1 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:08,639 Speaker 1: Eleven years, seventy some surgeries, and you've built and lost 2 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:13,320 Speaker 1: your business twice. You've built and lost a family twice, 3 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 1: You've built and lost homes twice, all because as a 4 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:28,000 Speaker 1: volunteer you went in a burning house because a man 5 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:30,320 Speaker 1: was worried about his wife. 6 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 2: Definitely, I would definitely change some things if I could, 7 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:34,560 Speaker 2: But at the end of the day, I still do 8 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:37,279 Speaker 2: it again because that's what we love, what we do. 9 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 2: It's just part of it, you know. I've been in 10 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 2: one hundred burning buildings and never thought anything would happen. 11 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to an army of normal folks. I'm Bill Courtney. 12 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 1: I'm a normal guy. I'm a husband, I'm a father, 13 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 1: I'm an entrepreneur, and I'm a football coach in inner 14 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:00,880 Speaker 1: city Memphis. And somehow that last part led to an 15 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,280 Speaker 1: oscar for a film about one of my teams. That 16 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:08,559 Speaker 1: film's called Undefeated. I believe our country's problems will never 17 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:11,199 Speaker 1: be solved by a bunch of fancy people in nice 18 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: suits using big words that nobody ever uses on CNN 19 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: and Fox, but rather by an army of normal folks, 20 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: US just you and me deciding hey, maybe I can help. 21 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 1: That's what Pat Hardison. The voice you just heard has done. 22 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: Pat was a volunteer firefighter who almost paid the ultimate sacrifice. 23 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:36,279 Speaker 1: He lost all of what we think of a face 24 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 1: and a house fire. His eyes, ears, nose, lips, they 25 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 1: were all gone. He was unrecognizable as he faalt to 26 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: survive for years, and his physical, mental, and spiritual survival 27 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: story has powerful lessons that all of us in an 28 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: army can benefit from. I can't wait for you to 29 00:01:56,360 --> 00:02:00,080 Speaker 1: meet Pat right after these brief messages from our and 30 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: her sponsors. Pat Hartison, Welcome to an army of normal folks. 31 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 2: Hey doing good. 32 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 1: I really thought about more maybe about you, than any 33 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: guests I've had about how to introduce you everybody. 34 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 2: Pat is a. 35 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: Former volunteer firefighter who wrote a compelling book called Facing 36 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: the Fire, The True Story of a Firefighter, a face transplant, 37 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 1: and the fight to keep living. So I guess I've 38 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:49,359 Speaker 1: introduced you there. Pat. Everybody is from Senatobia, Mississippi, which, 39 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:51,440 Speaker 1: for those are not in this part of the world, 40 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:55,800 Speaker 1: Senatobia is in North Mississippi, probably twenty thirty minutes south 41 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 1: of Memphis. When you think of North Mississippi from this 42 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:04,280 Speaker 1: area of the world, you've got Olive branch, and you 43 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: got a Horn Lake, and then you go down a 44 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:08,800 Speaker 1: little farther you got Hernando, and then over a little 45 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:13,120 Speaker 1: bit you got Senatobia. But that whole area is really 46 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:18,920 Speaker 1: considered kind of the North Mississippi area of a community, 47 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:21,680 Speaker 1: and that's where Pat's from. I think he grew up 48 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 1: in a little place called Strayhorn is own said Straighthorn. 49 00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 1: Pat is an interesting guy, and obviously we're going to 50 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 1: get into it, but I got to tell you, if 51 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:41,360 Speaker 1: Hell in the afterlife is literally burning, then the gentleman 52 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 1: sitting across from me is a human being that has 53 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:47,240 Speaker 1: faced the closest thing to Hell and is still living 54 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: on earth. 55 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 2: You don't want to go there? 56 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 1: What's that happening? And you do not want to go there, 57 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: I promise you. So we'll tell that story. First, tell 58 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:57,640 Speaker 1: us about your father. What did you do for a living? 59 00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:01,160 Speaker 2: He worked for a good year a tire company, shout 60 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:03,880 Speaker 2: it out, you know, changing tires and all, and worked 61 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 2: his way on up. And when we moved to Senatobian 62 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:10,040 Speaker 2: and eighty nine and ninety, he had become regional manager 63 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 2: over several states, several stores and need to take. 64 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:17,360 Speaker 1: So I mean, by all rights, a blue collar country 65 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:21,599 Speaker 1: guy who worked hard, did well and moved, but he 66 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:22,640 Speaker 1: struggled with alcohol. 67 00:04:22,839 --> 00:04:27,679 Speaker 2: Well, it didn't start until in eighty nine or ninety 68 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:29,760 Speaker 2: I think it was eighty nine. We moved to Senatobia 69 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:32,040 Speaker 2: and we lived there, and he had been on the 70 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:34,520 Speaker 2: road for about two years at that time, and me 71 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 2: and my brother and my sister was older. She was 72 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:39,520 Speaker 2: she's two years older than me. My brother and I 73 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 2: was just turned fifteen. Brothers fourteen when we moved to 74 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:46,920 Speaker 2: Senatobia and lived there for about a year, and then 75 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,520 Speaker 2: my dad came to us. I was almost seventeen at 76 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 2: this time, and told us he's, look, I'm couldn't get 77 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:54,159 Speaker 2: off the road. I want to buy the dudear store 78 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 2: here in town, and I want you all to work 79 00:04:56,480 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 2: with me, and we won't make it a family business. And 80 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 2: of course, you know then you didn't whatever your parents said, 81 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:03,680 Speaker 2: you did it. That's right, you know. It wasn't no 82 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 2: questioned about it. You know. When we got out of school, 83 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:07,840 Speaker 2: he said, you get out of school, then I could 84 00:05:07,839 --> 00:05:09,480 Speaker 2: get out on the work program. So we got out 85 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:12,800 Speaker 2: at twelve every day and we'd go to work and 86 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:16,279 Speaker 2: change tires, change all and he gave us our running 87 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:18,000 Speaker 2: money in a vehicle to drive, and that was our pay, 88 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:21,120 Speaker 2: and you know, it was it was some good times. 89 00:05:21,279 --> 00:05:23,440 Speaker 2: But I never knew my dad to drink. He would 90 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:26,840 Speaker 2: never let me even go to people's houses that drank 91 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:29,400 Speaker 2: because he didn't want to be around it. And you know, 92 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 2: like I said, I really idolized my dad. And after 93 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 2: we bought that tires that were working, and in the afternoons, 94 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:39,240 Speaker 2: I started noticing that he had started drinking, and it 95 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 2: really it really let me down. I was like, man, 96 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:44,320 Speaker 2: all the stuff he's taught us over the years, and 97 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:46,640 Speaker 2: now he's he's doing what he told us we shouldn't 98 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 2: be doing. This time I'm seventeen, eighteen years old, you know, 99 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:54,520 Speaker 2: and it's it was, it was, it was different. I 100 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 2: saw a side of him that I didn't that I 101 00:05:56,880 --> 00:05:59,680 Speaker 2: didn't know was there. That was his way of dealing 102 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:01,840 Speaker 2: with And now that I'm fifty two years of those 103 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:06,440 Speaker 2: teacher one that I understand everybody deals with things different, 104 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:09,000 Speaker 2: and you know, I don't hold it ignition. It was 105 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:10,800 Speaker 2: just his way of dealing with all the stuff that 106 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:11,479 Speaker 2: he had been through. 107 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:16,600 Speaker 1: Tell me about who you were introduced into high school 108 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:20,719 Speaker 1: that actually got you interested in fire fighting because on 109 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:24,640 Speaker 1: the one hand, you're working in this family business. You 110 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:28,400 Speaker 1: got this dad who you love and idolize. We're all 111 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:31,440 Speaker 1: dealing with trauma in different ways, and your dad struggles 112 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:35,080 Speaker 1: with that. But I think it was someone in high 113 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:36,440 Speaker 1: school who kind of is one. 114 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 2: Of my teachers, mister Ronney Warren. He was I think 115 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:43,600 Speaker 2: he taught us industrial arts back there is what it 116 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 2: was called. And he was teaching us and wind up 117 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:50,600 Speaker 2: my high school sweetheart and stuff. You know, we wind 118 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:53,320 Speaker 2: up getting married, and we were going to church and 119 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:56,320 Speaker 2: at first Baptist church one Sunday he had came up 120 00:06:56,360 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 2: to me. And I worked right there in town, you know, 121 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:00,800 Speaker 2: and I never really even thought about being a thim 122 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:02,400 Speaker 2: and he came up to me and said, how would 123 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:04,880 Speaker 2: you like to go on a man? You know, I 124 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:06,720 Speaker 2: didn't think. I said, I don't think nothing about it. 125 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:09,440 Speaker 2: But another buddy of man, Neil Couplan, they talked to 126 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:11,280 Speaker 2: him too, and we talked to each other and say, yeah, 127 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:13,400 Speaker 2: let's we'll give it a shot. So we went down 128 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:15,480 Speaker 2: there and started training and doing everything that's how I 129 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:17,560 Speaker 2: do and thought about. He came up to me in 130 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:18,960 Speaker 2: the church and asked me to be. 131 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 1: A volunteer Alex forgive me, I can't remember. But the 132 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:27,120 Speaker 1: people up in New York, the volunteer fire. 133 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:30,600 Speaker 3: People, Wells Crowther, Yeah, yeah, if you're to the man 134 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 3: in the red bandana story before Pat this guy who 135 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:37,480 Speaker 3: saved twelve people inside the World Trade Center, but he 136 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:39,800 Speaker 3: was a volunteer firefighter, four year old kid. 137 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:42,560 Speaker 1: Through some of the stories we've told, we've talked to 138 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 1: a couple of people who've been in volunteer firefighting and 139 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:49,720 Speaker 1: it's almost like you gain a new family. I learned 140 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 1: the volunteer firefighter thing is not just you know, get 141 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: a call in your work, run to the volunteer station, 142 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:01,040 Speaker 1: jump out a fire truck and go. It's important. And 143 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:06,120 Speaker 1: something else I've learned, which is interesting, is far more 144 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:09,640 Speaker 1: of our firefighters in the United States, or volunteer firefighters 145 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:11,920 Speaker 1: that are when you live in a place like Memphis 146 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:14,480 Speaker 1: and you have all the fire fire stations and the 147 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:17,520 Speaker 1: fire trucks and the dedicated fire department who that's their 148 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:20,679 Speaker 1: full time job, you kind of grow into the sense 149 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:23,360 Speaker 1: that that's just the way firefighting is. What the truth 150 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:27,880 Speaker 1: is like, Seventy percent of the nation's firefighters are guys 151 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: who work in Tirestal. 152 00:08:29,320 --> 00:08:32,240 Speaker 2: And it's changed so much. Now we're actually I'm actually 153 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:35,680 Speaker 2: back at the department now. We're putting together a committee 154 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:40,160 Speaker 2: trying to get volunteers because volunteers or down nationwide across 155 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:42,080 Speaker 2: the board. Nobody has trying to do it anymore. And 156 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:46,280 Speaker 2: it's so important to communities that's small, like Senatobia and 157 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 2: the outlying areas that people should be volunteers to help 158 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:54,439 Speaker 2: the community. But it's down everywhere, from New York to Mississippi. 159 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:57,199 Speaker 2: It's it's all the way down. It needs to be 160 00:08:57,200 --> 00:08:59,120 Speaker 2: because it it needs to be brought back and people 161 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:01,599 Speaker 2: do that because it's so much more than just sishy. 162 00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:04,560 Speaker 2: It's a big brotherhood. It's going down to the station 163 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:07,800 Speaker 2: and training and having a meal with your buddies, or 164 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:10,280 Speaker 2: one of your buddies breaking down in another stand on 165 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:13,320 Speaker 2: vacation and they call you and you go run to 166 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:15,800 Speaker 2: them and help him. That's where we need to be 167 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:18,840 Speaker 2: with the volunteers. It needs to be like an organization 168 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:20,079 Speaker 2: that it once was again. 169 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:26,560 Speaker 1: So you found more than just a way to volunteer 170 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:27,120 Speaker 1: your time. 171 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:30,560 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, it was a passion after in the early 172 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:32,640 Speaker 2: stages of it, just the beginning of it, and I 173 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:35,680 Speaker 2: realized that I loved it. I did a lot of 174 00:09:35,679 --> 00:09:38,440 Speaker 2: deer hunting back then, and I worked a lot because 175 00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 2: I had a wife and baby that when I first started, 176 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:45,320 Speaker 2: and then shortly thereafter I had a new wife and 177 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:47,959 Speaker 2: I went to three babies. I was working a lot 178 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:49,679 Speaker 2: when it was a way to get away from everything 179 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:51,800 Speaker 2: else and go down there and hang out with a 180 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:55,720 Speaker 2: good group of guys and train and just you know, 181 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:57,280 Speaker 2: like I said, have a meal with them, and go 182 00:09:57,360 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 2: down and drink coffee in the morning and find out 183 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 2: what's going on with every in just it was just 184 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:03,560 Speaker 2: a big fellowship, brotherhood. It was awesome. 185 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:08,600 Speaker 1: So how's it work. You're you're at this point, you're 186 00:10:08,679 --> 00:10:12,640 Speaker 1: running and owning a tire store right right, and you 187 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:16,160 Speaker 1: got business and customers and everything else. And if at 188 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:19,160 Speaker 1: one forty five or ten am or three in that 189 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:24,320 Speaker 1: in the afternoon, you're working, that's your business and somebody 190 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:26,000 Speaker 1: gives you a call that yeah. 191 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:28,480 Speaker 2: You were a little patter and back then, you know, 192 00:10:28,559 --> 00:10:30,280 Speaker 2: the tone dropping the radio and they tell you what 193 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:32,360 Speaker 2: it was. And I couldn't go all the time because 194 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:34,600 Speaker 2: I was working, you know, But nine percent of the 195 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:37,120 Speaker 2: time I had some good employees that worked for me 196 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:39,800 Speaker 2: so I could leave and actually one of the guys 197 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:42,839 Speaker 2: that worked for me and I would run the business 198 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:44,960 Speaker 2: when I wasn't there. He is actually a paid fireman 199 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:47,560 Speaker 2: now and he probably getting close to retirement in the 200 00:10:47,559 --> 00:10:48,760 Speaker 2: next five or six years. 201 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:51,960 Speaker 1: But the point is, all of these people all over 202 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:54,120 Speaker 1: country that are volunteer firefighter, they. 203 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:56,640 Speaker 2: Have they give up. They give up a lot. At 204 00:10:56,640 --> 00:11:00,160 Speaker 2: two o'clock in the morning, when it's ten degrees that 205 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:02,679 Speaker 2: the tone drops. Then they get up and go. 206 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:06,840 Speaker 1: And so in senatobia, you're not making just fires. 207 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:09,800 Speaker 2: You're making oh you're making medical calls, you're making rescues, 208 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:13,720 Speaker 2: you're making fires. It's so much more than that. And 209 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:16,760 Speaker 2: it's you know, these guys basically getting nothing. They get 210 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:19,120 Speaker 2: paid nothing, not even for their gas, not for the time. 211 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:23,480 Speaker 2: And it's people. They're so undervalue, it's unreal. 212 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:27,800 Speaker 1: They have to be well trained. It's not just hey, 213 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:30,560 Speaker 1: that sounds fun, give me a call if you need 214 00:11:30,559 --> 00:11:31,000 Speaker 1: help on a. 215 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:34,200 Speaker 2: Fire, as you guys are. It's so much deeper than that. 216 00:11:34,280 --> 00:11:37,960 Speaker 2: I mean, it's just like with everybody's homeowners insurance. In 217 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:40,600 Speaker 2: the communities around here, you don't have a good volunteer 218 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:43,920 Speaker 2: base or active reserve base what they want to call it. Now, 219 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:47,559 Speaker 2: then your insurance ratings are going to go up because 220 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:50,720 Speaker 2: there's no way that these departments like Sinatoba can handle 221 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:54,800 Speaker 2: everything by themselves. They need other help. And even the 222 00:11:54,840 --> 00:11:58,880 Speaker 2: outlying areas in the other counties. In Take County, there's 223 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,760 Speaker 2: full side of other depart It's there on each end 224 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:05,480 Speaker 2: of the county and they're struggling with volunteers. Now they 225 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:08,160 Speaker 2: need that help. And you know, people don't understand. They 226 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:10,760 Speaker 2: don't want to help, but when they get their cancelation 227 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:13,600 Speaker 2: noticed from the homeowners entrance because they don't, the thier 228 00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:15,560 Speaker 2: rating went up to a ten and most interesance companies 229 00:12:15,559 --> 00:12:17,760 Speaker 2: won't take it. Reason. I know that happened to me, 230 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:20,719 Speaker 2: and people need you know, they can understand that they 231 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:22,040 Speaker 2: can make a difference so they can help. 232 00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:29,360 Speaker 1: And now a few messages from our general sponsors. But 233 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:32,840 Speaker 1: first I wanted to share an awesome update that in 234 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:37,439 Speaker 1: January and February we're launching the first six local chapters 235 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:40,520 Speaker 1: of an Army of Normal Folks. If you happen to 236 00:12:40,559 --> 00:12:42,920 Speaker 1: live in one of these communities and you'd be interested 237 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:46,400 Speaker 1: in being a part of it, email Alex and he'll 238 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:51,680 Speaker 1: connect you to their leaders. The cities are Memphis, Oxford, Mississippi, 239 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:58,040 Speaker 1: Hoti Toddy, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Wichita, and Clinton, New York. If 240 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:00,880 Speaker 1: you be interested in leading a local chapter from your community, 241 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:04,679 Speaker 1: will hopefully be launching more this spring or summer. Please 242 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:08,800 Speaker 1: reach out to Alex about that too his email Army 243 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:22,360 Speaker 1: at normal folks dot us. We'll be right back. So 244 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:26,559 Speaker 1: you've got your family, you've got your babies, you've got 245 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:31,280 Speaker 1: your thriving business. You're giving back to your community, You're involved. 246 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:35,360 Speaker 1: I think in your church. You're really living in American 247 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:38,560 Speaker 1: dream and you're a normal guy. I mean, just a 248 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:41,040 Speaker 1: normal guy with a family. I mean, I'm sure your 249 00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:43,480 Speaker 1: business is doing well. I've read where you just built 250 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:46,240 Speaker 1: a pretty new house and you had a boat. You 251 00:13:46,320 --> 00:13:49,360 Speaker 1: are rich, but you are living a good lot of dip. 252 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:52,120 Speaker 2: I mean I was young. We had just bought the business, 253 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:55,440 Speaker 2: and had just bought a new home, my dream home 254 00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:58,480 Speaker 2: that I knew that I would die on that hill, 255 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:00,800 Speaker 2: that I never would never would have sold it. And 256 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:03,959 Speaker 2: then it was just everything was seemed to be lined up, 257 00:14:04,679 --> 00:14:07,320 Speaker 2: and you know, at least I thought anyway. And at 258 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:09,839 Speaker 2: the end of the day September the fifth, when everything 259 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:11,959 Speaker 2: fell apart, it all meant nothing. 260 00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:15,480 Speaker 1: Before we get to that, there's an interesting story about 261 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:18,920 Speaker 1: a woman who sat down at your business one day 262 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:22,240 Speaker 1: and tried to say an insurance policy. You did everything 263 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:22,760 Speaker 1: you could. 264 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:24,720 Speaker 2: To get rid of her, did and finally told her 265 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:27,400 Speaker 2: she wouldn't leave. And I finally told her, I said, look, 266 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:29,520 Speaker 2: I'm gonna sign a check. It's twelve dollars a month. 267 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:31,840 Speaker 2: I was going to sign this check. I'm you know, 268 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:34,640 Speaker 2: just to get rid of her. Was what was she selling? 269 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:37,360 Speaker 2: She was selling accidental insurance just in case, you know, 270 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:39,480 Speaker 2: it had an accident. You know, I never thought it 271 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:42,400 Speaker 2: was definitely I look back now, she got cent here 272 00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:44,720 Speaker 2: in there that day. There's no way around it that 273 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:47,600 Speaker 2: because I had paid eighty four dollars on that premium 274 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:48,640 Speaker 2: when I got hurt. 275 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:53,600 Speaker 1: The point is you're young, You're going. 276 00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:55,360 Speaker 2: Who thinks about it? At twenty seven years old? Who 277 00:14:55,360 --> 00:14:56,800 Speaker 2: thinks about getting hurt like that? 278 00:14:56,880 --> 00:14:57,080 Speaker 1: You know? 279 00:14:57,920 --> 00:14:59,960 Speaker 2: You know back then, you know, there wasn't social media, 280 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:02,680 Speaker 2: there wasn't all this other stuff. You were just basically 281 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:05,360 Speaker 2: we barely had cell phones out. You know that many 282 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:07,200 Speaker 2: years and different times. 283 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:11,360 Speaker 1: So there's your life, that's who you are, that's where 284 00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:15,200 Speaker 1: you come from. Yeah, you're volunteering in the fire department. 285 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:17,760 Speaker 1: You're living the best version of your life. You got 286 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:20,240 Speaker 1: your family, you got your tire story, you got everything. 287 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 1: Chase this woman out of your office with a twelve 288 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:24,840 Speaker 1: dollars check to leave you alone. You bought the cheapest 289 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:26,960 Speaker 1: policy you could buy just to get her to shut up. 290 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:33,440 Speaker 1: And one day there's a call tell us about that day. 291 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:35,359 Speaker 1: The morning, everything. 292 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:36,960 Speaker 2: Well, that morning, like every other want I went down 293 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:39,520 Speaker 2: to the firehouse. It was in September, so my business 294 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:41,840 Speaker 2: was kind of slow that time of the year. Went 295 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:45,120 Speaker 2: down and drank coffee, and we had four pay guys 296 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:47,640 Speaker 2: working at that time, and I told a couple of us, look, 297 00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:48,920 Speaker 2: I'll get us out of the house to day. We 298 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:50,640 Speaker 2: need to do something, get us, you know, I never 299 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:52,560 Speaker 2: wanted anybody to lose a house or something like that. 300 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:54,960 Speaker 2: Didn't get us a grasp by or something we'd go 301 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:57,600 Speaker 2: doof off with. And I went back down there. At lunch, 302 00:15:57,600 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 2: I went to Coleman's and had a fish plate for 303 00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:01,720 Speaker 2: lunch or something like that that day, and then I 304 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:05,800 Speaker 2: left and at like three point thirty the tones rout. 305 00:16:05,880 --> 00:16:07,760 Speaker 2: We weren't that visit that day, so I jumped into 306 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:09,760 Speaker 2: I mean, I'm two or three blocks away from the station. 307 00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:11,520 Speaker 2: So I jumped in my truck, went down to the station, 308 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:14,840 Speaker 2: and I guess this was on that day. That that 309 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:16,280 Speaker 2: late in the afternoon. Some of the other guys are 310 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:19,640 Speaker 2: already there, and my extual brother in law was sitting 311 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:22,720 Speaker 2: in the front seat of the suburban and I told him, 312 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:24,280 Speaker 2: I said, you get out. You don't need to be going. 313 00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:26,400 Speaker 2: I made captain by this time, I said, you stay 314 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:28,480 Speaker 2: here and I'll go with him. Make sure all these 315 00:16:28,520 --> 00:16:30,840 Speaker 2: guys are okay. So we had two or three young 316 00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:33,240 Speaker 2: guys and they just got on the department and I said, 317 00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:36,120 Speaker 2: I'll just go with them. And Chief jumped in the 318 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:37,800 Speaker 2: driver's seat and I was in a pasture's seat, and 319 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:40,000 Speaker 2: we had three guys in the back, and somebody else 320 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:43,640 Speaker 2: would bring an engine to us. And we've gotten the call. 321 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:45,720 Speaker 2: Actually we were in Sinatobia. Well, we got a call 322 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:48,480 Speaker 2: to go to Love which is in Desota County, to 323 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:50,920 Speaker 2: a mutual aid because Hernando was on three other house 324 00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:53,080 Speaker 2: fires at that time. I had three other calls at 325 00:16:53,120 --> 00:16:55,880 Speaker 2: that time. So we get we'd get in the truck 326 00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:57,640 Speaker 2: and by this time it takes you know, sixteen minutes, 327 00:16:57,680 --> 00:17:00,760 Speaker 2: twenty minutes to get up there. We get there and 328 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:04,680 Speaker 2: towards smoke coming out of the roof, and we get 329 00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:06,840 Speaker 2: our air packs on and go in. We check everything, 330 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:08,520 Speaker 2: look at everything, and. 331 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:10,800 Speaker 1: Let me ask something. You say you got your air 332 00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:14,320 Speaker 1: packs on. I assume that means you're covered in that 333 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:20,439 Speaker 1: hand looking fire outfit, your helmet, air pack, and you 334 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:24,360 Speaker 1: go in. Forget this day for just a second. In general, 335 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:27,960 Speaker 1: the vast majority of us have never walked into a 336 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:31,040 Speaker 1: burning building willingly, and very few have been in a 337 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:34,280 Speaker 1: burning building and run out of it. What does inside 338 00:17:34,280 --> 00:17:37,280 Speaker 1: of a burning building look like? What do you feel? 339 00:17:37,359 --> 00:17:38,119 Speaker 1: And what do you see? 340 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:40,000 Speaker 2: You don't You can't see much at all because it 341 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:42,400 Speaker 2: totally full of smoke. You get down on we. 342 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:43,960 Speaker 1: Have a fight on your helmet or something. 343 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:45,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, we would like some help and stuff, but you 344 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:47,880 Speaker 2: still doesn't do good and smoke, you still can't see. 345 00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:50,479 Speaker 2: You just kind of crawl around, and we crawled around 346 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:53,720 Speaker 2: every single room looking for anything in there. And well, 347 00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 2: not that day. 348 00:17:55,080 --> 00:17:58,840 Speaker 1: Just in general, you know, when you're in a burning structure, 349 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:00,760 Speaker 1: so you. 350 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:01,680 Speaker 2: How long it's been burning, because it's all going to 351 00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:04,080 Speaker 2: be different, because if you get really just just starting 352 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:06,720 Speaker 2: to burn it hadn't filled up with smoke yet, and 353 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:09,000 Speaker 2: if they hadn't closed the windows, and yet it's it's 354 00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:10,760 Speaker 2: all different. If the windows are open, it's going to 355 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:13,520 Speaker 2: read more and put off more smoke and more heat. 356 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:17,679 Speaker 2: It's just everyone, every every there's no situation, it's going 357 00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:18,600 Speaker 2: to be the exact same. 358 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:21,720 Speaker 1: But getting on your hands and knees and crawling around, 359 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:23,479 Speaker 1: you're trying to get below the smoke so you can 360 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:25,240 Speaker 1: at least see a little Wait, you see better below 361 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:26,719 Speaker 1: you get do flames. 362 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:30,400 Speaker 2: They usually cover the roof, pend on what the fire started. Nothing, 363 00:18:30,440 --> 00:18:32,080 Speaker 2: He's gonna run off the wall and hit the roof 364 00:18:32,080 --> 00:18:33,720 Speaker 2: and run across the roof because there's nothing in the 365 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:34,840 Speaker 2: middle of the room want to run on. 366 00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:37,960 Speaker 1: So oftentimes you know the fires above you, but you 367 00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:40,720 Speaker 1: see smoke, but you don't necessarily see flames in the 368 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:43,600 Speaker 1: walls yet. Yeah, depends on how much auction is getting, 369 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:47,479 Speaker 1: but they are. They're just all different. Yeah, And you 370 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:50,240 Speaker 1: just have to understand the nature of fire. Are you 371 00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:52,040 Speaker 1: dragging a line with you or we did? 372 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:54,360 Speaker 2: We had a line the first time we went in, 373 00:18:54,520 --> 00:18:56,920 Speaker 2: and that's how we followed it back out. 374 00:18:57,760 --> 00:18:59,480 Speaker 1: So you guys, get on your packs. 375 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:01,600 Speaker 2: You go on that one the house looking it, you know, 376 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:05,480 Speaker 2: looking every room, and nothing was in there. So we 377 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:08,040 Speaker 2: came back out of the house and there was a 378 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:10,400 Speaker 2: call in the driveway. But and there was a guy 379 00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:13,159 Speaker 2: that came running up to us and he jumping up 380 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:15,440 Speaker 2: and down just he said, my wife's in the house. 381 00:19:15,560 --> 00:19:17,160 Speaker 2: She's in the house. I said, she's not in the house. 382 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:19,400 Speaker 2: We checked every room and she's not in the house. 383 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:20,920 Speaker 2: He said, I'm telling you her car is here. She's 384 00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:23,720 Speaker 2: in the house. So I guess my better judgment. I 385 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:25,720 Speaker 2: told you guys to change my airpack out and me 386 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:29,399 Speaker 2: and Matt went back in the house and we couldn't 387 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:31,600 Speaker 2: get in the way we went because it was really 388 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:32,200 Speaker 2: really burning. 389 00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:35,040 Speaker 1: So how long had the house been burning by now. 390 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:39,280 Speaker 2: No idea, Probably forty minutes this time, but it's burning. 391 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:42,560 Speaker 2: It's burning. So two guys went in the garage door 392 00:19:43,359 --> 00:19:45,879 Speaker 2: and we go in the window on the north end 393 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:48,800 Speaker 2: of the house. They didn't know we're in there, so 394 00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:51,720 Speaker 2: we go in trying to find the lady, which she 395 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:54,720 Speaker 2: wasn't there. I was right the first time. And when 396 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:57,960 Speaker 2: we got in there to that bedroom in there, it's 397 00:19:58,119 --> 00:20:00,880 Speaker 2: when everything basically kind of fell apart was I could 398 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:03,919 Speaker 2: see the fire rolling above us, and we were staying 399 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:06,480 Speaker 2: below it. And then all of a sudden, the people, 400 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:08,239 Speaker 2: the two guys are in there. They didn't know we were. 401 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:10,320 Speaker 2: And I didn't even know this until they wrote the book, 402 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:13,920 Speaker 2: because nobody ever told me, which it doesn't make any difference. 403 00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:15,560 Speaker 2: It was still me. I went in the house on 404 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:20,040 Speaker 2: my own. It's nobody slopped. But I never knew that 405 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:23,200 Speaker 2: that that they were pushing the fire towards us, and 406 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:25,200 Speaker 2: until a buddy of mine with water. 407 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:28,119 Speaker 1: Yeah, so they were on the other end of the 408 00:20:28,119 --> 00:20:30,280 Speaker 1: house pushing and putting it out, putting it out, but 409 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:33,760 Speaker 1: it was putting the literally walking into it or falling 410 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:34,119 Speaker 1: into it. 411 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:34,639 Speaker 2: Didn't know that. 412 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:38,800 Speaker 1: You could see flames kind of boiling in the ceiling. 413 00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:42,520 Speaker 2: A baby, yeah, and we were under those. But we 414 00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:45,280 Speaker 2: didn't know this either. This was a trailer house that 415 00:20:45,359 --> 00:20:47,760 Speaker 2: somebody had built a other house. 416 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:49,680 Speaker 1: Over, so you didn't even know the streight. 417 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:52,080 Speaker 2: We didn't know what the two roof lines in it, 418 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:54,760 Speaker 2: so it was running in between the roof lines. And 419 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:56,600 Speaker 2: then when it got so heavy with all the water 420 00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:59,159 Speaker 2: they were pushing under the roof collapse and when the 421 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:00,800 Speaker 2: roof collapsed. I was at the wrong place at the 422 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:04,240 Speaker 2: wrong time, and I could see because when it did, 423 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:06,160 Speaker 2: I had to stand up because it was on top 424 00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:09,280 Speaker 2: of me, and I could see my helmet melting, and 425 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:11,200 Speaker 2: I just had to grab the shingle. 426 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:14,400 Speaker 1: Well, you could see the helmet on your head melting. 427 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:16,840 Speaker 2: I could see it just dripping, and the shingles off 428 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:19,520 Speaker 2: the roof were only it was really hot, so I 429 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:21,720 Speaker 2: had to just I couldn't see nothing. I couldn't I 430 00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:24,120 Speaker 2: couldn't see, you know. All I did, I said, hold 431 00:21:24,119 --> 00:21:26,120 Speaker 2: my breath to get out to that one. I could 432 00:21:26,119 --> 00:21:28,159 Speaker 2: see a window, and I held my breath and got 433 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:29,520 Speaker 2: the stuff off of me to get to the window. 434 00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:31,080 Speaker 2: Night I just threw my body out the window and 435 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:32,359 Speaker 2: they dragged me out of the house. 436 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:34,200 Speaker 1: Where was the guy you were with? 437 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:36,440 Speaker 2: He was behind me, but I don't know. I guess 438 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:38,000 Speaker 2: when the roof fell on me, it separated us and 439 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:38,760 Speaker 2: it he panicked. 440 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:42,880 Speaker 1: He was he panicked and ran. 441 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:45,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, And it's not just all I mean, nobody misitated 442 00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:46,560 Speaker 2: done in that situation. 443 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:49,120 Speaker 1: When you were in there and the flames were a bove, 444 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:51,840 Speaker 1: you were you afraid? Did you sit and bottom? 445 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:54,480 Speaker 2: We've done a thousand times really mean, every time you 446 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:56,200 Speaker 2: go into a burning building, it's going to be burning 447 00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:58,680 Speaker 2: around you. I never, I never was scared of stuff 448 00:21:58,720 --> 00:22:00,239 Speaker 2: like that, and still not scared of it. I mean, 449 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:02,840 Speaker 2: it is what it is. I'd go back to sis 450 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:03,800 Speaker 2: like today if they would let me. 451 00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:07,119 Speaker 1: I don't know, maybe you get used to it, but 452 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:10,199 Speaker 1: I think anybody listened to me, and anybody listen to 453 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:12,760 Speaker 1: this would think that's frightening as. 454 00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:15,720 Speaker 2: He Well, any anybody's a side slighter, that's they're going 455 00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:18,960 Speaker 2: to think that for sure. I mean, that's what you're doing. 456 00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:21,600 Speaker 2: And things were so different now. You know, back then 457 00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 2: we didn't have thermal imaging cameras. If we'd had cameras 458 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:25,879 Speaker 2: back then, thermal imaging, I don't ever have to go 459 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:27,800 Speaker 2: in the house because we could look through everything that 460 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:31,240 Speaker 2: saw she wasn't in there. You know, there's so much 461 00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:34,320 Speaker 2: more technology today than it was in two thousand and one. 462 00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:37,600 Speaker 1: When I got hurt and you weren't in there to 463 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:42,960 Speaker 1: put the fire out. You literally basically on the ground. 464 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:45,480 Speaker 2: That was all. And I look back now and think, man, 465 00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:47,360 Speaker 2: it was so stupid, because if she'd have been in there, 466 00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:49,560 Speaker 2: she wouldn't have been alive because it had been burning 467 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:51,959 Speaker 2: so long. Nobody can withstand all that smoke and all 468 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:55,040 Speaker 2: that heat. I should have struck to my guns if 469 00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:56,639 Speaker 2: I had to do it over. Of course I changed 470 00:22:56,640 --> 00:22:58,320 Speaker 2: things and do it do it different. But at the 471 00:22:58,359 --> 00:22:59,960 Speaker 2: end of the day, what if I'd have been around 472 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:01,080 Speaker 2: what is sheld have been in there and I could 473 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:01,400 Speaker 2: have heard. 474 00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:05,600 Speaker 1: So when you get out the window, I assume and gosh, 475 00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:07,200 Speaker 1: I don't want to be no. 476 00:23:07,280 --> 00:23:09,080 Speaker 2: I mean I'm slowly burning this town. I mean my 477 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:13,720 Speaker 2: turnouts are burning. What my turnouts are on fire? My 478 00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:18,560 Speaker 2: gear your gear, And they get me literally and they 479 00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:20,800 Speaker 2: lay me down on the ground and just wet me down, 480 00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:23,840 Speaker 2: just you know, put water all of me and get 481 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:27,000 Speaker 2: down and uh, buddy, man lays down and I just 482 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:28,480 Speaker 2: told him I was look, man, you make sure my 483 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:31,240 Speaker 2: wife gets took care of. I's all I want. You 484 00:23:31,359 --> 00:23:34,359 Speaker 2: thought you were done? Yeah, well, I mean I didn't 485 00:23:34,359 --> 00:23:36,480 Speaker 2: know how bad it was. For sure, none of us 486 00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:38,200 Speaker 2: knew how bad it was because you know, your body 487 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:41,040 Speaker 2: keeps burning like two weeks after the fire. What by 488 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:44,280 Speaker 2: the time your skin and stuff steadily steadily burning for 489 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:47,640 Speaker 2: up to two weeks after the initial burn. It's I guess, 490 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:50,199 Speaker 2: just the way your skin is dying off and you 491 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:51,679 Speaker 2: have to go through once you once you get in 492 00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:54,000 Speaker 2: the hospital, you have to go through all this for 493 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:56,800 Speaker 2: two weeks. You're getting like they call it debreeding where 494 00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:58,240 Speaker 2: you're going there and they take a wire brush and 495 00:23:58,280 --> 00:24:01,280 Speaker 2: kind of scrub you down and get all the dead 496 00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:05,240 Speaker 2: skin off of you. So you thought you were dead, Well, 497 00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:07,640 Speaker 2: I didn't think. I never thought I was going to die. 498 00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:09,800 Speaker 2: I mean, I just didn't realize how bad it was. 499 00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:12,520 Speaker 2: I never thought I was going to die like that, 500 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:15,000 Speaker 2: even with all of it, I never thought I was 501 00:24:15,040 --> 00:24:17,359 Speaker 2: going to die. I mean, it's you know, And at 502 00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:19,520 Speaker 2: the end of the day, I did it is what 503 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:19,959 Speaker 2: it is. 504 00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:37,879 Speaker 1: We'll be right back, all right. So I assume you 505 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:39,720 Speaker 1: go to the burn unit. Yeah, I get. 506 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:42,960 Speaker 2: I'm on the ground and they can't land the helicopter there, 507 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:46,080 Speaker 2: so they put me down once to drive me down 508 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:48,199 Speaker 2: the road a little piece, and I get in the 509 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:50,639 Speaker 2: helicopter and I'm in the helicopter and I'm still alert. 510 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:51,200 Speaker 2: I'm talking. 511 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:54,119 Speaker 1: I was wondering if you ever lost consciousness. 512 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:56,720 Speaker 2: Never lost consciousness. And one of the nurses on the 513 00:24:56,800 --> 00:24:59,320 Speaker 2: on the helicopter, Paula, she was talking to me and 514 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:02,680 Speaker 2: she which I didn't know her then, but over the 515 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:04,520 Speaker 2: years I got to know her, and she has talked 516 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:06,159 Speaker 2: to him. Asked me about my kids, you know, and 517 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:08,879 Speaker 2: I have three kids, and she asked me about their 518 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:12,800 Speaker 2: birthdays and I told her and she uh, she said, 519 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:14,560 Speaker 2: I'm writing it down because there ain't no way this 520 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:16,359 Speaker 2: is right. There's no way he can be telling us 521 00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:18,600 Speaker 2: all this stuff. He's talking out of his head. And 522 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:21,199 Speaker 2: if mand me something mad, I said, what, I know 523 00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:24,119 Speaker 2: my kids names and birthdays. And they were going to 524 00:25:24,119 --> 00:25:26,440 Speaker 2: introbate me into the helicopter and I told him, I said, look, 525 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:28,919 Speaker 2: you can't do that, eight lunchs late today. If you 526 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:31,119 Speaker 2: do that, I'm going to throw up all over this helicopter. 527 00:25:31,119 --> 00:25:33,560 Speaker 2: And we're all packed in here as it is because 528 00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:36,240 Speaker 2: there's three of us in there. And she said, okay, 529 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:37,960 Speaker 2: we'll wait till we get to the to the MED 530 00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:41,320 Speaker 2: to intubate you, and we get ready we start landing. 531 00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:44,680 Speaker 1: For everybody, listen, the MED is the reason the level 532 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:46,400 Speaker 1: one trauma center in the mid South. 533 00:25:46,520 --> 00:25:49,719 Speaker 2: So we get ready to land at Reagional one and 534 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:51,159 Speaker 2: she told me, she said, a right, there's gonna be 535 00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:52,639 Speaker 2: a lot of people doing a lot of things as 536 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:55,320 Speaker 2: soon as we land, and I said okay, And I 537 00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:57,679 Speaker 2: mean as soon as we land open that door and 538 00:25:57,720 --> 00:26:01,040 Speaker 2: it looked like a few six inches of around, they 539 00:26:01,119 --> 00:26:02,639 Speaker 2: ran it down my throat and all of a sudden, 540 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:07,040 Speaker 2: here come lunch everywhere. You tried to tell I told 541 00:26:07,119 --> 00:26:11,439 Speaker 2: him it was everywhere, and then I was out. I 542 00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:12,960 Speaker 2: mean I was in and out of it. After that, 543 00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:16,720 Speaker 2: Were you in pain? I don't remember. I mean, I'm 544 00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:18,720 Speaker 2: sure it was, but by this time they had pump 545 00:26:18,760 --> 00:26:21,400 Speaker 2: me full of morphine and everything else, so I don't 546 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:23,879 Speaker 2: remember about the pain because they give you different medications 547 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:25,320 Speaker 2: to make you forget about a lot of stuff. 548 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:32,320 Speaker 1: When you look back on that now, is it nightmares 549 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:32,720 Speaker 1: to you? 550 00:26:33,119 --> 00:26:34,359 Speaker 2: When I was in the hospital, I had a lot 551 00:26:34,359 --> 00:26:38,000 Speaker 2: of nightmares because when I got to the med Once 552 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:41,240 Speaker 2: I got in there, everything was either swollen or they 553 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:44,040 Speaker 2: bandaged me all up, so I couldn't see anything. I 554 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:47,040 Speaker 2: was in a strange place with a bunch of strange people. 555 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:50,480 Speaker 2: All I knew was voices. I didn't know anybody's face. 556 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:52,560 Speaker 2: I couldn't see. I didn't know what the building looked like. 557 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:56,119 Speaker 2: I didn't know, you know, a lot of different things 558 00:26:56,160 --> 00:26:59,000 Speaker 2: I didn't. I couldn't tell what it was. You know, 559 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:01,840 Speaker 2: I could tell when people came to visit me and 560 00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:03,639 Speaker 2: they would talk to me. I could tell by that 561 00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:05,800 Speaker 2: voice who they were, but I couldn't see them. 562 00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:07,159 Speaker 1: They bandaged over your eyes. 563 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:09,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, they vanded the whole a hit. Everything burned off 564 00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:10,679 Speaker 2: eye lids and all. They had to do that to 565 00:27:10,680 --> 00:27:13,240 Speaker 2: protect my eyes. I was in there sixty three days, 566 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:15,960 Speaker 2: you know, doing all these surgeries. They put this stuff 567 00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:19,679 Speaker 2: called integral, which is like a sharp cartilage. After all 568 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:21,879 Speaker 2: the debreeding and all the other stuff they started, they 569 00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:24,720 Speaker 2: put that base down and then when it turned like 570 00:27:24,760 --> 00:27:26,520 Speaker 2: a peachy color, that's when you know what it'd taken 571 00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:28,800 Speaker 2: to your skin. And then they go in do the 572 00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:31,159 Speaker 2: skin grass. They take the skin off my thighs and 573 00:27:31,200 --> 00:27:34,080 Speaker 2: put it on my head, and that's of course. Skin 574 00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:35,520 Speaker 2: is like a piece of gum. You stretch a piece 575 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:38,879 Speaker 2: of gum out on the table. After it's gonna shrink 576 00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:41,959 Speaker 2: back up the skin the same way it was shrinked 577 00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:44,479 Speaker 2: back up. So they had to go in cut it, 578 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:46,439 Speaker 2: redo it, redo it, redo it. And that's why there 579 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:49,879 Speaker 2: were so many surgeries. Because I went from me and 580 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:52,040 Speaker 2: a normal dad coming home with my kids every day 581 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:55,520 Speaker 2: to in the hospital I got to come home after 582 00:27:55,560 --> 00:27:57,879 Speaker 2: sixty three days. I was home for about two weeks. 583 00:27:58,680 --> 00:28:01,840 Speaker 2: That's when surgery started. Every every two weeks. Three weeks 584 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:03,879 Speaker 2: I was in the hospital, come home, two three weeks 585 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:06,680 Speaker 2: back in the hospital. Just that was my new life. 586 00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:08,200 Speaker 1: Did you ever want to give up? 587 00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:12,520 Speaker 2: Of course it would have been easy. Well, that would 588 00:28:12,520 --> 00:28:15,160 Speaker 2: have been easy. I mean, it's quinting is the easy part. 589 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:17,360 Speaker 2: But my kids, I couldn't. 590 00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:20,200 Speaker 1: When'd you get to see your kids first time. 591 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:22,119 Speaker 2: They came to the hospital, two of them did. My 592 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:25,600 Speaker 2: oldest daughter didn't come, but uh, Dalton, my son, and 593 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:27,959 Speaker 2: my youngest daughter came and they came to singing at 594 00:28:27,960 --> 00:28:30,720 Speaker 2: the hospital and Dalton jumped up my lap. He never 595 00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:33,960 Speaker 2: never sayd him. But my daughter she would have to do. 596 00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:37,040 Speaker 2: And she was scared of death. And when I came home, 597 00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:38,360 Speaker 2: she was scared of that. She had to go stay 598 00:28:38,360 --> 00:28:40,800 Speaker 2: at her grandmother's house because she couldn't she couldn't sleep, 599 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:41,880 Speaker 2: she'd scream. 600 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:43,840 Speaker 3: I don't think you guys have described yet, like how 601 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:45,960 Speaker 3: did your face look like at the time, And then 602 00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:49,200 Speaker 3: Chrissy's round never saw you initially. 603 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:49,160 Speaker 1: I don't. 604 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:52,040 Speaker 2: I never I couldn't tell because I couldn't see her reaction. 605 00:28:53,320 --> 00:28:55,120 Speaker 3: She made a comment that that's not you, right. 606 00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:57,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, well she did to the to the doctor's and 607 00:28:57,840 --> 00:28:59,400 Speaker 2: stuff that I don't remember it. She wrote that in 608 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:00,240 Speaker 2: the book. 609 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:02,960 Speaker 1: What's going on between your Ears at this time? I 610 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:04,880 Speaker 1: don't remember. You really don't. 611 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:06,920 Speaker 2: I really don't. I mean, it was just trying to 612 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:09,600 Speaker 2: stay alive and get through each day. That's all you do, 613 00:29:10,240 --> 00:29:12,320 Speaker 2: no matter what you're stationing. Everybody does thing. 614 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:16,080 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm sitting here listening to tell the story. 615 00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:19,160 Speaker 1: You're a straight shooter. You can tell oh good, and 616 00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:22,000 Speaker 1: I need sugar. Go well, you say, of course, But 617 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:24,640 Speaker 1: I sit across from a lot of people, and some 618 00:29:24,680 --> 00:29:27,360 Speaker 1: people shape things and some people are just very straight, 619 00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:30,920 Speaker 1: and you're just very straight. And I appreciate some people do, 620 00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:33,280 Speaker 1: but I also my heart breaks for you. 621 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:34,320 Speaker 2: It was terrible. 622 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:38,080 Speaker 1: I mean you're saying it very matter of factly and 623 00:29:38,280 --> 00:29:44,280 Speaker 1: very straightforwardly. And while I appreciate it wasn't encouraging toughness, 624 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:50,160 Speaker 1: I also don't want it lost that your life was shattered. 625 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:53,920 Speaker 2: Oh it was terrible. It was like I said, it 626 00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:57,320 Speaker 2: was every day getting up and facing that day. You 627 00:29:57,320 --> 00:30:00,840 Speaker 2: didn't plan for tomorrow. It was every There was gonna 628 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:02,760 Speaker 2: be something I had to do to get through that day. 629 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:05,440 Speaker 2: One day at a time, I tell you, one day 630 00:30:05,440 --> 00:30:06,719 Speaker 2: at a time, that's what it was. One day at 631 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:08,800 Speaker 2: a time. That was it. You never knew what it 632 00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:11,680 Speaker 2: was gonna bring. But once I could get to talk 633 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:15,120 Speaker 2: to people, like the kids on my socien's battle baseball team, 634 00:30:15,160 --> 00:30:17,800 Speaker 2: I got to coach it, and there was some kids 635 00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:19,560 Speaker 2: that just couldn't handle it. They would run off, run 636 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:22,240 Speaker 2: away with most of the kids they got to know me, Patton. 637 00:30:22,240 --> 00:30:23,000 Speaker 1: That was all it was. 638 00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:25,760 Speaker 2: Once I could talk to them, they looked past all 639 00:30:25,800 --> 00:30:28,440 Speaker 2: the scholars and everything and it was okay. And that's 640 00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:29,680 Speaker 2: just what you had to do. You had to get 641 00:30:29,680 --> 00:30:31,720 Speaker 2: through each today the best you could. 642 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:34,120 Speaker 3: Just so everybody could follow onto you. You had lost 643 00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:39,080 Speaker 3: your ears, your lips, your eyes, your nose, your eyebrows. 644 00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:41,920 Speaker 2: Everything everything that had burned off, and they were in 645 00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:45,840 Speaker 2: the process of rebuilding so and they could have never 646 00:30:45,960 --> 00:30:48,520 Speaker 2: given me what I wanted. And the doctors knew that. 647 00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:51,160 Speaker 2: They were just trying to get me to a point 648 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:54,680 Speaker 2: to look better. And the mad doctor Wallace and doctor 649 00:30:54,680 --> 00:30:56,480 Speaker 2: Fleming and doctor Hickerson, and of them they were the 650 00:30:56,520 --> 00:30:59,440 Speaker 2: best in the business around here. I'll tell anybody, if 651 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:02,040 Speaker 2: you get in the burn that's that that group right 652 00:31:02,080 --> 00:31:04,920 Speaker 2: there would that's the best of the best. But they 653 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:07,680 Speaker 2: couldn't just they couldn't get me what I wanted. It 654 00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:08,880 Speaker 2: was not it wasn't possible. 655 00:31:09,520 --> 00:31:15,040 Speaker 1: Which was your face back To be clear, Literally your 656 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:17,320 Speaker 1: body was burned up. I mean it was like ninety 657 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:18,600 Speaker 1: three percent of your body or so. 658 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:20,560 Speaker 2: I just got run from the ships from the neck up. 659 00:31:20,840 --> 00:31:23,520 Speaker 2: I mean the restaurant body was covered. I mean so well, 660 00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:26,000 Speaker 2: I thought your your gear was on fire. It was, 661 00:31:26,120 --> 00:31:28,760 Speaker 2: but it protected me. Yeah, they got me out, but 662 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:32,600 Speaker 2: it was your deck opot burnt my gear on my back. 663 00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:34,360 Speaker 2: I got a big patch on my back that but 664 00:31:34,480 --> 00:31:36,440 Speaker 2: it healed on its own. Didn't have to have any surgery, 665 00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:38,240 Speaker 2: but it was it burned through pretty good. 666 00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:42,400 Speaker 1: All right, So surgeries, have surgeries, have surgeries. But you 667 00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:43,600 Speaker 1: got a business. 668 00:31:44,120 --> 00:31:46,800 Speaker 2: Oh at this time that it didn't matter. I mean 669 00:31:46,840 --> 00:31:49,080 Speaker 2: I had, and I had to sell the house that 670 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:51,880 Speaker 2: he just bought. I had to sell it. My dad 671 00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:54,360 Speaker 2: went back to the business, but this time he is 672 00:31:54,800 --> 00:31:58,280 Speaker 2: heavily alcoholic, and he went back up there and tried 673 00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:01,400 Speaker 2: to run it. But it wasn't anyway, it was we 674 00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:04,000 Speaker 2: had to shut it down clothes. He actually wind up 675 00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:07,440 Speaker 2: selling it to a friend of mine. This was in 676 00:32:07,560 --> 00:32:10,160 Speaker 2: I guess two thousand and three, maybe two thousand and 677 00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:11,160 Speaker 2: two or three, that. 678 00:32:11,160 --> 00:32:14,520 Speaker 1: He had sold it. So that insurance policy bought helped. 679 00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:16,760 Speaker 2: It helped the first few years when I was in 680 00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:18,800 Speaker 2: the hospital a lot. You know, the next several years 681 00:32:18,840 --> 00:32:21,160 Speaker 2: I could have more outpacing surgeries because I was so 682 00:32:21,240 --> 00:32:23,600 Speaker 2: sick of hospitals. It wasn't even about the money. I 683 00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:26,360 Speaker 2: just wanted to go at be at home. Actually, I 684 00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:28,400 Speaker 2: went back to work in the fall of two thousand 685 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:31,400 Speaker 2: and four and business was great. But by this time, 686 00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:34,719 Speaker 2: you know, I'm very dependent on paint pills. I was, 687 00:32:35,080 --> 00:32:37,240 Speaker 2: I was. I would I would use those to get 688 00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:40,480 Speaker 2: through reach today where it wasn't. I wouldn't care people's thought. 689 00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:42,360 Speaker 2: I wouldn't care what people said. I could take a 690 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:45,200 Speaker 2: handful of paint pills and just it would brush off 691 00:32:45,320 --> 00:32:48,200 Speaker 2: the edge. So I didn't care. And back at work. 692 00:32:48,200 --> 00:32:50,480 Speaker 2: In the first year, you know, we did over one 693 00:32:50,480 --> 00:32:52,240 Speaker 2: million dollars in business, and I was like, man, this 694 00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:56,200 Speaker 2: is great, this is great. And then two thousand inside 695 00:32:56,280 --> 00:32:58,280 Speaker 2: we had another good decent year. It wasn't as good 696 00:32:58,280 --> 00:33:01,000 Speaker 2: as the first one. So in two thousand and five, 697 00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:03,040 Speaker 2: we started building a new house and we were going 698 00:33:03,080 --> 00:33:05,720 Speaker 2: to build it to sell. So I put every all 699 00:33:05,760 --> 00:33:08,720 Speaker 2: my money that we had. I put everything into that 700 00:33:08,800 --> 00:33:12,360 Speaker 2: house and it a praise for about five hundred thousand 701 00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:14,720 Speaker 2: dollars back then, and it was you know, I'd only 702 00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:17,760 Speaker 2: owed like two twenty on it, payments worth like three 703 00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:19,760 Speaker 2: grand a month, and businesses starting to get slow, and 704 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:24,160 Speaker 2: I'm spending money on paying pills and trying to get 705 00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:26,800 Speaker 2: kids in private school and vehicles. And because I had 706 00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:30,080 Speaker 2: lost everything, I had to start building back. So I'm 707 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:32,360 Speaker 2: just going to lose everything again because I couldn't pay 708 00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:36,760 Speaker 2: for it. This time, lost everything again, wound up the house. 709 00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:39,240 Speaker 2: Even with all the equity in it. It didn't sell 710 00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:41,920 Speaker 2: because that's when we're in the two thousand and sixty 711 00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:46,960 Speaker 2: seven where the c so nobody bought the house, and 712 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:49,400 Speaker 2: h it got bad, and that's when I really had 713 00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:52,280 Speaker 2: to start. I had to h it was. It was 714 00:33:52,320 --> 00:33:55,120 Speaker 2: bad because this time I had lost everything. My family 715 00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:57,320 Speaker 2: had had moved out when we moved out of the 716 00:33:57,360 --> 00:33:59,480 Speaker 2: house at the country club or brought the woods. My 717 00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:02,320 Speaker 2: family had moved in with their my wife's mother and 718 00:34:02,360 --> 00:34:05,480 Speaker 2: I moved in with my dad and mother. And that's 719 00:34:05,280 --> 00:34:07,600 Speaker 2: as hard as it was anyway for us breaking up 720 00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:10,480 Speaker 2: like that. And then my dad's an alcoholic and I'm 721 00:34:10,840 --> 00:34:14,279 Speaker 2: a pain pill head, so they didn't work out good. 722 00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:17,520 Speaker 2: By this time, the money's gone. In two thousand and eight, 723 00:34:17,960 --> 00:34:21,040 Speaker 2: I'm at my eye doctor's appointment and he right, he's 724 00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:24,320 Speaker 2: writing prescriptions out for something and I see a prescription paths. 725 00:34:24,320 --> 00:34:25,600 Speaker 2: He walked out of the room and picked it up. 726 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:27,680 Speaker 2: How stupid that was for me. A little look back, 727 00:34:27,719 --> 00:34:30,800 Speaker 2: and I'm just saidn't. And so I started writing my 728 00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:34,319 Speaker 2: own prescriptions and that we know how that ended. That 729 00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:38,920 Speaker 2: was terrible. So I got caught doing that, and uh, 730 00:34:39,520 --> 00:34:42,520 Speaker 2: they sent me to rehab and I stayed there and 731 00:34:44,560 --> 00:34:48,640 Speaker 2: got back and after about a thirty day jail stay 732 00:34:49,680 --> 00:34:53,120 Speaker 2: and then the rehab for another thirty days. I had 733 00:34:53,480 --> 00:34:55,839 Speaker 2: had a lot to thick, so my head's clear at 734 00:34:55,840 --> 00:34:59,719 Speaker 2: this time, and I started having more surgery, so I'm 735 00:34:59,719 --> 00:35:03,520 Speaker 2: back taking medicine again. I had to because I did 736 00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:05,600 Speaker 2: two or three surgeries with nothing and it was just 737 00:35:06,080 --> 00:35:09,120 Speaker 2: paint was unbearable. I couldn't take it, so they sent 738 00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:12,439 Speaker 2: me to a psychiatrist. This is the third psychiatrist i've seen, 739 00:35:13,520 --> 00:35:15,719 Speaker 2: and he's a doctor here in Memphis who was he 740 00:35:15,840 --> 00:35:19,360 Speaker 2: probably did, but now he was old then. But he 741 00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:23,480 Speaker 2: he medicated me something crazy. He wasn't a good dog. 742 00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:26,960 Speaker 2: He actually went to prison for overscribing medication to patient 743 00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:32,120 Speaker 2: and stuff. In two thousand and nine or ten. I 744 00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:36,120 Speaker 2: had gone to see him for the last time and 745 00:35:36,200 --> 00:35:38,520 Speaker 2: he had me all messed up. So I went I 746 00:35:38,520 --> 00:35:40,640 Speaker 2: went to my eye doctor. We had had more I 747 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:42,839 Speaker 2: had had more surgeries and my vision was like twenty 748 00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:45,560 Speaker 2: two hundred. It couldn't drive anymore, depending on my mother 749 00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:48,080 Speaker 2: for everything. I went to my eye doctor. Kept he 750 00:35:48,200 --> 00:35:50,400 Speaker 2: told me, said that there's just not much more we 751 00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:53,000 Speaker 2: can do that. You're you don't have eyelids at blink 752 00:35:53,040 --> 00:35:55,160 Speaker 2: and your eyes were open all the time, so they 753 00:35:55,239 --> 00:35:57,279 Speaker 2: dry out and you're you're going to go blind if 754 00:35:57,320 --> 00:36:01,120 Speaker 2: we can't figure out something. Neighbor Clay More, he was 755 00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:03,279 Speaker 2: with me that day and he said he drove me 756 00:36:03,320 --> 00:36:05,920 Speaker 2: to the doctor and he had talked to doctor Slimming 757 00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:08,520 Speaker 2: and he said, you know, what do you think about 758 00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:11,399 Speaker 2: a faith transplant. Doctor Fleming said, I don't know much 759 00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:14,160 Speaker 2: about that. It's all still too near right now. So 760 00:36:14,280 --> 00:36:15,600 Speaker 2: we had left and I had to come back to 761 00:36:15,640 --> 00:36:17,800 Speaker 2: doctor Fleming and I asked him again, I said, do 762 00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:20,800 Speaker 2: what do you I'm serious thinking about this faith transplant? 763 00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:22,600 Speaker 2: He said, Man, he said, I'm not sold on the pet. 764 00:36:22,680 --> 00:36:23,839 Speaker 2: He I just don't know. 765 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:30,960 Speaker 1: And that concludes Part one of our conversation with Pat Hardison, 766 00:36:31,160 --> 00:36:34,040 Speaker 1: and you don't want to miss part two. It's now 767 00:36:34,160 --> 00:36:38,920 Speaker 1: available to listen to. Together. Guys, we can change this country, 768 00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:42,000 Speaker 1: but we'll start with you. I'll see in part two