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Security Halt!
#229 John Wayne Walding’s Journey: From Green Beret to Sobriety & Veteran Advocacy
Join John Wayne Walding, Green Beret and veteran advocate, as he opens up about his journey from a challenging childhood to becoming a decorated Special Forces sniper and a respected voice in the veteran community. John dives into the transformative power of resilience, faith, and community support in overcoming the unique challenges veterans face. This episode is a powerful exploration of sobriety, friendship, and finding purpose beyond the battlefield. Walding and Caballero share their personal stories of breaking free from the societal pressures surrounding alcohol, embracing gratitude, and building authentic connections.
Hear their insights on navigating life’s transitions, from military to civilian life, with a renewed sense of purpose. This episode isn’t just for veterans—it’s a call for anyone seeking personal growth, mental well-being, and a supportive community. Discover how you can make meaningful changes in your own life. Don’t forget to follow, share, like, and subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts to stay updated with impactful stories like this one!
Follow, share, like, and subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts to support veteran mental health awareness!
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background of John Wayne Walding
04:58 Overcoming Adversity and the Role of Mindset
09:54 The Importance of Faith in Life's Challenges
15:07 Navigating Pain and Mental Health
19:59 The Impact of Alcohol on Veterans
25:05 Living Well for the Fallen and Personal Growth
35:18 The Illusion of Fun vs. Gratitude
37:09 The Journey to Sobriety
39:10 Confronting Alcohol's Role in Life
41:34 Building True Friendships
45:35 The Importance of Long-Term Sobriety
46:51 The Struggles of Substance Abuse
49:27 Finding God in Recovery
50:49 The Power of Community and Support
53:07 Transitioning from Military to Civilian Life
54:52 Entrepreneurship and Helping Veterans
01:00:07 The Healing Power of Nature
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LinkedIn: Deny Caballero
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Connect with John today!
LinkedIn: John Wayne Walding
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnwaynewalding-ba1a48b4/
Website: JohnWayneWalding.com
https://www.johnwaynewalding.com/
Produced by Security Halt Media
security hot podcast. Let's go with an expert in guerrilla warfare with a man who's the best with guns, with knives, with his bare hands, a man who's been trained to ignore, ignore weather to live off the land job, was disposed of enemy personnel to kill period best secret kept.
Speaker 2:Uh, hopefully nobody else figures it out and it keeps it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, cheap enough for us to go over there bro, I'm telling you right now, to the audience watching, right now don't go to utah don't, it's just's horrible, it's horrible, it's the worst. John Wayne Walding. Welcome to Security Hub Podcast brother. It's so good to finally have you on here, man.
Speaker 2:Thanks for having me, Denny. It's an honor to be on here. I'm happy to spend time and fellowship together and see where this thing takes us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, for those of you tuning in that don't recognize this boyish good looks of john wayne uh, a remarkable green beret, amazing veteran advocate these days. But, man, it's going back to how the rest of the world and for a lot of us, like april 2008, shock valley man, like like April 2008, shock Valley man, like your ODA 10 Silver Stars, we now have two Medal of Honor recipients from that battle and anybody, anybody that survived that and came through that, nobody would have ever like no one would bat an eye if you had just been like, hey, I'm ready to go, I'm done, I'm going to focus on my family, but not John Wayne. John Wayne comes back and he says you know what I'm going to be? A sniper Goes to sniper school, becomes the first amputee to be a sniper school graduate for SF and then, right after that, in 2009, you do the Boston Marathon Like you. Just don't quit, damn it.
Speaker 2:I got four plays too, by the way.
Speaker 1:It was one of those you know that's right.
Speaker 2:Daddy comes there to get the gold. I don't just do stuff. Yeah, it was one of those. I was happy and mad. Right, I was like happy I did so good, but then mad I'm like I should have trained harder.
Speaker 1:I would have good, but then, man, I'm like I should have trained harder, I'd have got gold. Yeah, man, but before all that, man, let's take it back. I think your story is so unique, not only because the name, but, man, like your origin story we got. You got to tell us from the beginning, tell us how you know the beginning of john wayne, as they say man, you know, I always tell everybody that, uh, you know, don't believe my resume, right, because it's awesome.
Speaker 2:Right, when you read it, right, you see, go down there, john wayne's borough, the fourth of july, green beret, silver star, like, when you go, you're like man, this guy's awesome, yeah, you know. But uh, the reality is, man, I come from almost nothing, right? Uh, the first memory of my dad is is I'm not kidding you being in the backseat of a Lincoln town car, my grandma's town car. We were driving to the county courthouse and we had to stop because there was a chain of convicts and orange jumpsuits that were tied to each other. We had to stop, so they passed us.
Speaker 2:Well, my dad was one of those. He was going from county lockup into jail to get sentenced to prison. My mom, he was going from from county lockup into jail, you know, to get sentenced to prison. My mom, she was already in prison. You know, and and you know that's the quite literal earliest memory that I have of my father.
Speaker 2:You know, but I'm still not a victim, right, like that that everybody's got problems they got to deal with. Everybody's got challenges in their life that they face. You know, I just you know, I go from that kid right there, you know, having to be forced to live with his grandparents which, by the way, I thank God every day that he gave me my grandparents, you know. But you know, going back to the mindset of that five-year-old kid, that man, I don't know these people. And now here I am going, you know, to old kid that man, I don't know these people. And now here I am, going to this total different world.
Speaker 2:Oh, by the way, I had to leave my town. They were retired and living outside of Groesbeck, texas, which is 40 miles east of Waco. It's a 3,500 people town but we got a $10 million football field, right, like that's where I went to live. And I didn't even live there, I lived 30 miles outside of it, you know, out in the middle of nowhere, you know. And so to go from that right to one day, you know, joining the military and standing on that parade field donning the coveted Green Beret, right to then standing on another parade field, you know, getting the silver star, awarded the silver star, and then standing in the oval office with the president being on stage with another president, right, like no that happens here in america. Right, for a little kid. Who was? You know, I always say I'm 100 texan, right, because my mom's mexican and my dad was a rough neck you know so oil and tacos mama like that's you know, that's that's it.
Speaker 2:But to go from there, like I said. That's why I don't say this for pity or make people feel sorry, for parents didn't love me and all that. I just go back to, don't believe my resume right, that I come from the same struggles that a lot of people have to deal with. I just never let it define me right. Never let your circumstances define your direction.
Speaker 1:Dude, that is the most powerful thing that comes from this show is being able to bring these stories of these humble beginnings. And it's all because media books do it, tv shows do it. You see special forces operators, you see Navy SEALs, rangers and people have digested so many stories where, oh, these guys are perfect, clean cut, they come from the great picket fence background. I'm like they're going to be further from the true.
Speaker 1:The reality is the individuals like yourself and the vast majority of people that have been on the show, the reason why we go into this life of being protectors, of being the, the guys at the, as they say, tip of the spear, it's because we know what it's like to be at the very bottom, to have nobody to be, have to look down and and say you know what I'm, this is, this is the bottom, like I need to be able to work my way to the very top. And in this country we're blessed to have military service, we're blessed to have a system that says you know what, if you work your butt off, you can make it, and that's something that we need to reinforce because a lot of people just are losing. I think it's that American spirit, that tenacity, like we're losing it, man.
Speaker 2:I couldn't agree more. Everyone has their own motivations. Motivations, right, and being poor is a pretty good one.
Speaker 1:Yes, right, yeah but I'm not going back there, buddy.
Speaker 2:You know but and but. You're right that they're. I mean, this is not just um, hyperbole like this, is actual studies that have proven that a lot. I mean one of the common threads with, you know, special operation. You know soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, right, those that, to your point, get to the tip of that spear they're all coming from something where they've had to deal with divorce. Right, they've had to deal with. You know, to my point, you know seeing your parent across that plexiglass thing and you know putting the fist up and saying I love you. They've come from insert challenge here, but they've had to deal with it. That way, whenever we get punched in the face in the Q course, hey, man, rucking for a few hours, ain't that big a deal? I've seen how big a deal it is. It really is that common denominator of what really does help us, motivate us to really want to be the best that we can be, because we know that's not what we want to be.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely man.
Speaker 2:Even with my parents, right, I have no ill will towards them. I thank God that they showed me what wrong looks like Right. Right, I say that God gave me my parent, my grandparents, that showed me what right looks like. You know which is got to have it. That's a very important thing, but I almost think that the most important thing was my parents show me what wrong looks like Right. Because of their actions, I know I'm not going to go do drugs Right, Having to see them get locked up. I know that I am going to do something with my life. I'm not just going to let life run me over. And so you know, having that example, like I said, I don't have ill will to her. I just, I just thank God that you know. Unfortunately, I had to go through it, but I'm better because of it.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Like. That's a like. A lot of us get to that place years after coming to terms with everything, and that's an important thing to understand. So you got to let go of that hate. Yeah, and one thing that's that's super powerful about your story is your faith, and I know I talk about it a lot. I, I throw it out there, like it. It's almost like the. The taboo thing to talk about these days is like how strong are you in your faith? Like, do you in your faith? Like, do you follow your religion? Do you go to church? People don't want to talk about that, but hey, guess what? It's my show. So we get to talk about that. That's right, give me the mic. When you were, you know you've gone through so much. Take us through how faith showed up in your life, not only in combat, but building yourself back up, going through those years of rebuilding, john Wayne.
Speaker 2:Yeah, first of all, I don't care, not one bit, that it's taboo. I'll lean right in and say, hey, you know, jesus is your Lord and Savior, right, and I don't care if I make it awkward because your salvation is that important to me. I think in this culture we've really lost the true definition of love. Love doesn't mean acceptance, it isn't. Love means you're going to want the best for that person and you're willing to tell them something they may not want to hear in order to help them.
Speaker 2:That's where my faith has just given me the confidence to stand firm in it and speak the truth. Right, there's no your truth or my truth or his truth. There's only one truth and that's the truth of Jesus Christ dying for our sin, our Lord and Savior. Right. And but to your question, I've always my pastor. I never will forget when he put it in this perspective, because it really hit home with me. Right, because I think I fell into the category a lot of Christians do fall into for the majority of their faith, which is I believe that there's God, but I didn't necessarily believe in God. Right, so like I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan, right, so I do know that there is a team in New York called the New York Giants.
Speaker 2:I believe that there is that team. It's there. They're blue in the Meadowlands. I don't believe in them Right.
Speaker 1:And so I you know.
Speaker 2:I grew up and go, you know, going to church. I wasn't, you know, because of my grandparents, right, grandma took us to church on Sundays. Sometimes I almost looked at it like a punishment. You know, like man, I got to go to church, you know, and so I did believe in you know, that there is God. I do believe that he did die for my sins, and even through the military, I was a believer, in fact, on April 6, 2008,.
Speaker 2:There's a distinct moment where I gave it to God straight up. God, this is all I got. I got shot in my leg. I had it held between my thighs, only still on my leg, by an inch of flesh, and it was the hardest thing that I could do. Denny, to scoot on my butt from one position to the next to try to get off the X. Yeah, and that's when I gave it to him.
Speaker 2:I'm like God, this is it Right?
Speaker 2:If I make it out of here, it's because of you, it's not because of me, it's not because of me.
Speaker 2:And that was really the I wouldn't necessarily say the defining factor, but it definitely was the catalyst that got me down this path, road where I believe in God, that man, he saved me that day because I realized I couldn't do it without him, right, and what that has done for me, it's just galvanized the faith, right, it galvanized that God's done to do this to you.
Speaker 2:He does it for you, right? Think about that statement and the significance, the posture that you have with your heavenly father, when you believe that to be true, right, that God's not up there with his arms crossed right, looking down at you with his finger pointed and saying I'm doing this to you because you're a sinner. That's not the truth, that's not godly, that's not his heart. God is love and going back to, he loves you so much that he's willing to put you through the ringer because you know you're going to be better for it. That's what I've learned that he does this for you. Losing my leg, brother, brother, it's one of the best things that's ever happened to me. Full stop sucks, right, it sucks bad, you know.
Speaker 1:And fox news alert right, it is not fun but you know, let's let's pause and dissect that, because not everybody's going to lose a leg, but look back at the things that you've suffered. Look back in your own journey right now, as you're listening. Maybe it's a divorce, maybe it is an injury, maybe it's the loss of a job, something, and I can reflect on one of those exact same situations, like walking away from my own military career, like having to make a choice for, like, my health, having to make a choice for family, like that. All of us have something that we suffered and gone through. Can you look at that suffering and say God, thank you for this, thank you for this? Like, maybe not in the moment, maybe not when you were in that firefight, but if you look back on where God has taken you now, heck, yeah, man, thank you for this.
Speaker 2:That's a powerful testament.
Speaker 2:Well, I always say two things right, the power of prayer cannot be understated. Right, like that. That is the Carl Gustav of spiritual warfare. Right, and and um, I don't pray for God to take my, my, my struggles away. Right, I don't. I don't look at him as this genie that I just rub and says I want a new car, right, or I don't want. You know, I ask God to give me the will to endure what he has for me. Yeah, right, and then the patience for me to learn why it is happening. Right, those are the two things in my prayer life that I just I mean focus on intently.
Speaker 2:Right, because when you read the book of Job and all that God took away from him to show him his glory, right, and he never wavered. Right, even when he had people that you know, his friends. Right, His friends were telling him, man, you're wrong, that God's doing this to you. Right, and he had other friends. This is why this, you didn't do this or whatever. But you're right, danny, you know my, my leg is your divorce, is this person's rape. It's this person's you know addiction, which is this person's you know insert struggle here, man, you just got to realize that God meets you where you are, yeah Right, and that he's not doing it to you, he's doing it for you. He knows that you're going to come out better for going through this. And just again, just pray to have the will to endure it right, and pray to have the patience, because that's us. You know americans. Instant gratification right, it's my money, I want it now right yeah, god's not on our timeline brother dude
Speaker 1:you know, there's there's yeah, that's go ahead. No, that that's a powerful thing right there. Um, because that goes into a lot of the mental health stuff anxiety, it's anxiety and depression. I always say, like anxiety, you're, you're focused on a future that you can't predict and you want something so bad, but you're dealing with the struggle of not getting the thing. Or you're, you're worried about something in the future and depression is everything that is behind you. A lot of times You're messed up or something didn't go right. You blame something about your life and you're still stuck on it and you have to surrender. You literally have to surrender.
Speaker 1:You can't control how things are going to pan out in the future. So why are you letting something that hasn't even unfolded, hasn't even been developed, weigh down on you so much today? And that's something that so many of us struggle. And it's funny that there's so many parables. There's so many lessons to be learned when you sit down and follow your faith, dig into the book and realize okay, if I want to be strong, if I want to truly test my faith, I've got to surrender. And that's so hard for us, our guys, our type of people, because we want to control everything, damn it. We want to control every possible variable. But it's like, hey, man, sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is say I'm not in control of this and I have to have faith that he's going to be there with me, walk me through this. And it might not be the answer I want to hear, it might not be the outcome that I want, but I got to trust.
Speaker 2:That's the key right there is is to have that, that, uh, willingness to understand. You may not get what you want, yeah, right. And sometimes you know, maybe even more times, that that that is the outcome. Right, I didn't want to lose a leg, I didn't want that at all. I love doing calf raises. I can't do that anymore, right, you know. But it's just you know. Going back to his will be done on earth as it is in heaven not my will be done Right, and so you.
Speaker 2:you're right though you. You need to just trust that it is his will, not yours, and give to him. Man, that's scary. Let's just be real Right, Like you know, being vulnerable man, that's. That's some scary stuff that says I'm not in charge, he is yeah, Right when I got to in charge. He is Right when I got to pay my mortgage. Right when I just lost a job, when I'm like man. That's some scary stuff to say, God, this is yours, what will you have me do?
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And that vulnerability that you have to have. You know it's tough, you know, but I just keep going back to. Well, delayed gratification is another thing that I think we struggle with. Right To your point about well, insert topic right, ozipic right.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to run, I'm just going to take this pill and it's going to go off, just mash that auto-injector right in, just freaking, take it let it rip tater chip, you know, rather than than the delayed gratification of just grinding out every day, and not for one month, not for four months, right? And like people in our community, we forget how long it takes to get that little tab on your shoulder. Oh man, yeah Right, some people took years. Nope, did you quit Cause it was hard? No, why? Because you believed that it was worth it. Right, you believe that if you just didn't quit, that you were going to be better. This, it's no different. It's no different when dealing with your anxiety, right, it's no different when dealing with depression. It's no different with dealing with, you know, any type of, you know, substance abuse, whether it's porn or pills. Yeah, right, just knowing that you don't have to get to Mount Everest tomorrow, just today, right, just quit for today.
Speaker 1:Yeah, falling in love with the process too, that's something that I realized. We all had it at some point in the Q course. I mean, there were days that you were doing. I remember in language school, anytime there was a four-day, you'd be doing a 12-miler, trying to keep the guys from getting in trouble by going out and drinking too much and partying. So if there was a four-day, you were doing a 12-miler and everybody, everybody, everybody showed up excited. Everybody was like just looking forward to that, like that last mile, and then like, hey, we're going to recover.
Speaker 1:Everything's like, dude, this thing's going to be over. We've done this so many times. Like, yeah, it's going to be painful, yeah, it's going to be a smoke sesh, but, dude, nobody's failed this thing. Nobody's. Everybody's always coming on time. And you get to the point where it's like, wow, like we're actually having fun doing this. Yeah, like you're falling in love with the process and yeah, it's difficult, but we're losing that and I think our greater civilian brothers are losing that now more than ever. Like falling and, like you said it, like the shiny pill taking those epic to lose weight. You don't need it. It's like the, the freaking. Uh, the side effects are huge, like the list is like. But that's the same model can be put on anything else out there. Are you willing to go to church every sunday, even when you don't want to, for the ultimate reward, hey you know what's that saying?
Speaker 2:I'd rather have discipline over motivation. Yeah, because when motivation comes and goes, brother, brother, there's times you're like you're right. You're like man, we're going to have an awesome Sunday, we're going to go get me some Jesus and it's going to be great. Then you know, let's be real, like probably more Sundays, you're like, golly man, I just had to. Something happened Saturday night. I didn't get to bed. Now I got to get up, kids and this and that, and it sure would be easier to just not go Right and you're not motivated. Are you going to have that discipline to say, no, suck it up, buttercup, we're going to go Right.
Speaker 2:And it goes back to when you look at the one thing that, with my journey in sanctification that I've got to, when you really dig into the Bible, it really is all about, you know, denying yourself, because we're just black hearted, wretched sinners. Right, we want, we want, we want, we want. And what did Jesus do? You know? First of all, jesus didn't do anything for 30 years. Yeah, right, like, imagine denying yourself for 30 years. Like, guess what, guys, I'm awesome, I'm the Messiah, I can, you know, I can't wait to tell you how awesome I am. But no, he waited 30 years before he started, you know, preaching Right, and even then he would go off by himself 40 days and 40 nights to fast Right and deal with what he's got to deal with.
Speaker 2:And it's the same thing that I just there's so many just examples of, of denying yourself. And really and, by the way, I don't want your audience to think that I'm I'm thinking that, like the, the, the idea is to never be sad Right, or the idea is to never face these struggles, that you reach this utopian state right To where you don't have to deal with suck yeah.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:The idea is to not run from it. Right, the idea is is, when you receive it, you receive it with curiosity and not negativity. Right, think about that. Right, you, you, you receive this. Whether it's sadness, you know whether it's it's pain, it's pain, anxiety, whatever it is. You don't receive it and just have this weight on your shoulder about oh man, I don't want to feel this way. Why am I feeling this way? God, I don't want to feel this way Rather than okay, it's here, that's new, hasn't been there. What are we doing here? Hasn't been there. What are we doing here? Right, and really having that scientific approach rather than like a childlike emotional approach to it. Right, and that's where healing comes from. Right, because, because, when you dig that negative emotional attachment to really dive deep into what are we doing here? Because, look, brother, I'm going to tell you straight up. I kind of mentioned it when you and I were in Operation Overland together.
Speaker 2:This has been the hardest year of my life since getting shot from a physical perspective. I had the surgery in February and here it is October and I'm still not good. Yeah, right, and man, you talk about a headspace, right, where I'm not running like I used to. I haven't run all year, brother, no way, it's a big deal with me, right, and I haven't been able to work out like I do. I can't ruck like I do.
Speaker 2:Granted I still again, discipline over motivation, right, I'll still go in there, you know, quite literally crutch into my gym and grab ropes and just sit on a box and do ropes, right, or something else, and again I could either receive you know this, this struggle with, with that victim mentality right Of oh man, why is God doing this to me? You know, rather than saying God, I get it. You know, you're here with me, right? What's the learning? You know I don't like it. Yeah, Right, I don't. It's not fun. This has been a a very hard time, you know, for me, but you just said it earlier, right, give it to him.
Speaker 1:Yeah, give God this is yours Do what you can with what you got. That's something a lot of veterans, a lot of our active duty first responders people are dealing with pain, physical pain, and that is a nightmare for some, and it's so easy to give up. It's so easy to say no, I can't do it. And I remember when I was dealing with my own physical pain and not being able to run, barely being able to put weight on both my feet, just being I'm always in pain that narrative that sets in so fast. I'm always in so fast, I'm always in pain. I'm always in pain. I'm just gonna just need medication, for I'm always in pain, and I hear it within so many veterans spaces I just got chronic pain, chronic pain. I'm like, yeah, pain's pain's gonna be there.
Speaker 1:But can you challenge yourself to find the moments when you're not in pain? And what can you do in those moments? Well, if you can't run, can you walk? Well, if you can't walk, can you bike, can you do something? I highly believe that we need that physical activity in order to get back, in order to get that feeling of like, okay, I still got it in me. You got to get back in shape, you got to be willing to do something. And so many of us get that old VA stamp of oh you're broken, and we just, we just accept it, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I thought you hit the nail on the head right, Just do something. Yeah, Just do something. You know you don't have. You want to know how far my first run was after getting shot.
Speaker 2:How far, maybe 50 feet, right, yeah, you know, I got my leg and I was at Walter Reed and I saw that we were down in the corridor outside and he's like, all right, take off. And it was about 50 feet, Turned around, all right, ran back 50 feet. Next day made it 100. Next day I ran around the whole freaking thing, right.
Speaker 1:Heck yeah.
Speaker 2:Next day I'm sitting there running like I just kept going and kept doing something, because it's not figurative, like quite literal. There is a biological correlation between physical health and mental health. Yep, right, that when your muscles are strong and healthy, your brain's going to be stronger and healthy. Correlation between physical health and mental health Yep, right, right that when your muscles are strong and healthy, your, your brain's going to be stronger and healthy. Again, I'm not saying it's things are going to go away. Like I said, I don't ever want your listeners to think that that you know, like I said earlier, like this, this, I've reached this state of utopia, right, yeah. However, there are behaviors that you can do to mitigate it. Yep, right, not make it go away. To your point about choosing pain I actually say that so many times whenever I speak that you know I had a choice after getting shot. I could choose pills or I could choose pain Yep, right. Or I can choose pain Yep, right, and I never will forget. You know that. Scary, by the way, right.
Speaker 2:That scary decision where I'm going to take this little you know magic numbness that makes all my problems go away and I'm going to let go of it. Yeah Right, like making that decision where man because over here is scary of it. Yeah Right, like like making that decision to where man cause over here is scary, over here sucks. Right Over here is all this uncertainty and all again quite literal hurt that I'm going to have to go through it and I chose those pills and that pain because I, you know, I just couldn't be on it anymore. I never will forget, you know, going to the dock at brag asking for more, uh, opioids, not really sure I needed them? Yeah right, and I'm like man, I'm not. Yeah, I'm all right, but man it sure does feel good, man.
Speaker 1:The devil comes in many different forms, man, and that's one of them.
Speaker 2:Like addiction is that stuff is a devil. Stuff is a devil in a bottle. There is no pull, and I mean it, like I'm not trying to say I got off of it because I'm awesome. I'm not. You know that pull towards those pills is the strongest that I've ever had in my life, denny. I mean, that's all you think about. Yeah, right, that's all you. Your whole life starts to revolve around Do I have my pills with me? Like you didn't even go to Walmart, like I? You know, just like you. Do you do this for you? You know, all right. Do I got my knife, my gun, my wallet, my phone? Right, you're just like where's my pills? I got them, you know. And that's just a life that you start to live. That's terrifying to me. Whenever I felt myself do that, I was like, uh-uh, I can't be that guy. But on the flip side, alcohol, right, strongest pool with opioids, the most elusive is alcohol, dude that elusive.
Speaker 1:Let's dive into that one because we have a joint mission in changing the narrative on alcohol man and it's funny, when we were on the Overland trip we brought it up together at the same time, almost like twinsies, and it was. I always say it's mind-body and that aha moment when you bring the catalyst of the spirit, Like, oh my God, like this, I was needing this. The next one veterans, civilians, anybody within our tribe needs to have is that personal awakening and understanding of your relationship with alcohol, Like having that understanding of like well, this has killed a vast majority of my brothers. This has led my yeah, a hundred percent Stop. Yeah, this has killed so many of our brothers. Why do I want to continue having this thing in my life? And like, when we made that like connection and we both like that was just one of those things that had that, that, that like I'm on to something I am, my conviction is even stronger now, somebody else gets it.
Speaker 2:Did we just become best friends? Yeah, can we go do karate? Moves out in the garage? Yeah, but, and let me just say again uh, please don't believe me because you think I'm smart, that I've read all of these books behind me.
Speaker 2:Right, and after years of my research, I'm just blessing you with my knowledge, right, right, like that's not the conversation or the posture that I hope you think that we're in, believe me, because God's put me through the ringer Right, and I've seen both sides, yeah, right, I've seen myself on the sauce. I've seen myself and guess what? I was good, became a Green Beret, right, paid my bills, didn't beat my, you know, kick my dog or whatever. Right, you know, you know, you know it was. I was good and uh, but it is the most elusive thing on the planet I never will forget.
Speaker 2:When one of my buddies died, I drank Jack Daniels, cause that's what he's supposed to do, right, chris loved Jack, that's what I do. And I woke up that next day and and I was really just kind of like mad, sad, all of it. And you know, I knew I wasn't doing right. I knew I didn't honor him like I thought we were supposed to, because that's what we're supposed to do, right, drink for the fallen, Right, toast to him, pour one out for the homies, like all that stuff you, you read here and even seeing sometimes Right and so. But again, I knew I didn't honor him like I should. But again, I knew I didn't honor him like I should and I want your honesty. No, I didn't quit drinking. That wasn't you know. When I woke up that next day, I didn't have this revelation of okay, I'm going to be sober today. Right, I started living well for the fallen. Like that was it. It was like, if his life matters that much to me, I'm doing this. No, no, no, man, I owe it to them to live well, right, cause they don't have the choice of what type of husband they're going to be, but I do. Right, they don't have the choice of what type of brother they're going to be to their brothers, but I do, or father or, you know, citizen, whatever, insert statement there. Right, but we have that choice. And, by the way, they want us to be awesome. Yep, right, they don't want us to be drinking every night, just being depressed that they're no longer with us, and all of this rabbit hole of just despair. They don't want us to be down there, man, they want us to be up here, living life, being great, doing the best that we could possibly be, and that was my choice.
Speaker 2:My choice was, man, I got to stop doing this. You know, I stopped being good and I got to start being great. Yeah, right. And what's the difference? And here's, but here's the, the, the catalyst, right? Here's the challenge to that I give to all the listeners out there Be brutally honest. Be brutally honest with yourself of what's keeping you from doing that Right. Because, let's be real, we all look at ourselves in the mirror, right, and it's like I'm good, right. Your buddy said hey, man, how you doing, I'm good. Are you Like? Are you? Because, as you know, I'll tell you, I'm not doing good. I don't have that beside anymore. If I am, I'm like heck, yeah, man, I'm awesome.
Speaker 1:I've got to walk today.
Speaker 2:If I'm not, I'll tell you that I'm not good. And so that's the challenge that I give everyone, man, is to stop lying to yourself and just be honest, man, where are you struggling in life? And again, that's where it was. For me, I said to myself that I'd never once was I think I was 30 when I quit drinking and I had never once remembered me telling my guys I'm not drinking tonight. Yeah, right, that stuck with me. It was always the exact opposite.
Speaker 2:I'm like boys, we drinking tonight. You know like, because that was me, you know my. You know I'm like you, right, I was never a fight guy, I was a fun guy. Yep, we weren't going to have some of it, we were going to have all of it. And I'm driving, let's roll, yep, you know. And which, by the way, kind of validated me doing it Right.
Speaker 2:Because how many times do you tell your wife oh, we're just having fun, babe, right, loose, yeah, we're just having fun. You know that, that. But that right, there is that snake in the grass. That's the illusion, brother. That's the illusion that that fun is good. It's not right, like, and you quite literally do have more fun when you do drink, right, when the alcohol hits your brain, it releases these enzymes and all that stuff that happens. It may gives you that more euphoric experience, but life's not about fun, right? Life is about having gratitude for what blessings God's give you and having joy with that. Yeah, right, right, that's it, man.
Speaker 2:And uh, whenever I so, whenever I made that choice, you know what? Let me see what this guy looks like, cause I, you know, I know this guy. Let me look at this guy. And because I know this guy, yep, let me look at this guy. And whenever I didn't have alcohol, especially in a social setting, man, that was difficult. When I say difficult, I jokingly, because if you haven't, you know me, I deflect a lot of my pain with humor, right, yeah, but I jokingly say I'm like, uh, ricky Bobby, right, I don't know what to do with my hands. You know, that's what I felt like. I mean, I did not know what to do with my hands without having that drink in front of me, man. And that's when I realized, okay, there's something here more than just, you know, a clean 90, right A sober, 90 or whatever it was, I'm going to lean into this.
Speaker 2:And 13 years ago, february 3rd, was the last day I ever drank. And I tell you from the bottom of my heart, if there's one thing that y'all believe me from hearing this episode today, sobriety is the best gift that I ever gave myself, full stop, no question about it. It's the best gift that I ever gave myself, full stop, no question about it. It's the best gift that I ever gave myself. It is that catalyst that kept me from being great, that now I just I tell everybody, man, I don't just not drink now because I'm anti-alcohol, I don't drink now because I'm anti not being awesome. Right, I love that clear head, I love. You know, man. I just got back from, you know, being in Cleveland for the last couple of days, got home at 8 o'clock at night. What did I do? Got up this morning, had Bible study with my wife, went outside, got with it yeah, you know, got ready. Now here I am, you know, just preaching the gospel Like I love it. I wouldn't have done that if I'd got drunk last night.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I took a similar approach and I just analyzed the whole concept of why I drank to begin with and why it became such a slippery slope when I was going through my own challenges and ordeal and I realized that from a very young age, as men, we're told that alcohol is fun. It's what you do to enjoy, and the message that I received coming up in the teams is if you are having a bad day, if you're having a rough day, you drink. If you're having a good day and you're having a great time, you drink. If having a great time, you drink. If you're going to celebrate, you drink. Everything revolved around alcohol, but I never had a choice. I never had a conscious moment of saying I'm going to drink because I like the taste or I like this.
Speaker 2:Well, there's these validations that we give each other because of that, this word. Right, I'm going to say, you're going to know, I'm 100% right, because how many times have we all gone home and said, man, I just need to relax. Yep, right, there's nothing wrong with relaxing. You deserve to relax, didn't you? Yep, you went and worked all day. You've been out there doing this, man, you deserve to relax. Relax doesn't mean having a drink, exactly Right, and learning that, pulling your, stripping all of that fabric of alcohol into every decision. It's difficult, but, believe me, and as you were saying as well, man, it's the truth, choices or something that I made for myself.
Speaker 1:I just followed along. Am I just going to follow along every everybody and just continue to do what everybody else does, or am I going to make a conscious effort right now and make a decision? Do I really enjoy this product? Do I really enjoy what's it doing to me? If I want to be at the best, if I want to get to my best performance each and every day, if I want to be able to look at my daily metrics and say I'm doing everything I can to be better, well then, alcohol doesn't fit into that and it certainly doesn't fit into my plan to be a good person and skirt away from the behaviors that I've had in the past, because it's so easy to fall back into depression.
Speaker 1:It's so easy to fall back into that one or two drinks a night which become three or four or five. And for me, if you already identified, you've had issues with it in the past. For me, just speaking for myself, it was so easy to say you know what, maybe this is something I don't need. And if you're listening right now, this isn't me telling you or John Wayne telling you that you have to be sober to be cool. No man, you owe it to yourself to make a decision, to look at your life and make an informed decision, as if you need it and if you're cool with it, if you enjoy it and it brings value to your life, then hell yeah, you made the choice, and it wasn't pop culture and it wasn't somebody else breathing down your neck to drink. You ultimately made the choice and then now you can feel better about it.
Speaker 1:It's just being willing to explore the idea of like, why did I drink? Or why do I drink to begin with? I think all of us need to have that, and if we all have that honest conversation with ourselves, you realize how quickly you come down to the idea of like hey, maybe I don't even really enjoy drinking, maybe it's just being around the guys, maybe it's just being able to do something and be a part of it. Can I still do those activities without drinking?
Speaker 1:Hell yeah, then maybe I don't need this, because I remember in the team it was very much the environment of like, yo, you have to drink, man, fuck that, it's 2024, you don't have to do anything. Peer pressure is like the lamest thing out there. Be willing, be willing to stand on your own two feet and be like you know what I'm I'm going to drink liquid death or I'm going to drink a coffee and I'm going to be fine hanging out with you guys because I'm here for the brotherhood. I'm here because I love being with my team and my boys and that's good enough for me. I just want more people to have that conversation.
Speaker 2:Well, and also have to have the one confidence in your choice yeah Right, that this is what I'm doing but also to understand that when your people, your buddies, right. Cause I'm going to come to this, drinking buddies.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right, but when your, your buddies, are telling you and making fun of you for not doing it, it's not because you're doing something wrong, it's because they are insecure in their feelings. Yeah, they're trying to validate what they're doing and you, you're coming here and you're disrupting that and they don't want people disrupting that. Yep. And so, going back to drinking buddies, I've learned I don't want drinking buddies, I want a brother, I want an absolute friend. Going back to our faith, right, I love the story, to where you have those. There was this paraplegic that was on a mat mat and his buddies carried him up to the top Right. Jesus, I believe, was in in Peter's house giving a sermon, right, but there are so many people up there that they couldn't get through the people to have Jesus heal. Their buddy that was, you know again, could not walk, was paralyzed, and they didn't stop what they do. They grabbed him, they took him up to the roof, yeah, literally broke through the roof, yeah.
Speaker 2:Right and imagine what that roof is like. Right, that isn't just a couple shingles or whatever, like it's just that stuff mud and earth. And, like you know, they had to work to get through that. They had to work to get to him up there, get through that. Then they lowered him down there on those mats. That's the friends that I want.
Speaker 2:That's the friends that I've gotten through my sobriety, Because whenever you take that beer away, that alcohol away, now you're just dummies sitting on a bar stool eating peanuts, it's so crazy when you got a beer like, oh, this is cool, sitting on a bar stool eating peanuts, right, it's so crazy when you got a beer like, oh, this is cool, you got the game on up there, this is awesome. But when you take that away you realize you really aren't having that intimate relationship with people. You're both just doing something to buy time and I don't have time for that in my life anymore. But that's what I like. Guys, gals, if you're listening, I call them corner toters, right, because everybody had a corner of that mat and was toting them up to that roof to break through that roof to get him to Jesus. You find you four corner toters in your life that would do that for you and that's where your real friendships are going to come from.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But you don't know that till you get out, right. You don't know that until you have that courage right To to just not be like everyone else. Cause, you're right, man, it ain't just in the teams, don't get me wrong Like we sure do. Perfect the whole, you know. You know, as your first jump. Here's a beer, right, yeah, show up to teamer. There's a beer, right, everything, you know, yeah, but it's everywhere.
Speaker 2:Listen to a country song, right, you're drinking beer, riding back roads on a boat with chicks and like After you lose your dog, you know, but any, you know. Insert genre here there's. There's drinking, involved Obviously college and all the frats and partying and anything that did this culture is just so ingrained and that's just what you do, man. Have the courage to stand up against that, yeah, right, have the courage to be that guy or gal that's, at this event, saying no, I'm not doing that tonight, and consistently, because that's what I tell everybody. Like 90 days doesn't do anything, right, because I think there's a term or a deal that people go around like sober 90 or sober January or something like that right To where I'm going to start the year fresh.
Speaker 2:Do it for a year. Going back to my earlier statement about that delayed gratification right, just delay it for a whole year, because it really, as you know, it takes three to six months just for you to really learn what it's like not to have that habit. Your body, quite literally, is going to change. You're going to have new habits after there, and so it really does take about six months for all of that stuff to really happen. Live in that for six months, right, live, live with those new habits, live with those new friends. Right, live with all that new stuff that you're. And then, after you get there for a year, tell me whether or not. More importantly, tell you, right, whether or not this is something that adds value to your life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man.
Speaker 2:Because that's the key Add value, more fun, yes, and it adds zero value to your life.
Speaker 1:Full stop, Dude, a perfect time to go through. That is transition man. Like when you're coming out of the military like that's a perfect time to challenge yourself.
Speaker 2:It's a new beginning man, or even when you're struggling man, I got some guys that call me. I'm sure you get the same. Call man. Oh man, I'm not doing good. You know this, this or that. Your first thing I always ask are you sober?
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 2:You know, but they'll validate why. It's okay, Right? Oh, look, man, you and I can argue about whether or not you can handle it. That's not the conversation. It's inarguable. Alcohol is a depressant, Full stop Fact, Right? So if you think you have this, you're calling me now. So apparently something's there and you know that this does this. Why are you doing it? Yeah, Right, and that's always kind of the posture that I give. I'm like look, I, you know, I report, you decide. I'm not trying to tell you what to do with your life.
Speaker 2:I'm just saying you know that here's, here's, here's what's helped me and that's why I keep saying it's the best gift I ever gave myself.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, it's funny, you, you, you brought that up. I recently just had a conversation and it's always substance abuse is one of the hardest things to try to help someone through. It takes a lot of guts and a lot of conviction to not only get on the phone and ask for help but receive and actually go through with that plan of action. And it might take several times reaching out for help and this one individual like third time reaching out and it's like, hey, warrior's Heart, you're right there, you can go today, we can get you in there today. And it's like, ah, you know, it's just. Let me just think about it. Man, you're reaching out because you know there's a problem, you know there's an addiction here, but they're so hell-bent on just wanting somebody to be there for them but not quit the behavior that's keeping them locked in hell and that's one of the greatest things. It's that blanket man.
Speaker 2:It's that little baby blanket that wraps around you, like, oh, this is mine and I love it, and I don't want to do this because it's cold outside. And it's going outside, yep Right, and it's going to be cold for a little bit, but guess what? You're going to get used to it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, dude, if you're listening right now and any of this is resonating with you and you realize you may have an issue with alcohol, please, man, get online, check out Warrior's Heart. Addiction is something that so many of us will go through. There's no shame in getting help. You have the rest of your life, the rest of your life to live an amazing life. Be willing to go somewhere where they can help you. And it's scary going inpatient, it's scary having to give control, but, just like we said before, you have to surrender. You have to be willing to give that power over and going to those places, going to those treatment centers, that's just a great avenue to not only getting healthy, getting clean, but also diving into the spirit. I've learned, I've seen it happen so many times. People get clean, they get sober and what's the first thing? They tell you that they started doing again. Hey, man, I found God again. I'm going back to church. It's one of the most powerful things, man, because you'll be going through the worst part of your life. I've seen people change and get better, and they'll tell you every time I'm only here because I surrendered and I found God. I found him in my lowest moment. I found him, and kudos to you guys out there that have gone through that. You white knuckled sobriety, got into a treatment center and now you're on the backside. You guys, you're a testament of what can be overcome by the human spirit when you're willing to get help, and I hope more of you that are listening decide to put the bottle down or decide to get help, because we need everybody in this fight.
Speaker 1:Our country needs more veterans, not just within the community but in places of leadership. Man, like, it's not crazy to think that you could be suffering today from going through a challenge. You get help, you get better, you get back on your feet and then you can be helping within your local government. You could be part of the leadership within your own town council. Look at the local efforts right now in North Carolina. It's not our own federal government going there to change and help things, it's our veteran population. It's individuals like John Wayne, like, like myself, like you listening at home. They're making a real difference. So if you're struggling, you're not out of the fight. We just need you to get better, well and also y'all need to know.
Speaker 2:They need to know that that the behaviors come before the attitude. Yeah, yep, right, like, like it does it's, it's not the opposite. Like you know, don't get me wrong god bless those that wake up up. I think maybe I kind of fell into that, to where I had the attitude where, like, all right, I want to do this, I'm going to do this, but realize that the behaviors are going to drive it Going back to. I'd rather have discipline over motivation. So these people that know they're struggling sure, they may not want to, they may not like it Do it. Yeah, do the behaviors, because I promise you you're going to be better for it. Yes, right, just like. Going to warrior's heart. Like man, I don't know about this, I don't know this is going to be this. You know lots going through my head. Just get there, go through it. You know, be present, right, like that. That's another big one, cause I a horrible story A guy that I knew he was down off the coast.
Speaker 2:He quite literally was in warrior's heart but he wasn't there. Yeah, right, he was focused outward and, you know, heard through this little thing that his old lady may have been messing around and instead of focusing on himself. You know what he did? He checked himself out Yep, I got to get home. I got to get home, I got to do this. I can't be in here anymore. And within 24 hours he had killed himself Right, because he found home, went home, found out. What did he do? Started drinking, yep, right, and what did he do? Started drinking Right, and what did that bottle lead to A gun. And now he's no longer with us and you got to do the behaviors. You've got to get in there and be present and know that it's going to be good for you and just never quit.
Speaker 1:It's doing the work and as a veteran, as a soft professional, you're no stranger to hard work. It's literally the work. And as a veteran, as a soft professional, you're no stranger to hard work. It's literally from the moment you entered the military. You've been doing some hard, difficult, challenging things.
Speaker 2:Superhero even yeah, the thing, like when I look back and like, man, did we really go 150 miles or whatever in the Q course? Like with all this and ain't no way I can do that. Now I need four Advil just to get out of bed.
Speaker 1:It would take a big thing. I mean we, we, you know, I always say like, we always joke like no one's going to call you back to service, but everybody, every last one of us, has that little idea in the back of the head, Maybe, maybe. I should clear out an HLZ in my backyard, just in case. Yeah, maybe.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Range sticks Right.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:For sectors. John, what are you working on these days? Man, you're someone that's always on the move. I mean Operation Overland. I was blessed to be part of it. You're an entrepreneur. You're a businessman. You're an entrepreneur. You're a businessman. You're an advocate. What are you working on these days?
Speaker 2:Well, first and foremost, I'm working on being a warrior for Christ and discipling people towards him, Because that's the purpose of a believer is not just to believe in Christ, it is to be a disciple for him and to just go get one more right and find one more in your community. And so how do I do that? Do I do that through all of the things that I have going to your point about, you know, entrepreneurship. I was very, you know. I think my superpower is I'm too dumb to not know. I ain't supposed to try that. Think about that.
Speaker 1:If I was smarter.
Speaker 2:Maybe I wouldn't have started my own business and then sold it and started another business.
Speaker 2:Right now, the big thing that I do is there's a company that I founded which is called Gallantry Global Logistics. Who knew a Green Beret would turn logistician? And there's a whole long story how God led me into that, but that's for a different podcast maybe. But yeah, the whole purpose of our company is to provide the next mission for veterans transitioning out of their service, right, the guy that owns the Houston Astros, jim Crane. Well, he owns Crane Logistics, right? So I did the redneck math where, man, if we build something that big, imagine how many veterans we can help. You know, like full stop, right, like that. That's where my mind is. So I realize that there's a huge industry out there in this world and it's tough, like, look, you know, I'm still waiting for my white privilege to show up.
Speaker 1:It ain't got through yet. Well, you're half Mexican.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the other hand is dragging me down you know Mira mira, but you know I have, you know, millions of dollars raised from, you know, private equity. This is just a you know small business startup that I've been very fortunate to grind it out. You said it earlier man, fall in love with the process, not the prize. But we're doing great things and hiring veterans and so if you know anybody out there that they're in the Dallas area, they're looking to get in the community and a brotherhood like they're used to, but they want to add value. Right, go to work. We're not a charity. We're not here to be like the HHC committee where you just go up there and hang out for a while right.
Speaker 1:Yep, gotta do real work.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, let's be real Again. You know me, real talk. Not all vets want to do that.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:Right, they're retired now. You see, yeah, so am I. Yeah, and I get up at five every morning, go and work all day, right. So that's just the life that God has chose me to have. So, anyway, that's the big thing that I do. I also founded a company called Live to Give, which is a water company that every bottle you buy, we give half back to veteran or first responder charities. Right, and we're locally here in Dallas. We uh, in a lot of the HGBs, you know. So all you Texas folk, you know HGB better than that you know, uh, so that that's doing great.
Speaker 2:And, uh, the philanthropic thing. You know I was fortunate to have, uh, the you know, the best defense foundation uh, you know asked me to be on the board of their organization and you know we've got some great things that we do. You know Battlefield Return is kind of the big flashy one that everybody knows about. You know we take World War II veterans back to Normandy on D-Day every year. We just took them back to the Battle of the Bulge there and that's been a great thing. But, as you know, there's also a stronghold program that we have that we reach out to special operators to help them with their transition.
Speaker 2:You know, we bring them up to, you know, to a place of 10,000 feet. A great person in Utah built it quite literally just to house veterans. He literally says I'll never spend one night in this building, in this house. He has a smaller place that he stays out. You know, mike does, yeah, and he, we know, and one of the things that you know programs we do is operation overland that you were fortunate to be a part of. Uh, you know, um, I'm like forrest gupp man. You never know the people that I meet.
Speaker 2:You know, I was at a place and I did a deal and a guy was like uh, he likes land cruisers, I like land cruisers. Right, we had them down range and everything. Well, lo and behold, like this guy's driven one across every continent, literally has the land cruiser heritage museum. Yep, right, he's like the john wayne of of of land cruisers. And so whenever I pitched the idea and it's so funny because, you know, it just goes to show you how, like the genuine thing that I have in people where I have no angle, it just happens, right, because his name's Greg, as you know, greg, now, right, I was like Greg. You know, man, I got this idea. You love Land Cruisers, I do.
Speaker 2:What if we have this mobile stronghold? Because something that we all are very familiar with is being on the move, yep, right, right, you're in your Humvee Land Cruiser, hilux, whatever it is, and you're going from one place to the next and you're going to another place. I'm like what if we do that for healing? Right, right, we, we come here, we're coming into the one place and we're around a campfire, and then we're just on the move for a week and we just have that windshield therapy with guys, right, and he's like man, I can't believe. I'm actually a little embarrassed. I haven't ever thought about this, but I'm in, yeah, and I'm like, well, cool, and we started, so the now what started happening? I said, man, I don't know, that'd be kind of hard logistically, you know, because we have to probably go here. Well, he's like John, no disrespect, but you know, I've led an expedition around the world, right. I was like, oh yeah, he's like I think I can get us through my backyard in Utah.
Speaker 1:Boy, did he? That was a no joke, one of the greatest experiences I've ever had in my my, uh, my life, uh, that entire week, not only the brotherhood and being able to sit down and and you know, everybody has something they bring to the fight. Everybody has something that they can pass off to another brother to help. And you're meeting green berets from all across, the soft spec individuals that served in various times throughout the GWAT, and you're getting not only being able to put your stories and your experiences within this like giant timeline, but all of you are helping each other yeah, that's a good point Like you have, like this whole GWAT, 20 years.
Speaker 2:You know people like like me uh, you know that uh did. I did the initial invasion of Iraq, bro, and then you've got the other. You know people like Randy and you are, which are more of a younger guy. I didn't even think about it until you said that, but you're right, man, that was pretty neat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, it was an amazing experience.
Speaker 2:And George got to love George.
Speaker 1:It's the thing. You got guys like George that are pillars in the Red Empire, guys that literally have their footprint in the seventh group. They've been there so long, they've done every position, and you get to meet them where they're at in that moment and they get vulnerable. And then you realize that, yeah, at first you have this awe moment of like oh, here's a senior warrant officer that I've looked up to, that everybody within the regiment has looked up to, that admires, and now you're able to help him, you're able to provide a piece of the puzzle to some of the things that are troubling him, and you realize, oh, man, we're brothers.
Speaker 1:You remove the rank, you remove all the things you've done and you look at each other and you realize that you have something of value to give that brother. And everybody walked away from that better and a better mindset and a better headspace and the smiles, man, the, the ability that the see your brothers that came in, you know, maybe they're struggling a little bit. They're carrying heavier weight on their back when they're leaving. They're not carrying that, you know, 300 pound ruck. Maybe they're carrying a small carry-on bag. Now, like that's the power of these programs, man.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you know it's kind of hard conceptually to especially a civilian right to let them know. Hey, you know, we're going to get land cruisers and drive around for four days, Right.
Speaker 1:That's what they hear.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right, and it's just not, you know. First of all, let's not lose sight of the fact that Greg set us up with like the pillars of the overlanding community.
Speaker 2:So it's like if you and I were going to go play backyard football. I say, all right, I'm going to call my buddy, tom Brady, real quick, exactly, exactly, go play like you got. You know, dave did what the Baja 1000, right, kurt is the guy that led him literally across the world, you know and all. And then obviously, greg and everyone else, Paul right, it did with a quick one and everything. So, you know, it was just amazing to connect with those guys and have that, um, that, the connectivity, right, cause we all like the outdoors and and I believe it's it's spiritual brother getting guys outside, away from the drink, away from everything else, and being in the outdoors in God's creation, as he intended it.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Right, it is just a healing. Yeah, I'll never forget. I had us all go around the room after the last day, up at 10,000 feet, overlooking this vast, beautiful vista. Yeah, you choked up, man.
Speaker 1:Right yeah.
Speaker 2:I keep telling God, why me Right God? Why are you so good to me? You know, and I'll tell you this, though I'll never quit earning it.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Right, I'll never quit earning that, that, that blessing that he's given me, and you know I will forever, denny, I will forever do the best that I can to make sure that the guys that are still there, the guys that have been there, the guys that are struggling from there, get the best help that they can get.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, brother, and you're doing it. Man, you're somebody that continues to give and advocate for others and it's beautiful to see the impact that you have. Man, and I know for a fact anybody wants to reach out to you on LinkedIn like find John Wayne. If you're a veteran, if you're a soft brother and you, anything that we've shared or talked about resonated with you, and you just want to reach out and get his opinion on something. Reach out to him. This is one of the most approachable human beings you'll ever meet.
Speaker 2:That's right, and I'm not saying I'm the guy, I'm saying I know the guy.
Speaker 1:Right, exactly, that's, that's just some of the pictures that you will see. With john wayne is like holy cow. You've met him before. How did it happen? Yeah, I don't know, man, I was just in the at a gas station in texas.
Speaker 2:Well, he loves freedom like I do.
Speaker 1:John. Thank you so much for being here, man. It is an absolute pleasure. I cannot wait to actually be able to hold space in the same environment again and hang out, brother. Always a pleasure chatting with you, man. Thank you so much for your time today, man.
Speaker 2:You're worth it, brother and everybody else out there. Just know that right, that you're worth the sacrifice, because God loves you, right? God is love and he loved you so much he gave his son to die for your sins and through that sin is your salvation right. And just know that. Know that you are worth it, because that's where everything stems from. Is your worth. And yeah, man, thanks for having me. I'd say that I can't wait to give you a hug and see you again soon for overland too, right that's right, man.
Speaker 1:Heck, yeah, man, I need to get me one of those fancies, uh, land cruisers, man yeah, I'll take the forerunner bring it on, heck. Yeah, thank y'all for tuning in and we'll see y'all next time. So then, if you like what we're doing and you're enjoying the show, don't forget to share us, tune in and we'll see you all next time. So then, if you like what we're doing and you enjoying the show, don't forget to share us, like us, subscribe.
