 978-632-1985. 0:08:30.960 --> 0:08:38.970 Or if you prefer, you can go to DAV5k. boston, DAV, 0:08:39.230 --> 0:08:44.770 the number 5k. boston. Dan, we've only got a couple of 0:08:44.790 --> 0:08:48.780 minutes before the break. Just very quickly for people thinking 0:08:48.820 --> 0:08:52.180 of donating, and I urge everybody to donate. And any 0:08:52.240 --> 0:08:57.140 amount is so appreciated. You have no idea. Dan, Specifically, 0:08:57.260 --> 0:09:01.329 what does the DAV do for our wonderful veterans? 0:09:02.170 --> 0:09:05.610 We have many different programs here in Massachusetts from the 0:09:05.690 --> 0:09:09.410 disabled American veterans. On the national side, we have our 0:09:09.510 --> 0:09:13.640 claims representatives that work at the JFK Federal Building. These 0:09:13.720 --> 0:09:18.300 are paralegally trained, almost like working compensation attorneys that will 0:09:18.420 --> 0:09:22.780 help interview the veteran, review their medical records, and then 0:09:23.059 --> 0:09:26.160 hopefully apply the correct VA laws to their case to 0:09:26.200 --> 0:09:30.640 get them the maximum compensation that they can obtain. On 0:09:30.679 --> 0:09:34.440 the department side, we have chapter service officers and department 0:09:34.460 --> 0:09:37.839 service officers that go out into the local communities that 0:09:37.900 --> 0:09:40.260 first sit down with the veterans, talk to them, and 0:09:40.300 --> 0:09:42.520 try to get them to get all the information they 0:09:42.580 --> 0:09:45.280 need together in order to file a claim with the VA. 0:09:46.050 --> 0:09:51.219 We have the transportation program, which is probably one of 0:09:51.280 --> 0:09:56.809 our more expensive programs. It's like the DA Uber. It's 0:09:56.990 --> 0:10:00.470 a program in which we drive veterans from their home 0:10:00.990 --> 0:10:03.750 to the VA Medical Center for their appointments and then 0:10:03.910 --> 0:10:07.640 back home again. So it's one of those programs that 0:10:08.000 --> 0:10:10.680 you can't believe the number of veterans that no longer, 0:10:10.780 --> 0:10:14.160 because of their disability and age, are not able to 0:10:14.200 --> 0:10:16.920 get to and from the VA Medical Centers for their 0:10:16.960 --> 0:10:19.890 treatment programs. and which is known as their wellness care 0:10:19.910 --> 0:10:23.290 to keep them still active in their own home. And 0:10:23.330 --> 0:10:27.929 now we have the past few years since 2019, we 0:10:27.970 --> 0:10:31.450 have basically a housing program that we have in Gardner, 0:10:31.490 --> 0:10:34.660 Mass and Lemonster. We have out there, we have 20 0:10:34.660 --> 0:10:38.819 two-bedroom condominiums for families. And in Lemonster, we have two 0:10:38.880 --> 0:10:41.439 homes that have about 18 rooms in them where we 0:10:41.480 --> 0:10:42.920 have veterans that live in those. 0:10:42.800 --> 0:10:43.160 Rooms, too. 0:10:43.360 --> 0:10:47.260 Oh, God bless you. God bless you. Okay, my friends, 0:10:47.300 --> 0:10:48.819 a lot more to come. We're going to have many 0:10:48.860 --> 0:10:53.920 more guests coming in. Disabled veterans actually themselves are going 0:10:53.950 --> 0:10:57.090 to be coming in and telling us why the DAV 0:10:57.120 --> 0:10:59.090 is so special to them, so you don't want to 0:10:59.130 --> 0:11:03.090 miss it. Of course, this is our annual Radiothon to 0:11:03.190 --> 0:11:13.870 benefit the disabled American veterans. My friends, please give generously, 978-632-1985, 0:11:14.350 --> 0:11:23.069 or you can go right to dav5k. boston, dav5, the number five, k.boston. 0:11:23.850 --> 0:11:28.849 This hour of the DAV Radiothon is sponsored by Wilson 0:11:28.970 --> 0:11:35.120 Farm in Lexington. And every year we do this. It's 0:11:35.179 --> 0:11:38.140 a huge favorite, as you know, with the listeners, with 0:11:38.260 --> 0:11:41.980 all of you, including our country. Paul Wahlberg, yes, the 0:11:42.059 --> 0:11:48.850 legendary chef, brother of Mark Wahlberg, Donnie Wahlberg, owners of Wahlburgers. 0:11:51.230 --> 0:11:56.030 They will always, always are there for the disabled American veterans. 0:11:56.950 --> 0:12:03.460 And Paul Wahlberg, again, has generously offered to auction a 0:12:03.660 --> 0:12:09.820 private dinner, listen to this, for eight people. He and 0:12:09.860 --> 0:12:14.699 his team will come over to your home. and cook 0:12:14.740 --> 0:12:21.350 you the meal of a lifetime, an incredible dinner, wine, appetizer, 0:12:21.370 --> 0:12:26.890 an incredible main course. It's going to be a multi-course meal, stunning, 0:12:26.950 --> 0:12:30.830 delicious desserts, and it's going to be something you will remember, 0:12:30.850 --> 0:12:34.530 your friends, your family will remember forever. We are doing 0:12:34.650 --> 0:12:41.490 bids starting right now for this Dinner for Eight event, Oh, 0:12:41.530 --> 0:12:43.750 it's at the restaurant. My bad. I'm sorry. It used 0:12:43.770 --> 0:12:45.449 to be at the house. Okay. So it's going to 0:12:45.510 --> 0:12:51.370 be at Paul Wahlberg's restaurant. Even better. Five-star dining at 0:12:51.410 --> 0:12:57.150 a five-star restaurant. So eight people. I mean, it's all included. 0:12:57.170 --> 0:13:00.939 I mean, you're going to get the meal of a lifetime, wine, 0:13:01.340 --> 0:13:04.920 you name it. It's going to be five courses, four 0:13:04.960 --> 0:13:09.760 or five courses, five-star dining. Right now, let's start the bidding, 0:13:09.940 --> 0:13:14.460 and I'm telling you, this is cheap. This is cheap. $ 1, 000. $ 1, 000. 0:13:13.540 --> 0:13:30.150 Call now, 978-632-1985. Okay, joining me now... It's an honor 0:13:30.240 --> 0:13:34.900 and a privilege. He actually works here at iHeart, and 0:13:35.000 --> 0:13:37.620 I've seen him now in the building. It's nice to 0:13:37.660 --> 0:13:41.819 have you back, my friend. This is former Army Sergeant 0:13:42.440 --> 0:13:48.810 Matt Houston. He served in Iraq. Matt, welcome. Good morning, Jeff. 0:13:49.270 --> 0:13:51.250 How are you? I'm excellent. How are you? Well, I 0:13:51.250 --> 0:13:54.110 got to say, you look great, man. Appreciate it. I mean, 0:13:54.150 --> 0:13:57.180 you look like you're fit. I'm getting there. You're definitely 0:13:57.200 --> 0:13:59.580 getting there. What are you, like 2% body fat or what? Yeah, 0:13:59.620 --> 0:14:02.700 maybe three. So are you going to run the DAV, 0:14:02.780 --> 0:14:03.620 the marathon tomorrow? 0:14:03.679 --> 0:14:06.809 You know what? I don't run anymore. 0:14:06.830 --> 0:14:09.470 You're kidding. It's a little much on the body, but 0:14:10.350 --> 0:14:11.730 I will be supporting them for sure. 0:14:11.929 --> 0:14:12.429 Okay. 0:14:12.470 --> 0:14:12.630 Yeah. 0:14:12.890 --> 0:14:15.630 Okay. Well, Matt, first of all, I want to thank 0:14:15.650 --> 0:14:19.030 you for your service. Appreciate that. God bless you. Why 0:14:19.380 --> 0:14:23.620 the DAV? Why is the DAV so dear to you? Well, 0:14:23.680 --> 0:14:26.740 it's funny. So my story, you want me to get 0:14:26.760 --> 0:14:28.960 into the backstory a little bit? Sure, please. 0:14:29.220 --> 0:14:32.360 So I was, I got out, I separated from the 0:14:32.400 --> 0:14:38.690 military in 2009, thought everything was good. And then years later, 0:14:38.730 --> 0:14:41.230 when I was 37 years old, I was diagnosed with 0:14:41.270 --> 0:14:44.510 multiple myeloma, which is a form of blood cancer. So 0:14:44.550 --> 0:14:50.040 in the same family as leukemia and lymphoma. And they 0:14:50.120 --> 0:14:53.120 traced it pretty definitively back to some of the places that. 0:14:53.080 --> 0:14:56.460 I that I was overseas. So in Iraq, in Iraq. 0:14:56.500 --> 0:14:57.080 Yeah. Yeah. 0:14:57.520 --> 0:15:01.120 A lot of trends that, that came out of there. 0:15:01.240 --> 0:15:05.110 And so they, I was kind of looking for answers, 0:15:05.170 --> 0:15:08.390 kind of looking for support. And, and one of the 0:15:08.470 --> 0:15:12.450 things that I think Dan can attest to is, is 0:15:12.610 --> 0:15:14.960 when you separate from the military, there's a lot of 0:15:15.060 --> 0:15:15.840 question marks. 0:15:16.640 --> 0:15:20.090 And, and the, The veteran community, I. 0:15:20.090 --> 0:15:24.990 Think, takes it upon itself to rally and help each 0:15:25.030 --> 0:15:27.950 other out because there's not really a lot of official channels. 0:15:29.150 --> 0:15:32.370 The DAV came in and really helped kind of point 0:15:32.410 --> 0:15:36.110 me in the right direction with navigating the larger Department 0:15:36.150 --> 0:15:37.630 of Veterans Affairs. 0:15:39.120 --> 0:15:40.120 So they helped you? 0:15:40.250 --> 0:15:44.020 Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I didn't know where to go. 0:15:44.480 --> 0:15:47.220 And so, you know, in the military, we kind of 0:15:47.280 --> 0:15:52.500 talk about We talk about force multipliers, things that make 0:15:52.580 --> 0:15:55.880 us bigger than our enemy. So if I'm going to 0:15:55.900 --> 0:15:57.760 a knife fight, I bring a gun. If I'm going 0:15:57.780 --> 0:16:01.030 to a gunfight, I bring a bigger gun. I look 0:16:01.090 --> 0:16:03.590 at the DAV as kind of a force multiplier. They 0:16:04.050 --> 0:16:08.110 were able to take what I needed and just go 0:16:08.430 --> 0:16:10.550 and make it easy. 0:16:11.910 --> 0:16:15.780 You come back from Iraq. You serve your country. You 0:16:15.840 --> 0:16:17.780 find out essentially you have blood cancer. 0:16:18.000 --> 0:16:18.100 Yep. 0:16:18.930 --> 0:16:21.890 What happened? So they helped you get the treatment that 0:16:21.930 --> 0:16:26.530 you needed. How bad was the treatment? How rigorous? And 0:16:26.690 --> 0:16:30.070 please tell me you're better and you're well today. I am, uh, 0:16:30.250 --> 0:16:30.990 I am better. 0:16:31.190 --> 0:16:36.320 I'm well, um, unfortunately, uh, multiple myeloma is there's no 0:16:36.390 --> 0:16:39.260 cure for it right now. So I, I guess I'm, um, 0:16:39.620 --> 0:16:42.720 I still have it. Um, I'm in, in complete remission 0:16:42.740 --> 0:16:47.620 at this point. We have amazing care. Um, here but 0:16:48.100 --> 0:16:51.140 um but yeah the uh the the treatment was was 0:16:51.230 --> 0:16:54.350 extremely rigorous it's uh i ended up so as a 0:16:55.050 --> 0:16:58.010 as a i guess as a byproduct of or a 0:16:58.130 --> 0:17:02.670 symptom of multiple myeloma you before they start treating you 0:17:03.110 --> 0:17:05.880 all the calcium in your bones starts to get released 0:17:06.020 --> 0:17:09.680 into the uh into your bloodstream and so they they 0:17:09.760 --> 0:17:12.460 actually found it because i broke my back in seven 0:17:12.500 --> 0:17:14.060 different places and uh. 0:17:14.720 --> 0:17:17.369 Uh i i I was, I could barely walk. 0:17:17.590 --> 0:17:19.430 I was, you know. So how'd you break your back? 0:17:20.790 --> 0:17:23.510 It was a number of ways. A couple of them 0:17:23.530 --> 0:17:24.070 were minor. 0:17:24.109 --> 0:17:25.470 I was, I was exercising. 0:17:25.490 --> 0:17:29.710 That's not, that's a PSA to exercise with care. But, 0:17:30.609 --> 0:17:33.550 but the, the last and final time I was, this 0:17:33.570 --> 0:17:37.240 was actually the night that I was diagnosed. We were, it, 0:17:37.520 --> 0:17:44.189 it hadn't progressed as, as severely physically as, yet. And 0:17:44.210 --> 0:17:46.649 I was, I was sitting on my front doorstep, uh, 0:17:46.710 --> 0:17:49.669 with my wife kind of processing everything that we just, uh, 0:17:49.730 --> 0:17:52.310 we just heard from the doctors and, uh, I actually 0:17:52.350 --> 0:17:56.270 sneezed and, uh, uh, a sneeze is, is energy and 0:17:56.330 --> 0:17:59.170 energy needs to go somewhere. And it basically, uh, blew 0:17:59.230 --> 0:18:03.490 out four vertebrae in my back. Uh, and so the 0:18:03.540 --> 0:18:08.780 good news is, um, after, uh, you know, 25 rounds 0:18:08.820 --> 0:18:11.890 of chemo, a stem cell transplant and, and, you know, 0:18:11.950 --> 0:18:14.970 about a year and a half of PT, um, like 0:18:14.990 --> 0:18:16.690 you said, I'm, I'm stronger than ever now. 0:18:16.810 --> 0:18:21.400 So feeling good. Yeah. I, I listen, I'm, I'm being 0:18:21.420 --> 0:18:25.040 brutally honest with you. You do not look like you've 0:18:25.060 --> 0:18:30.160 been battling blood cancer and a broken back. And, and my, 0:18:30.990 --> 0:18:33.129 I mean, you've been through world war three. I mean, 0:18:33.190 --> 0:18:36.610 it's just, it's Matt, I got to say this. Um, 0:18:38.770 --> 0:18:44.150 would you do it again? Knowing everything that you've suffered, 0:18:44.830 --> 0:18:47.330 would you go back and serve your country again in Iraq? 0:18:47.650 --> 0:18:48.109 I would. 0:18:48.130 --> 0:18:48.830 I would. 0:18:49.050 --> 0:18:52.740 And I've thought about that question a lot, Jeff. I 0:18:54.540 --> 0:18:58.459 think there are, like, defining moments in everyone's life. And, 0:19:00.180 --> 0:19:03.959 you know, the military and the friends I made, some 0:19:03.980 --> 0:19:06.420 of the best friends that I've ever had, and that 0:19:06.460 --> 0:19:08.980 whole experience was a defining moment in my life. I 0:19:09.000 --> 0:19:12.720 would absolutely– go back and without a second thought, do 0:19:12.740 --> 0:19:13.119 it again. 0:19:13.140 --> 0:19:18.590 The other piece of it too, the treatment. and kind 0:19:18.609 --> 0:19:19.530 of that whole experience. 0:19:19.550 --> 0:19:22.190 Matt, buddy, hold on. We're up against a heartbreak. Yeah, 0:19:22.210 --> 0:19:24.000 let's do it. Hey, I work in radio. Yeah, no, 0:19:24.010 --> 0:19:26.070 I'm going to come right back to you, okay? Welcome 0:19:26.109 --> 0:19:32.899 back to WRKO's annual Radiothon to benefit disabled American veterans. 0:19:33.800 --> 0:19:40.220 This entire hour has been sponsored by Wilson Farm in Lexington. 0:19:40.700 --> 0:19:41.980 If you would like to donate, 978-632-1122. 0:19:44.400 --> 0:19:44.480 1-985-978-632-1985. 0:20:07.980 --> 0:20:13.230 For a very special dinner with Paul Wahlberg. This is 0:20:13.250 --> 0:20:16.369 going to be a private dinner at his five-star restaurant. 0:20:17.130 --> 0:20:19.870 Everything is included. I'm telling you, you're going to have 0:20:19.930 --> 0:20:21.670 a feast. You're going to have a meal you're never 0:20:21.710 --> 0:20:25.950 going to forget, plus wine, plus obviously Paul and other 0:20:26.020 --> 0:20:29.380 people will be there. And right now we are starting 0:20:29.440 --> 0:20:34.400 the bid at $ 1, 000. I'm telling you, they're practically giving 0:20:34.440 --> 0:20:34.580 it away. 0:20:34.600 --> 0:20:34.810 Thank you. 0:20:35.160 --> 0:20:37.970 Jeff, you're going to have to increase that because we 0:20:38.109 --> 0:20:41.149 already have the $ 1, 000 bid in from Lucia. Thank you 0:20:41.210 --> 0:20:44.670 very much for your kind donation. And so the bid 0:20:44.690 --> 0:20:45.449 will keep going up. 0:20:45.470 --> 0:20:48.949 What do you say, $ 1, 500? I would say at least, yes. Okay, 0:20:49.010 --> 0:20:53.830 let's go to $ 1, 500. I'm telling you, it's still a steal. $ 1, 500. Remember, 0:20:53.950 --> 0:20:56.890 all this money goes to the DAV. So, A, you're 0:20:56.910 --> 0:20:59.230 going to have a meal you're never going to forget. 0:20:59.590 --> 0:21:01.230 You're going to eat. I mean, you're going to eat 0:21:01.290 --> 0:21:07.369 well and have incredible wine, wonderful entertainment, up to eight people. 0:21:07.910 --> 0:21:18.780 Eight people. $ 1, 500. Let's raise the bid to $ 1, 500. 978-632-1985. 0:21:19.280 --> 0:21:25.540 Private dinner with Paul Wahlberg at his five-star, I mean, 0:21:26.260 --> 0:21:29.100 you're talking one of the best restaurants in Boston, one 0:21:29.119 --> 0:21:32.120 of the best restaurants in the United States. Okay, let's 0:21:32.160 --> 0:21:36.250 go right back. This guy is Superman. I've just met 0:21:36.310 --> 0:21:40.690 the real living Superman right here. Former Sergeant Matt Houston, 0:21:41.119 --> 0:21:45.520 he served in Iraq. If you remember, my friends, it 0:21:45.560 --> 0:21:48.960 was a huge story at the time, the burn pits 0:21:49.780 --> 0:21:55.030 that were breaking out all over Iraq. And we realize 0:21:55.090 --> 0:21:58.869 now in retrospect, a lot of our soldiers who were there, 0:21:59.030 --> 0:22:03.639 and Matt was deployed to Iraq, came down with all 0:22:03.680 --> 0:22:08.900 kinds of diseases and illnesses. And he came down with 0:22:09.100 --> 0:22:14.609 essentially blood cancer. And it ravaged his body to the 0:22:14.650 --> 0:22:18.970 point that just by sneezing, he broke his back. And 0:22:19.030 --> 0:22:23.270 this poor man was in a back brace with a cane, 0:22:23.990 --> 0:22:28.980 people wondering if he'll ever, ever walk again. And then 0:22:29.000 --> 0:22:34.409 he had to go through 25 rounds of chemotherapy to 0:22:34.510 --> 0:22:39.290 beat back the cancer in his blood. And it's been, what, 0:22:39.390 --> 0:22:42.800 five years now, Matt? Five years. Five years to the 0:22:42.840 --> 0:22:46.359 week of my first chemotherapy. Your first chemotherapy. And I 0:22:46.400 --> 0:22:49.020 got to tell you, I'm staring right at him. 0:22:49.040 --> 0:22:50.260 Yeah. 0:22:50.930 --> 0:22:54.109 He's 40. You don't want me saying your age. He's 43, 0:22:54.100 --> 0:22:58.980 almost 44. He looks 33 going on 34. I'm serious. 0:22:59.020 --> 0:23:01.340 He's thin. He's fit. He's got a hell of a 0:23:01.359 --> 0:23:03.850 lot more hair than I do. I said, you look 0:23:03.880 --> 0:23:07.790 phenomenal for 43. Never mind the guy who had a 0:23:07.830 --> 0:23:12.470 broken back. can't blood cancer and you know basically is 0:23:12.510 --> 0:23:15.430 lucky to be alive i've got to ask you matt 0:23:15.470 --> 0:23:18.530 we're talking about this before and i always ask this 0:23:18.590 --> 0:23:23.340 question because i'm always amazed at the answer you suffered 0:23:23.780 --> 0:23:27.760 so much for so long you paid such an immense 0:23:27.859 --> 0:23:31.580 price and you mentioned how you had two children and 0:23:31.619 --> 0:23:34.280 that the whole time as you're trying to recover from 0:23:34.320 --> 0:23:38.760 both the back broken back And the blood cancer, you're thinking, 0:23:38.840 --> 0:23:40.740 I got to get well, I got to get physically 0:23:40.780 --> 0:23:44.260 back on my feet. My children need me. My family 0:23:44.300 --> 0:23:47.640 needs me. And you're thinking about your children. You're thinking 0:23:47.660 --> 0:23:50.900 about your wife. You're thinking about your family. And yet 0:23:51.010 --> 0:23:55.330 when I ask, would you do it all over again, 0:23:55.770 --> 0:23:59.630 knowing what you're going to suffer? Your answer, and so 0:23:59.670 --> 0:24:01.110 many of you vets say the same thing. 0:24:01.130 --> 0:24:01.200 Yes. 0:24:01.830 --> 0:24:02.070 Yes. 0:24:05.109 --> 0:24:07.129 I don't know what to say. I'm speechless, really. 0:24:07.430 --> 0:24:10.669 Yeah, I mean, I appreciate you saying that. 0:24:11.490 --> 0:24:15.330 Like I was saying before, we have these experiences, and 0:24:15.869 --> 0:24:21.139 the military has– it may look odd from the outside 0:24:21.160 --> 0:24:24.500 looking in, but it gave me so much with the 0:24:24.560 --> 0:24:27.359 friends that I made, the experiences that I had there, 0:24:27.560 --> 0:24:30.720 and now the network that I have being almost 20 0:24:30.720 --> 0:24:31.359 years out at this point. 0:24:34.619 --> 0:24:35.400 Have been amazing. 0:24:35.460 --> 0:24:41.550 But even the experience of going through cancer treatment and 0:24:41.740 --> 0:24:45.970 getting well and trying to walk and get fit again 0:24:46.090 --> 0:24:49.270 for my kids, it was watching that experience. I don't 0:24:49.450 --> 0:24:53.190 know that I regret anything. I mean, I look at 0:24:53.230 --> 0:24:56.810 what they went through when I was in treatment, and. 0:24:56.750 --> 0:24:59.429 It was an experience for them. It was really. 0:25:03.109 --> 0:25:06.930 Um, it was, it was eyeopening watching them become little warriors, 0:25:07.060 --> 0:25:11.260 like learning how to face adversity. And, and, um, I 0:25:11.320 --> 0:25:12.879 came out of it a different person. I learned a 0:25:12.920 --> 0:25:14.879 lot about myself. I learned about a lot about what 0:25:14.920 --> 0:25:17.940 my family's capable of, and I don't regret any of it. 0:25:19.119 --> 0:25:21.640 You're a very humble man. I'm going to be honest 0:25:21.680 --> 0:25:24.159 with you. You're a very humble man. Like many of 0:25:24.260 --> 0:25:28.920 the disabled veterans that I've met. Um, you're patriotic. Your 0:25:28.940 --> 0:25:35.230 patriotism is incredible. Your courage, your bravery. your dedication. You 0:25:35.260 --> 0:25:38.500 guys are the best of the best. And I'm asking 0:25:38.560 --> 0:25:41.620 everybody out there, please look at what this man, look 0:25:41.680 --> 0:25:45.379 at former Sergeant Matt Houston, look what he endured for us. 0:25:45.700 --> 0:25:48.179 Look what he suffered for us. Look what he was 0:25:48.220 --> 0:25:52.080 willing to risk everything for us. He was there for 0:25:52.280 --> 0:25:57.859 us to defend our freedoms, our liberties, our country, our nation. 0:25:59.119 --> 0:26:03.960 Let's now be there for him. Please, whatever you can give. 0:26:04.540 --> 0:26:07.800 And again, I'm sure Matt will second this. It's not 0:26:07.859 --> 0:26:12.110 the amount that matters. It's the phone call. It's that 0:26:12.150 --> 0:26:14.290 you care. $ 1, $ 5, $ 10, $ 25, $ 50, $ 100. Whatever you 0:26:14.590 --> 0:26:15.929 can give, please give. Call now, 978-632-1985. 0:26:15.930 --> 0:26:15.990