WEBVTT - Showing Up On Veterans Day 0:00:15.356 --> 0:00:15.796 Pushkin. 0:00:19.676 --> 0:00:22.716 Hey everyone, We've put together a survey for listeners of 0:00:22.756 --> 0:00:24.996 Medal of Honor and we want to hear from you. 0:00:25.516 --> 0:00:27.476 Tell us what you love about the show, what we 0:00:27.516 --> 0:00:30.996 can improve on, or stories you think we've missed. We're 0:00:30.996 --> 0:00:34.076 committed to making this show even better and you can 0:00:34.156 --> 0:00:38.196 help to take the survey. Visit bit dot lee slash 0:00:38.956 --> 0:00:45.556 h survey. That's bit dot l y slash mh survey. 0:00:46.076 --> 0:00:56.916 The link is also in our show notes below. Today 0:00:56.956 --> 0:00:59.956 we celebrate Veterans Day. It's a time for us to 0:00:59.956 --> 0:01:02.956 reflect on the sacrifices made by the men and women 0:01:03.196 --> 0:01:06.996 who have served and protected this country across generations. 0:01:08.036 --> 0:01:09.036 I'm JR. Martinez. 0:01:09.676 --> 0:01:12.636 In the last season A Medal of Honor Stories of Courage, 0:01:12.836 --> 0:01:15.676 I had the privilege of telling the heroic stories of 0:01:15.716 --> 0:01:19.116 some of the bravest veterans to ever put on the uniform, 0:01:19.516 --> 0:01:22.836 like sal Junta, who ran through a hell of bullets 0:01:22.876 --> 0:01:26.636 to save his best friend from capture, or Carl Sitter, 0:01:27.156 --> 0:01:31.396 the wounded marine captain who refused to be evacuated until 0:01:31.476 --> 0:01:35.716 the job was done. Ordinary men who were thrust into 0:01:35.796 --> 0:01:39.676 impossible situations, who didn't just meet the challenge of the day, 0:01:40.036 --> 0:01:44.356 but plowed through it. If you've been listening to our show, 0:01:44.676 --> 0:01:47.596 you know the value of that kind of courage. But 0:01:47.636 --> 0:01:49.876 I'm here to tell you that everyone who has ever 0:01:49.916 --> 0:01:53.156 put on the uniform has a story. So today I'd 0:01:53.156 --> 0:01:55.436 like to encourage you to talk to the veterans in 0:01:55.476 --> 0:01:58.356 your life and don't just thank them for their service. 0:01:59.036 --> 0:02:01.676 Ask them about it. It shouldn't end with just the 0:02:01.796 --> 0:02:05.116 thank you. We're hard at work on the next season, 0:02:05.116 --> 0:02:06.916 a Medal of Honor, and it's coming in May of 0:02:06.996 --> 0:02:09.676 next year. But in the meantime want to hear from 0:02:09.716 --> 0:02:12.076 you about what you'd like to hear from us. 0:02:12.556 --> 0:02:14.156 We put together a listener survey. 0:02:14.796 --> 0:02:16.916 Tell us what you love about the show, what we 0:02:16.956 --> 0:02:20.756 can improve on, stories you think we've missed. As we 0:02:20.796 --> 0:02:24.436 observe this Veterans Day, we're recommitting ourselves to not just 0:02:24.556 --> 0:02:28.156 making the show, but making it better. And you can 0:02:28.196 --> 0:02:31.036 help us to take the survey. Head to bit dot 0:02:31.116 --> 0:02:35.436 lee slash m oh survey. That's bit dot l y 0:02:36.036 --> 0:02:39.796 slash m o h survey. That link is also in 0:02:39.836 --> 0:02:44.236 our show notes. For this episode, I sat down with 0:02:44.276 --> 0:02:47.516 my producer Ryan Swikert to talk about what we owe 0:02:47.556 --> 0:02:50.676 our veterans today and what we can expect in the 0:02:50.756 --> 0:02:52.716 upcoming season of Medal of Honor. 0:02:56.316 --> 0:02:58.316 Well, Jr. I am so happy to be sitting with 0:02:58.396 --> 0:03:01.996 you here in Pushkin Industries in beautiful New York City. 0:03:02.076 --> 0:03:06.756 Yes, sir, it's nice, beautiful cool outside here. I am walking, 0:03:06.996 --> 0:03:08.756 you know, in New York and I'm like, and a 0:03:08.836 --> 0:03:09.676 lady sneeze. 0:03:09.676 --> 0:03:11.796 I was like, bless you, and she just kind of 0:03:11.836 --> 0:03:12.756 looked at me, you. 0:03:12.676 --> 0:03:15.396 Know, and just kept it moving, and I was like, Oh, 0:03:15.436 --> 0:03:17.316 I love New York right like, And it's. 0:03:18.916 --> 0:03:21.316 I'm really excited to be talking to you about, you know, 0:03:21.396 --> 0:03:23.836 the things that you learned making this show and what 0:03:23.876 --> 0:03:27.476 the listeners can expect this upcoming season and today's Veterans Day. 0:03:27.756 --> 0:03:30.916 It's interesting, Like I have veterans in my life, and 0:03:31.516 --> 0:03:33.876 you know, as a civilian, sometimes it feels like maybe 0:03:34.316 --> 0:03:37.716 you don't want to broach the subject with somebody to 0:03:37.716 --> 0:03:40.196 get them to talk about bad things that happened to them. Yeah, 0:03:40.196 --> 0:03:41.076 what would you say to that. 0:03:42.676 --> 0:03:44.636 Let them tell you, let them dictate. 0:03:45.556 --> 0:03:50.236 You'll know immediately if this individual wants to talk, and 0:03:50.276 --> 0:03:53.196 if they do, how much they want to share. Why 0:03:53.196 --> 0:03:56.956 are we underestimating that they're capable of telling us a 0:03:56.956 --> 0:04:00.436 lot of us don't want to infringe because they don't 0:04:00.436 --> 0:04:02.836 want to pry because they're afraid, you know. But I 0:04:02.876 --> 0:04:05.716 think a lot of people don't want to infringe because 0:04:05.716 --> 0:04:08.356 they're they don't want that vet to be like, it's 0:04:08.396 --> 0:04:10.396 none of your business. I don't want to talk about 0:04:10.396 --> 0:04:13.196 it because how it's going to make us feel exactly. 0:04:13.956 --> 0:04:15.956 You know, you do these. 0:04:15.756 --> 0:04:18.236 Little events and you know, you get get around kids 0:04:18.236 --> 0:04:20.836 and kids are like kids have no filter, man. I 0:04:20.836 --> 0:04:23.916 mean as brutally, as raw as it may be at 0:04:23.956 --> 0:04:26.236 times when a kid would come up to me and like. 0:04:26.236 --> 0:04:29.516 What happened to your face? I mean, straight up, man, 0:04:29.916 --> 0:04:30.916 these kids are brutal. 0:04:31.436 --> 0:04:33.236 But at the end of the day, I mean it's 0:04:33.276 --> 0:04:35.356 inspiring to see these kids that are doing that. And 0:04:35.636 --> 0:04:38.316 that's I think as adults to some degree, like we 0:04:38.356 --> 0:04:40.236 need to kind of like still carry a little bit 0:04:40.276 --> 0:04:44.876 of that inner child in us because they're curious, fearless. 0:04:44.676 --> 0:04:47.036 Just ask the questions, just go shoot. 0:04:46.716 --> 0:04:49.036 From the hip man and veterans day. 0:04:49.276 --> 0:04:51.236 You know, again, we're so used to going up to 0:04:51.276 --> 0:04:54.036 a vat, you know, and say thank you for your service, 0:04:54.636 --> 0:04:57.636 and what do they say? Thank you? And they're like, 0:04:57.716 --> 0:05:01.196 all right, have a good day. Walk away, right, what 0:05:01.436 --> 0:05:04.476 happened there? Yes, you allow someone to feel appreciated, and 0:05:04.476 --> 0:05:08.916 then that is equally important. However, you just walked away 0:05:09.236 --> 0:05:12.236 not knowing what that person did, not knowing what you 0:05:12.356 --> 0:05:16.516 really thank them for. That person now doesn't really know you, 0:05:17.516 --> 0:05:19.676 versus if you approached them and said, you know, yes, 0:05:19.796 --> 0:05:21.076 if you want to lead with the hey, I just 0:05:21.116 --> 0:05:23.156 want to say thank you for your service, really appreciated. 0:05:23.156 --> 0:05:24.956 And they're like, thank you, and wou do you mind 0:05:24.996 --> 0:05:26.756 telling me? Like, what what'd you do in the military? 0:05:27.676 --> 0:05:28.596 You know, where'd you serve? 0:05:29.236 --> 0:05:31.596 Just starting a conversation with the veterans in your life, right, 0:05:31.596 --> 0:05:31.916 that's it. 0:05:32.356 --> 0:05:33.316 Yeah, that's it man. 0:05:34.596 --> 0:05:37.876 I just tell people like, don't make the decision for 0:05:37.956 --> 0:05:42.036 that individual. Let that individual tell you if they're ready 0:05:42.076 --> 0:05:42.476 to talk. 0:05:43.716 --> 0:05:45.436 I want to back up just a little bit. Of course, 0:05:46.076 --> 0:05:48.876 So a lot of listeners are familiar with your story, 0:05:49.196 --> 0:05:51.156 but I think a lot of new listeners might not be. 0:05:52.196 --> 0:05:54.996 And being that it's Veterans Day today, I was wondering 0:05:54.996 --> 0:05:57.076 if you could just tell me the story of when 0:05:57.116 --> 0:05:58.076 you became a veteran. 0:05:58.156 --> 0:06:00.636 Absolutely not all right. 0:06:00.556 --> 0:06:02.316 That's okay. I just wanted to ask, there we. 0:06:02.276 --> 0:06:04.836 Go, there it is put it in practice already. I 0:06:04.836 --> 0:06:08.436 love it, man, understand that. Yeah, I wouldn't want to 0:06:08.436 --> 0:06:09.636 talk about it yet. Yeah, exactly. 0:06:09.636 --> 0:06:12.356 There you go see, and that's but that's that's the 0:06:12.356 --> 0:06:16.516 way to do it. So essentially, I was a senior 0:06:16.556 --> 0:06:19.316 in high school in nine to eleven. Took place, and 0:06:19.396 --> 0:06:24.756 like everybody, of course, confused, afraid, but also I think 0:06:25.116 --> 0:06:29.596 just felt this deep patriotism of what can I do? 0:06:29.676 --> 0:06:33.196 I want to do something, and so the military now 0:06:33.396 --> 0:06:34.836 became that opportunity for me. 0:06:35.636 --> 0:06:37.316 It was an opportunity for me to go serve. 0:06:37.596 --> 0:06:39.516 It was an opportunity for me to get more disciplined, 0:06:39.516 --> 0:06:42.156 as opportunity for me to travel, get money for college. 0:06:41.836 --> 0:06:43.276 All the things. It was a one stop shop. 0:06:43.916 --> 0:06:46.316 And so off I go to the army as an 0:06:46.316 --> 0:06:51.356 Infertruman and six months after I enlisted, I found myself 0:06:51.676 --> 0:06:53.036 in combat in Iraq. 0:06:53.756 --> 0:06:55.796 At first, I didn't really feel like I played a role. 0:06:56.556 --> 0:06:58.516 I was like, what I mean, I'm not really doing 0:06:58.556 --> 0:07:01.476 anything here, Like I mean, not helpful to anybody. 0:07:02.436 --> 0:07:04.356 I don't know any of this stuff. 0:07:05.156 --> 0:07:08.076 And it took one of my leaders to give a 0:07:08.076 --> 0:07:11.956 briefing to our unit, and in that briefing he talked 0:07:11.956 --> 0:07:14.196 about the importance of service. He talked about the importance 0:07:14.196 --> 0:07:16.036 of every single person in the role that they played 0:07:16.036 --> 0:07:18.636 and accomplishing our mission. And he was giving this whole 0:07:18.636 --> 0:07:20.956 speech Man, and I literally was like, oh my god, 0:07:21.236 --> 0:07:23.676 all right, I get it. Now, I do play a role, 0:07:23.756 --> 0:07:27.956 I do matter. I am part of this team. And 0:07:28.196 --> 0:07:30.236 you know, I was only in country Man for three 0:07:30.316 --> 0:07:33.716 and a half weeks, that's it. And then on the 0:07:33.716 --> 0:07:35.676 fifth of April of two thousand and three, I'm driving 0:07:35.676 --> 0:07:37.836 a humvey through a city called Carbala when the front 0:07:37.876 --> 0:07:40.356 left tire runs over a roadside bomb. 0:07:40.876 --> 0:07:42.436 There were three other guys in the humvy. 0:07:42.516 --> 0:07:45.156 They were all thrown out, but I was trapped aside, 0:07:45.196 --> 0:07:47.036 and within a matter of seconds, this humvy was now 0:07:47.036 --> 0:07:48.396 in gulfed in flames, and you. 0:07:48.356 --> 0:07:50.756 Know, I can't get out. 0:07:51.636 --> 0:07:53.276 For five minutes that I was trapped inside of this 0:07:53.316 --> 0:07:56.796 burning humvey, I was in and out of consciousness because. 0:07:56.596 --> 0:07:58.116 I had thirty degree burns. 0:07:58.436 --> 0:08:00.076 But the biggest thing that was threatening whether I was 0:08:00.116 --> 0:08:01.796 going to survive or not was the fact that I 0:08:01.836 --> 0:08:04.996 had inhalation damage. So I was inhaling all the smoke 0:08:05.036 --> 0:08:07.596 from the fire. I had broken ribs. It was hard 0:08:07.596 --> 0:08:10.556 for me to breathe, So this is what it sounded like. 0:08:10.636 --> 0:08:17.996 It was like help, help, like that. And then there 0:08:17.996 --> 0:08:21.196 would be these moments where my body would get really heavy, 0:08:21.476 --> 0:08:23.716 like my eyes would get heavy, my body would start 0:08:23.756 --> 0:08:25.676 to kind of get weak, and my eyes would be 0:08:25.716 --> 0:08:29.116 on the verge of closing and they would close. But 0:08:29.156 --> 0:08:33.116 when my eyes closed, there's two things that I vividly remember. 0:08:33.716 --> 0:08:38.196 One is feeling my breath. I could feel myself breathing 0:08:38.796 --> 0:08:42.036 or trying to. And the second thing is my thoughts. 0:08:43.596 --> 0:08:46.596 And then I would tell myself, don't keep your eyes closed, 0:08:47.196 --> 0:08:49.556 because if you do, that's it. You're giving up. Someone's 0:08:49.596 --> 0:08:51.356 gonna pull you out. Open your eyes and I would 0:08:51.396 --> 0:08:53.796 open my eyes and I would continue to screaming. Yet, 0:08:53.996 --> 0:08:57.076 but what I learned from the fifth of Abel of 0:08:57.116 --> 0:09:00.516 two thousand and three is that hopefully I and the 0:09:00.596 --> 0:09:04.876 listener we won't find ourselves in a burning situation right 0:09:04.916 --> 0:09:09.356 where we're trapped. Hopefully that's not the case. However, life 0:09:09.396 --> 0:09:12.516 in itself, because it could be overwhelming and a lot 0:09:12.516 --> 0:09:15.836 of pressures can feel like we're in a burning situation. 0:09:18.956 --> 0:09:21.836 And so what I've learned from that five minutes that 0:09:21.876 --> 0:09:24.476 I was trapped inside of that humvey is that when 0:09:24.516 --> 0:09:27.436 things start to feel a little overwhelming, when things start 0:09:27.476 --> 0:09:29.196 to feel a little out of control. 0:09:29.836 --> 0:09:31.236 I just like to close my eyes. 0:09:32.196 --> 0:09:34.796 I like to connect with my breath, and I like 0:09:34.836 --> 0:09:38.716 to connect with my thoughts well and ask for help 0:09:38.796 --> 0:09:41.676 right and ask for other things and trust that people 0:09:41.716 --> 0:09:45.516 will show up for you. I had to trust in 0:09:45.556 --> 0:09:47.436 those five minutes that somebody was going to show up. 0:09:47.636 --> 0:09:50.716 I had this false sense of hope that someone was 0:09:50.756 --> 0:09:53.516 going to come pull me out, and they did, and 0:09:53.556 --> 0:09:56.476 I was pulled out of the humbee, started the metavac process, 0:09:56.596 --> 0:09:59.836 put into a medical induce coma, ended up in San Antonio, Texas, 0:10:00.356 --> 0:10:02.596 and then three weeks later, came out of my medical 0:10:02.636 --> 0:10:19.196 induce coma to my new reality. You know, after my injury, 0:10:19.996 --> 0:10:21.916 I was in a medical induce coma for three weeks. 0:10:22.036 --> 0:10:24.396 And when I came out of my medical induce coma, 0:10:25.116 --> 0:10:27.756 the first question, no different than any other service member 0:10:27.956 --> 0:10:30.436 that I asked the medical team, was when can I 0:10:30.556 --> 0:10:32.316 get out? And when can I get back with my 0:10:32.436 --> 0:10:37.196 unit and finish my tour. And the first bombshell, if 0:10:37.196 --> 0:10:39.796 you will, that they dropped on me was they told 0:10:39.836 --> 0:10:41.156 me that I wasn't going to be allowed to stay 0:10:41.156 --> 0:10:41.636 in the Army. 0:10:41.916 --> 0:10:43.516 I was going to be medically discharged. 0:10:44.356 --> 0:10:47.716 That was really hard for me because I started to 0:10:47.796 --> 0:10:52.196 create this identity of Okay, I love this military thing, 0:10:53.036 --> 0:10:57.116 I love this uniform, I love this concept of service, 0:10:57.276 --> 0:11:00.796 like I love being a part of this, and now 0:11:00.796 --> 0:11:04.116 you're taking that away from me. Also, within the same 0:11:04.236 --> 0:11:07.076 like week and a half, I saw my face and 0:11:07.116 --> 0:11:10.116 my body for the first time understood this of my injury. 0:11:10.636 --> 0:11:13.516 And so I always say to people, you know, two 0:11:13.516 --> 0:11:15.356 weeks after I came out of my coma, I lost 0:11:15.396 --> 0:11:17.116 both of my identities. 0:11:16.836 --> 0:11:18.316 Like I didn't know who I was. 0:11:19.636 --> 0:11:22.076 And I mean at that point, I was just kind 0:11:22.076 --> 0:11:24.356 of going through the motions, just kind of surviving the day. 0:11:24.436 --> 0:11:26.996 I had to really like go of the pressure of 0:11:27.036 --> 0:11:29.556 what long term was going to look like, and I 0:11:29.596 --> 0:11:32.956 started to really focus on just the short term, the now, 0:11:33.116 --> 0:11:36.716 the today. And six months later, I'm asked to visit 0:11:36.756 --> 0:11:40.236 a patient who was in the hospital essentially navigating the 0:11:40.276 --> 0:11:43.996 same thing I was navigating six months prior, and I 0:11:44.076 --> 0:11:45.916 was encouraged to go in and talk to him, and 0:11:45.996 --> 0:11:48.836 you know, like a typical twenty year old, I was like, now, now, now, 0:11:48.916 --> 0:11:51.316 And you know, the staff who had at that point 0:11:51.436 --> 0:11:55.996 became more like my friends and family and this nurse, 0:11:56.036 --> 0:11:59.316 Miss Walker, she was like, no, go in there, and 0:11:59.356 --> 0:12:01.356 I was like, fine, I'll do it. Gosh, I mean 0:12:01.676 --> 0:12:04.156 literally like a mother's son dynamic. 0:12:04.236 --> 0:12:06.316 And do you know why you were so reluctant to go? 0:12:06.476 --> 0:12:08.876 Because I was like, I'm twenty, what am I going 0:12:08.916 --> 0:12:11.196 to say say? I don't know what I'm going to 0:12:11.236 --> 0:12:14.756 say to this individual, like nothing to offer. And that 0:12:14.876 --> 0:12:18.876 was my first mistake because what I realized when I 0:12:18.916 --> 0:12:21.076 walked into that room and he was definitely in a 0:12:21.076 --> 0:12:24.316 bad place, I realized all I needed to do is 0:12:24.356 --> 0:12:26.916 just show up. And I remember having a forty five 0:12:26.916 --> 0:12:29.716 minute conversation with this patient and when I left, I. 0:12:29.636 --> 0:12:31.436 Was like, hey, man, I'll come back tomorrow. He's like, yeah, man, 0:12:31.436 --> 0:12:34.436 I'd appreciate that. Like it was a completely different vibe 0:12:34.756 --> 0:12:37.236 in his room. And I started visiting patients every day. 0:12:38.236 --> 0:12:40.196 And what that did is that gave me what part 0:12:40.236 --> 0:12:43.756 of my identity back, the ability to serve. I realize 0:12:43.796 --> 0:12:46.076 I can serve again in a different way, in a 0:12:46.076 --> 0:12:47.636 different capacity, but I can serve. 0:12:48.836 --> 0:12:50.916 I learned that I needed to be vulnerable. 0:12:51.796 --> 0:12:54.556 The more that I've done that, I have found some 0:12:54.716 --> 0:12:58.516 really incredible people that I call my family. Now I 0:12:58.556 --> 0:13:02.636 have created deeper connections with people that I probably never 0:13:02.676 --> 0:13:05.676 would have had. I continue to keep this sort of 0:13:05.716 --> 0:13:10.836 shield in front of me, just trusting that you know, 0:13:10.956 --> 0:13:13.276 not everybody, but there are a hell of a lot 0:13:13.276 --> 0:13:16.876 of people out there that are equipped to show up 0:13:16.876 --> 0:13:19.596 for you, but you also have to equally let them 0:13:19.636 --> 0:13:20.836 know that you need that. 0:13:21.916 --> 0:13:24.036 It sounds like a Veteran's day message. 0:13:24.276 --> 0:13:25.076 That's it, man. 0:13:25.476 --> 0:13:27.476 You know, as much as I'm putting you know, we're 0:13:27.516 --> 0:13:31.916 talking to the listener that's potentially civilian, I'm also talking. 0:13:31.676 --> 0:13:33.596 To that vet. 0:13:33.756 --> 0:13:36.596 It's hard walking the streets of the world, even if 0:13:36.596 --> 0:13:39.476 there's only five hundred people that live in your town, 0:13:39.716 --> 0:13:42.756 or there's five million people in New York City, you know, 0:13:43.116 --> 0:13:46.436 in the same borough as you right now. It's hard, 0:13:47.116 --> 0:13:51.636 and it's easy to feel isolated, and it's probably feels 0:13:51.676 --> 0:13:54.796 and the short term better to isolate yourself. But the 0:13:54.836 --> 0:13:58.436 long term, in order for you to be what you 0:13:58.516 --> 0:14:01.756 are destined to be, we have to be willing to 0:14:01.796 --> 0:14:05.716 like just keep showing up. And the military they taught 0:14:05.756 --> 0:14:08.356 us that, and just because we're not in it anymore 0:14:08.396 --> 0:14:12.236 doesn't mean that goes away. Show up for others and 0:14:12.356 --> 0:14:14.876 through that you start to kind of discover more about yourself. 0:14:14.916 --> 0:14:17.116 And that was true for me as I started to 0:14:17.116 --> 0:14:20.636 discover so much more about myself by just showing up 0:14:20.676 --> 0:14:21.196 for others. 0:14:22.396 --> 0:14:24.956 You talk about showing up, and you know, working on 0:14:24.996 --> 0:14:28.236 this podcast, you've seen that, Like, yes, a lot of 0:14:28.276 --> 0:14:30.276 these guys are very heroic and a lot of the 0:14:30.316 --> 0:14:33.396 things they did were amazing, but they got in those 0:14:33.436 --> 0:14:35.996 positions in the first place by just showing up. Yeah, 0:14:36.076 --> 0:14:37.436 do you want to talk a little bit about that? 0:14:37.556 --> 0:14:41.396 Yeah, man, I mean working on season two of Medal 0:14:41.436 --> 0:14:45.676 of Honor and listening to season one with Malcolm, it 0:14:45.796 --> 0:14:50.396 just reminded me of how important it is to simply 0:14:50.516 --> 0:14:54.636 just show up, to just be there, Like you don't 0:14:54.676 --> 0:14:57.116 have to have all the answers. I mean, you listen 0:14:57.196 --> 0:15:00.596 to some of these individuals in season two and they 0:15:00.636 --> 0:15:03.836 didn't have extensive training, they didn't have combat training, they 0:15:03.836 --> 0:15:06.436 didn't get the luxury to go to this school and 0:15:06.476 --> 0:15:09.116 that school. I did it right, Like that's a common 0:15:09.276 --> 0:15:13.196 and theme in some of these stories. Yet when a 0:15:13.356 --> 0:15:18.236 moment asked somebody to show up, they just showed up 0:15:18.596 --> 0:15:19.836 and they figured it out. 0:15:19.956 --> 0:15:23.676 Like guys were able to just navigate it and do 0:15:23.756 --> 0:15:27.276 some incredible things that I think they surprise themselves, which 0:15:27.316 --> 0:15:29.516 is why I think many of them are like why 0:15:29.516 --> 0:15:33.516 am I being awarded this incredible honor? 0:15:33.636 --> 0:15:36.396 Like why do I deserve this right? I think anybody 0:15:36.436 --> 0:15:37.916 would have done that. I think we all would have 0:15:37.956 --> 0:15:41.356 tried to, you know, navigate it the same way. And 0:15:41.476 --> 0:15:45.156 if there's anything you take away from this podcast, it's 0:15:45.236 --> 0:15:49.876 simply being inspired by these stories that for some of us, 0:15:49.916 --> 0:15:54.476 including myself, they feel like, no, these are fictional stories. 0:15:54.516 --> 0:15:58.076 There's I can't no, that's not real, that happened. 0:15:58.396 --> 0:15:59.756 I mean, it's easy to look at the things that 0:15:59.796 --> 0:16:03.956 these guys do. It's just sort of like these amazing heroics. Yeah, 0:16:04.036 --> 0:16:07.076 but really it's just the confluence of like this training, 0:16:07.476 --> 0:16:10.196 this ability, and the right moment. 0:16:10.476 --> 0:16:12.236 Yeah you're I mean, and a lot of them it's 0:16:12.276 --> 0:16:15.076 just like what would I have done? What would I 0:16:15.076 --> 0:16:17.876 have done if there was someone with a machine gun? 0:16:17.996 --> 0:16:20.596 Like in a position, like what I have charged in? 0:16:20.876 --> 0:16:24.156 What would I have done? And so you easily start 0:16:24.196 --> 0:16:28.476 to kind of think these are like just superheroes and 0:16:28.516 --> 0:16:28.916 they're not. 0:16:29.076 --> 0:16:35.596 They're human beings. We all have this, we really do. 0:16:36.196 --> 0:16:38.716 And I just love that I get to be part 0:16:38.756 --> 0:16:42.196 of the team to help keep these legacies alive and 0:16:42.236 --> 0:16:45.556 then help people that are listening realize that they too 0:16:45.596 --> 0:16:48.796 can be like Carl Sitter, they can be like Jefferson 0:16:48.796 --> 0:16:50.916 de Blanc, they can be like all these individuals that 0:16:50.956 --> 0:16:53.396 we've covered in the first two seasons of Medal of Honor. 0:16:54.316 --> 0:16:57.716 It's a reminder for all of us as human beings, 0:16:57.436 --> 0:17:01.276 as Americans, as listeners of this podcast where we're listening 0:17:01.316 --> 0:17:06.396 to these stories, to just keep showing up. We want 0:17:06.396 --> 0:17:11.516 to run away, but showing up might actually allow you 0:17:11.556 --> 0:17:14.636 to realize the true hero that is in you, that 0:17:14.796 --> 0:17:25.036 is just waiting for that moment to come out. 0:17:26.476 --> 0:17:29.436 Jare I actually recently learned that you were on Dancing 0:17:29.436 --> 0:17:32.476 with the Stars. I did not know this about you. 0:17:32.476 --> 0:17:33.836 You're a man of many talents, you know. 0:17:33.916 --> 0:17:35.996 Man, sometimes I forget that I was on Dancing with 0:17:36.036 --> 0:17:36.636 the Stars. 0:17:36.836 --> 0:17:39.356 Not only were you on Dancing with the Stars, my friend, 0:17:39.716 --> 0:17:40.396 but you won. 0:17:40.836 --> 0:17:44.316 The winners and new champions of Dancing with the Stars 0:17:44.996 --> 0:17:50.316 shut Out and cry. 0:17:46.116 --> 0:17:50.676 Out, which makes you infinitely a better dancer than I 0:17:50.676 --> 0:17:53.996 could ever be. How did this come about? And like, 0:17:54.596 --> 0:17:57.676 I'm just curious about how and if you talked about 0:17:57.716 --> 0:17:58.836 being a veteran on the show. 0:17:59.236 --> 0:18:03.076 Yeah, I was on that show and it was veteran first. 0:18:03.756 --> 0:18:07.116 It really was promoted like we have this veteran on 0:18:07.156 --> 0:18:10.596 the show. And what was cool about it is, yes, 0:18:10.756 --> 0:18:13.516 I went on to show the world that I have 0:18:13.556 --> 0:18:17.916 a personality. Obviously I could dance, but it was just 0:18:17.956 --> 0:18:21.916 like this character like I just I'm silly of goofy, 0:18:22.516 --> 0:18:25.676 and but people were like, oh, that's cool. Here's a 0:18:25.716 --> 0:18:28.676 guy that you know, some people will look at me 0:18:28.756 --> 0:18:32.036 like scary to see, you know, like the scars and whatever. 0:18:32.636 --> 0:18:36.156 But look at him, he's actually like clowning, laughing, silly, 0:18:36.276 --> 0:18:40.396 like he's just a goofball. And so it was, it was, 0:18:40.516 --> 0:18:44.196 it was awesome. And I remember week three, I did 0:18:44.196 --> 0:18:48.396 a rumba. We danced to the song Tim McGraths song. 0:18:48.556 --> 0:18:49.676 If you're reading. 0:18:49.356 --> 0:18:52.676 This, you did a rumba to a Tim McGraw song, Yeah, okay, 0:18:52.756 --> 0:18:54.796 I gotta look at that reading. 0:18:56.476 --> 0:18:59.876 The lyrics are he's telling the story of a service member. 0:19:00.876 --> 0:19:04.956 So he writes a letter to his wife. Essentially he's saying, 0:19:05.036 --> 0:19:08.876 if you're reading this, I passed away while in the military. 0:19:10.236 --> 0:19:14.036 I remember sitting in the rehearsal room with Karina spurnt Off, 0:19:14.036 --> 0:19:16.876 my partner, and I was like, yeah, this is an 0:19:16.876 --> 0:19:20.916 important story to tell. Before we danced, they showed up 0:19:20.996 --> 0:19:25.396 the package again and it was about my recovery and 0:19:26.356 --> 0:19:29.356 oh man, just thinking about it, like they showed all 0:19:29.396 --> 0:19:33.076 these people, they interviewed them behind my back. I had 0:19:33.076 --> 0:19:35.236 no clue they put this package together, which is the 0:19:35.236 --> 0:19:37.276 worst thing to do to somebody. That's about the dance 0:19:37.316 --> 0:19:38.516 in front of millions of people. 0:19:39.036 --> 0:19:40.116 You read to watch us before you. 0:19:40.276 --> 0:19:43.236 I had to watch it, and so I'm standing there 0:19:43.316 --> 0:19:46.596 watching it, waiting for this package to end, the announce 0:19:46.636 --> 0:19:48.756 her to introduce us, and then the music starts playing 0:19:48.836 --> 0:19:52.236 we go, and I tell you, by the time we started, 0:19:52.436 --> 0:19:55.356 I had tears in my eyes, like and it wasn't 0:19:55.396 --> 0:19:57.996 just about me. It was like, I'm telling the story 0:19:57.996 --> 0:20:01.836 of so many men and women. I finished the routine, man, 0:20:01.876 --> 0:20:05.276 and I'm crying. I only like ninety seconds, that's how 0:20:05.276 --> 0:20:07.716 long we dance on the show, and probably the last 0:20:07.716 --> 0:20:11.076 forty five seconds of that routine, I'm crying. In the 0:20:11.116 --> 0:20:14.916 ballroom where they film Dance with the Stars, every single 0:20:14.916 --> 0:20:24.316 person was standing out. The response that we got from that, 0:20:24.796 --> 0:20:27.836 what people told us, what thank you? 0:20:28.836 --> 0:20:30.276 Thank you for telling that story. 0:20:31.636 --> 0:20:34.076 I think that's interesting because that's pretty much what you're 0:20:34.076 --> 0:20:37.276 doing on this show too. You know, you are in 0:20:37.356 --> 0:20:40.156 conversation with these interviews with these veterans who have done 0:20:40.196 --> 0:20:42.556 these amazing things, and you're telling their stories. 0:20:42.796 --> 0:20:43.356 Yeah. 0:20:43.516 --> 0:20:45.916 I think one theme we're circling here in this conversation 0:20:46.076 --> 0:20:50.716 is storytelling. How important that is to the veteran experience, right. 0:20:50.676 --> 0:20:51.516 One hundred percent. 0:20:52.196 --> 0:20:56.396 And we need more vets to be willing to share 0:20:56.716 --> 0:20:58.756 and to talk as much as they. 0:20:58.636 --> 0:20:59.596 Feel comfortable with. 0:21:00.796 --> 0:21:01.756 Why is that important? 0:21:03.396 --> 0:21:05.676 Because it is important for people to learn about who 0:21:05.676 --> 0:21:10.316 we are one so again we can have a connection. 0:21:11.236 --> 0:21:12.836 But you know, we'd like to say in the military, 0:21:12.916 --> 0:21:15.276