HONOR AND REMEMBRANCE: Americans honor Veterans Day
Americans across the nation honored all military veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
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And that was President Trump honoring Veterans Day
at Arlington National Cemetery earlier.
And in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Tunnel to Towers CEO Frank
Siller opened a new housing village for homeless veterans.
The foundation is also paying off the mortgages
of 30 Gold Star families across 22 states.
And Frank Siller is with us now. What a day for you.
A very busy day, to say the least.
You brought the binder.
Well, I brought the binder because, look, we opened up.
The homeless veteran village right
on the Susquehanna River, it is so beautiful.
If you saw that land when we broke ground, you know, we have
miraculous things that happen for Tunnel to Towers all the time.
We cleared the ground. On the ground,
it had a 9-11 plaque on the ground, buried under the ground.
Somebody had put it there because it's right there
when we bought this land.
So tell me that God didn't send us this property.
It's pretty incredible.
But we have it.
You see it.
It's three stories.
It's permanent apartments for homeless veterans.
They have 20 comfort homes.
They're 500-square-foot homes for older.
Homeless veterans like the Vietnam veterans,
they're going to be there forever.
They're not going to go back and assimilate back into society.
So we're really proud of that.
And the 30 houses that we paid off,
homes that we paid off for Gold Star widows whose loved ones died
in the line of duty that left young families behind.
In the last three years that I've been coming here
on the 5 on Veterans Day, thank you, Suzanne, thank you.
Thank you.
We have, I have this here now,
because you know I love to show things, accomplishments.
Show and tell.
It's the 27,500 names of the families that we took off,
the heroes that we took off the street.
27,500, and I document them all because we, I love showing results.
You know, people donate $11 a month, companies, Home Depot, GM,
T-Mobile, you know, give us millions and millions of dollars.
Here it is, $27,500.
It's not just the housing, but when you go and open the center,
you also get the counseling in addition.
It's not just a place to sleep.
Correct.
All the wraparound services that they need to get back into society,
because you just can't put a roof over their head.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been on the street to begin with.
You have to get them all the help that they need.
In addition to $11 a month and prayers,
what can everyone watching do
to support your incredible Tunnel to Towers?
Well, I just want to, if you don't mind,
I'm just going to read the places because we need money.
Yes, yes.
Because the homeless veterans is a very expensive proposition.
We spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year
just on homeless veterans, Tunnel to Towers.
And this being the 25th year,
you know, we've delivered 343 mortgage-free homes
this year alone,
one for each firefighter who died on 9-11.
The best way to to do good is to do something
and to do something is to pay off three hundred
and forty three mortgage free homes for the 25th anniversary.
Cleveland, Ohio, Fort Lauderdale, Santa Savannah, San Juan, Jackson,
New Jersey, Portland, Kansas City, Seattle, Dallas, Austin,
Greensboro, Bradenton, Florida, Bayville, New Jersey, Las Vegas.
Denver, Buffalo, Long Island, Birmingham, Charlotte,
Atlantic City, Puerto Rico, Jacksonville,
Northfield, New Jersey, Orlando, Sacramento,
not counting the ones we already opened up
in Detroit, in Memphis, in North Charleston,
et cetera, et cetera, Riverside.
All those are planned?
These are open, the ones I just opened,
and these are broken ground on already.
So, you know, we hope to do five to ten a year.
Our goal is to get 100 of these, but the most important thing
is that we have a case management program where a homeless vet,
we work with 1,400 not-for-profits around the country.
I could get a phone call tomorrow, and there's a homeless veteran,
I don't care where it is in the United States, let's say in Utah,
and usually within 24 to 48 hours,
we can have that homeless veteran off the street into a hotel.
Now, from there, we go and we get them a park.
We pay their first month, security, whatever,
fix it up, put the furniture inside of them,
and then get them services.
We have a case manager for that particular person.
So they, once again, just don't put them in there.
You get them the services they need.
So we're really, really proud of the work we're doing.
Do some of the homeless veterans have families, have children?
Do you get to see them?
Oh, thank goodness you asked.
The first good thing is, you know, for weeks, for weeks.
Thanks.
Yeah.
So you think of a homeless veteran,
you think of the veteran on the street, right?
But of these 27,500 that we've taken off,
they have 15,000 kids on the street with them.
Think about that.
So let's say it's a family of three, a family of four.
They're all in the street sleeping out of a car,
maybe underneath an overpass.
For the 20th anniversary, I did a walk, you know,
from the Pentagon to Shanksville to Ground Zero.
When I walked, and I was in Harrisburg
today, and it all came back to me.
I remember walking under an underpass
and there were so many homeless under that underpass,
you know, five years ago. I remember that.
And I talked to several of them and they were home.
They were veterans. A couple of them were veterans.
And I'm saying to myself, oh, my God. Now,
I didn't say that day we're going to do this.
We're going to eradicate homelessness amongst
our veterans. But I guarantee that planted a seed
in my own brain to say that we're going to that
that we are going to do that.
But 15,000 kids off the street because of how many more homeless
Homeless veterans are there.
Well, so what's the real number? I don't know.
To be honest with you, the government says about 40,000.
If I took 27,500 off the street, it was 40,000 a couple of years ago,
too. So we know there's a lot more.
So there's something they don't consider homeless
if you're sleeping out of a car and it's only six months.
You know what I mean?
So think about that.
I look, just a, maybe this is a dumb question,
but what is it, is there something unique
to a veteran that makes them homeless or is it also,
is it much like anybody else who
becomes homeless?
It's unique.
Yeah.
It's unique.
They went to war.
You know, the person to the left of them was shot, killed.
The person to the right were blown up.
And think of how many people they had to.
Take out.
Yeah.
And if you see that and do that over
and over again, you're going to come back.
You're going to be a different person.
You're not the same person you went and you served.
So you come back here.
Some people can hide it.
Some people can deal with it.
And some people can't.
And those that can't, we can't
as a country let them stay on the street.
And the promise from Tunnel to Towers
and from American people and your Fox viewers.
Oh, my goodness.
You are millions of you donate to us everything.
No, they are just so generous.
I can't thank them enough.
They're part of this.
So when we opened up Harrisburg today, they were part of that.
They had $11 or $20 or whatever you can do a month.
That's where their money is going.
You can see it's tangible.
I'm a results-driven.
I said it before.
Well, you spend their money well, and people recognize that.
Jesse, that huge donation you're going to announce.
The same one he made last year.
Yeah, we're looking forward to it.
The whole salary?
We're going to announce it right now.
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
After the break, I think.
Frank, thank you so much.
Thank you.
I can't thank you.
I can't thank you enough.
And we love you guys.
Right now, though, we honor the courage
and sacrifice of our nation's veterans.
And it is the 108th observation of Veterans Day,
a time to thank the heroes among and
those who have passed for answering the call to serve.
It's also a time to highlight critical issues
that our veterans face, like homelessness.
I have one in particular I'm about to get into with my guest as well.
And according to the latest data, though, let's take a look at this.
Nearly 33,000 veterans are homeless in the United States.
That is down from 50% from 2011.
Still a long way to go because we want that number to be zero,
but we're going in the right direction.
And my guest is part of the reason why.
So under President Trump, the Department of Veterans Affairs created
a $29 million fund to help out our veterans,
and that includes providing food, shelter,
technology, transportation, and other services.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins says it won't stop there.
The homelessness issue typically is tied with other things and so what
we're doing at the VA is not only getting them into temporary housing,
getting them into moving them to permanent housing,
but also we're taking the time to make sure we give them
the wraparound services that they need.
What got them there to start with?
For sometimes it's medical conditions, for sometimes it may
be mental health, for sometimes maybe just financial or addiction.
Those are the kind of things that we're going to take
and make sure that not only are we helping them get out
of the situation, make sure that they stay out.
Well, this year, Fox News is again partnering
with U.S. Vets for its sixth annual Make Camo
Your Cause campaign. And you can help by shopping
for camo at go.fox slash U.S. Vets or stand up
with your cell phone right now and scan that QR code on your screen.
I wear camo all the time.
You can wear it to snap a selfie,
share the photos using hashtag #HonorUSVets.
Let's start a trend, a movement, if you will, to do the right thing
about supporting the men and women who fight for us, literally.
And we're going to work on ending homelessness today
with this and so much more.
And focus with me now, the president and CEO of U.S. Vets,
Daryl Vincent, is with me.
It's so good to see you.
Yes, thanks for having me back.
You are having progress and success,
and it is because Americans are watching.
They're doing these things.
This all supports our veterans.
Absolutely.
Every dollar that gets donated to us through
this Make Camo Your Cause goes to U.S. Vets,
which is the largest veteran service provider nonprofit.
People experiencing homelessness
and to prevent homelessness and be able to serve them.
All right.
I want to get to the merch real quickly,
and we'll even come back to it even more.
I see a couple of new items,
and I want to give people a chance to purchase some of these.
Of course, they made a special one for America's 250th.
This I love.
The bottle that I have is actually in all camo.
So this one is great, and you can pop the top on it.
It's so cool.
I love that.
My favorite, would you pick up that polo for me?
This is limited edition.
This polo is great.
I love it when you open it up.
The material is so soft.
If you have a golfer in your life, and I do.
I don't always celebrate that, by the way.
But all of this goes to help our veterans.
And it says, honor U.S. vets.
That's the hashtag, too.
So if you buy one of these, put it on,
and put it on your social media with that hashtag,
and you'll get love from all of us.
All right, so you've got the limited edition T-shirt,
too, with all the letters.
Our camo, it's got a flag on the sleeve.
That's beautiful.
Yeah, it's very monochromatic, which is,
you know, fit check in these days.
Yes.
And you have a special hat this year, which I really love, too.
And again, everything's got that hashtag on it.
I have this T-shirt and that sparkle.
I remember.
I love it.
I'm so glad you brought it back because it was limited edition.
So maybe, you know, through the fight for the T-shirt, it came back.
Let's talk about it, though.
Homelessness.
I was reading that one of the main causes,
because things have changed now.
You've got your men and women coming home.
Everybody knows we need to help them transition.
But they are wildly struggling with life after being on a battlefield.
And what are some of the things that we can immediately do
when our men and women come back?
Well, first thing, I always try to say that coming back and coming home
is two different things.
Oh.
Coming back is returning to a place.
Coming home is finding meaning and belonging, connection and community.
It's the people that welcome you, the community that surrounds you,
and the people that remind you that you matter.
So we at U.S. Vets become that family to veterans who do not have that,
that are going back to communities such as that.
And when you transition, we want to give prevention services.
So the same services you get when you become homeless, we want to give
you before you become homeless so that you never become homeless.
And you were telling me right as we were watching
that beautiful ceremony, the laying of the wreath.
That that's part of what's driving down the number, because you're
hitting those men and women before they end up on the streets.
We're opening veteran connection hubs, we call them,
and Fox has been a major donor for that for us.
We opened up one in Prescott, Arizona.
We opened one in Washington, D.C. Next one would be L.A.
And we want to be all over the country. What we want
to do as a veteran to come in and not have siloed services.
They come in, place to live. We can help you with that.
Mental health, substance abuse.
Do they have connection, too?
I mean, I know how important that is.
So in an organization like yours,
you can put people together who may be going through similar things.
Because, you know, if you say to somebody, we're going to send you
to a group session, that's one more thing they have to try to get to.
But this is, they can do that in many different ways.
And that's why we do it.
Branded the name Veteran Connection Hub, because one
of the main things that happens is veterans connecting with veterans.
We all want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.
That's why we join churches, organizations,
Rotary Club, the veteran community.
The number one resource they have is the connection.
Connection leads to healing. Healing leads to ending homelessness.
Amen. All right. One more thing,
because I forgot the special edition hoodie.
And everybody wants one of these.
Yes.
This is gorgeous.
Look at that on the back.
It's got that camo logo on the back.
Oh, good.
They took a close-up of that.
So beautiful.
And it zips.
It's just so delicious, this cotton.
All right.
When people pick all this up, they help out in a mighty way.
We have men and women serving all over the world.
And I often say, Daryl, because I've heard you talk about it.
You are the first ones, those of you who've served,
you served in the U.S. Marines,
you are the first ones to think about those people abroad.
We follow in your footsteps in doing that today.
Thank you so much.
We want to make Veterans Day every day,
but specifically on Veterans Day,
making Camel your cause, and you can donate to us,
and we'll make sure every dollar goes to serving some veterans.
Daniel Vincent, thank you for everything you did.
Some in this country seem more interested
in tearing down America than defending it.
Supreme Court justices are offering a reminder
that the freedoms this country
was founded on don't preserve themselves.
The reason why our Constitution and Declaration have survived
It's because people choose it anew in every generation.
You need to know its history. You need to know what you're preserving.
I think our education system is absolutely fundamental
to ensuring that the next 250 years
we preserve this republic and improve upon this republic.
Commitment to country, commitment to one another
is what will be necessary to keep the American project going forward.
Former Navy SEAL and Born Primitive founder
and CEO Bear Hanlon joins me now.
Bear, it's good to see you.
Good to see you.
That's not good stats.
That's not a good mindset.
That's not a good place that we are in America,
where that is not only something that a few
radicals maybe on college campuses are doing,
but people now elected to Congress talk this
way about the United States.
Yeah, it's crazy how far we've come in 25 years.
You know, 25 years ago, 9-11 happened.
That's a big reason why a lot of us signed up to serve, right?
And here we are, you know, that statistic from the college campuses.
I can't say I'm surprised.
You know, I went to an Ivy League school
and being just a regular patriotic kid from the
Midwest, I felt like I was on another planet.
So, you know, I hope they do encourage more dialogue
on college campuses, but I'm not
going to hold my breath on that.
How did it get this way?
I don't know. I feel like it's kind of always
been like that, but I feel like it's just gotten
worse. And I would just encourage any kids
on campus that feel like they're kind of in the
minority of thought, be vocal.
Don't be bullied by that because there's normal people there,
but they try to silence you. All right.
Well, Barry, you're not just talking about this. You're
doing something. You have Born Primitive
and you've partnered with Black Rifle Coffee Company
and you've joined forces. You are looking to eliminate.
$35 million in medical debt for America's military veterans
and first responders.
You are doing so through the sales of Born Primitive clothes
and Black Rifle Coffee.
Tell me, first of all, why this is so important to you.
Well, this is something we've been doing
for the last two years, around every Veterans Day.
We've now done over $50 million in medical bills for veterans,
spanning 25,000 individuals.
So we're running it back again.
We're adding first responders to the mix.
It's just important for us to leverage our platform
to take care of the people who have served our country.
And, I mean, $35 million in medical debt.
I know you've also partnered with some other people like Tony Robbins.
And so tell everybody at home what they can do to help out as well.
It's really simple.
Go to bornprimitive.com, blackriflecoffee.com.
Everything on both websites
from now until midnight Pacific is fair game.
So it's all going to go towards the cause.
The customers are the reason we are able to even do this.
We're simply facilitating it.
And, yes, I've got to give a shout-out to Tony Robbins.
He's going to match everything up to $50 million in debt paid off.
So our goal is 35.
I'm actually hoping we can close that gap to 50,
and that would put us at 100 in total.
So we'll see when the dust settles tomorrow morning where we land.
But he has been instrumental in, you know,
just putting gasoline on this thing,
and he's an absolute patriot.
That's awesome.
BlackRifleCoffee.com.
Born Primitive.
Brand new line of shoes out right here.
One of those is for me, I think.
And what are these going to be?
My hunting shoes?
Hiking shoes?
This is the new Urban Recon.
This is kind of your street shoe.
And then this is our Defender One, of course.
Black Rifle Coffee, great coffee, great merch.
A lot of options on both sites.
Awesome.
Thank you for what you do, Bear.
Thank you so much for having me.
Progress for America's heroes on Veterans Day.
Veteran homelessness has been cut in half.
Over just the last 15 years,
and one new initiative just helped more than 400 vets find new jobs.
29 companies took part in Anchors of Hope, led by our next guest,
Mike Cirelli, a retired Navy SEAL who joins us now.
I am always honored to sit with you, Mike. It's great to have you here.
Likewise, and happy Veterans Day.
I'm happy Veterans Day to you and all the veterans.
Friends, I take
I'm just so proud to report this progress
that we've been able to cut the homeless.
problem with our veterans in half over that period of time.
How are we doing it, and can we get that number even smaller?
We're taking our covenant more seriously.
If we send them, we have an obligation to mend them physically,
psychologically, and occupationally.
And it is rough to transition out of this tribe defined by love
and brotherhood and sisterhood
and to come back to regular life.
And that's not an easy transition to handle,
and some end up in the streets.
The fact that we've cut 50% homelessness over the past few years,
that's a sign we're moving in the right direction,
but it doesn't mean we don't need to do more.
Tell us about the group that you've assembled to get this done.
So Anchors of Hope was started years ago.
29 companies took the pledge alongside us to hire as many veterans
between D-Day, June 6th, and November 11th, Veterans Day today.
We hired over 410.
And, you know, veterans bring such value.
to companies.
They're unflappable.
They're the consummate humans.
I hear it all the time.
They understand adversity
and they can maneuver
and drive performance and outcomes.
They are great hires.
In the stat I use,
amongst Fortune 500s,
A disproportionate amount of CEOs come from the military.
It's a leadership incubator.
CEOs and leaders in business want these men and women in their ranks.
I can see how you make a big difference
when you personally show up and give that message.
Here's a clip from the RallyPoint Oscar trailer telling this story.
Listen.
When we got there, we took,
I think we took 10 casualties within the first couple months.
I hear an explosion,
but I felt the concussion.
Tell us about this.
So in tandem with Acres of Hope,
we released a documentary about 10 combat soldiers from the
520th Infantry. 12 months in a place called Tia Choi, 70% casualties.
And what's unique about
this is now eight of the 10 work in the same company,
which is unheard of. But the story
goes through the trauma, the loss,
indescribable love and brotherhood, how difficult the transition
is. And I would encourage any companies
that are interested, we run this every year,
Go watch Rally Point Oscar.
on YouTube.
If you don't cry,
I'll give you your money back.
What's free.
So you're,
you take it for what it is.
But a remarkable story.
And for the men of the 520th,
I can't thank you enough
for giving me the trust
to tell your story.
It is a remarkable one.
That is incredible.
I just want to finish off
by just thanking you
and all out there.
And we,
We were just talking, I did an event with the Navy,
the Naval War College Foundation last week,
and I was so impressed by this group of people.
And you were just talking about the future of
our country in the hands of these military leaders
and what you're seeing today, you say
is so promising. Yeah. First off,
this is the land of the free because of the brave.
And I took a trip, I won't mention it was a SEAL team,
and got to spend time with this younger generation.
They're smarter, they're faster, they're better than we were,
and they are a lot more technologically advanced.
That gives me hope.
Every generation coming behind gives me hope
that our security is well in hand
if we here in the United States don't screw it up.
Congress talking about defunding the military,
there could be no worse strategic decision that would ultimately end...
And the loss of life, and that loss of life
is usually our troops forward in combat zones.
You are incredible, Mike.
Thank you.
And it's your birthday today, I heard.
It's Veterans Day.
Let's stay on point.
Happy birthday and happy Veterans Day to all.
Thank you so much.
And thanks for what you're doing.
Just an incredible impact.
John, that...
Today is Veterans Day, and the Best Defense
Foundation helps vets who wore the uniform
and risked their lives to give us the freedom that we have,
and they are here with us.
Donnie Edwards is the president and founder of the foundation.
Joe Schott is a World War II veteran
who I met him Fourth of July, and Jim Shorten is
a Vietnam veteran, and we're so grateful to have you here.
Before I get to reminding the audience of how we met
on the 4th of July in the Freedom Bunker,
Donnie, tell me a little bit about your organization
and what you're trying to do
and how you spend some time with these gentlemen.
Well, the Best Defense Foundation is very simple.
It's taking care of the ones who took care of us.
It's honoring the men and women that served this great country.
I mean, you think about since 1776,
we've had 41 million veterans that served.
Thank
And it's been my job after the end of my career to really support
these veterans to the Battle for Return Stronghold Transition Program
you
and also our Next Gen Program.
So it's the past, the present, and the future.
very
And we just want to make sure that we give them an opportunity
for closure, camaraderie, and brotherhood and sisterhood.
Joe, we met on the 4th of July when the storm came into Washington,
much.
D.C., and we evacuated our set.
And we found ourselves in this wonderful trailer.
And you were there with the other veterans,
and we called it the Freedom Bunker.
And we sheltered in place together there for a while.
I got to meet your son.
You are 104 years old.
You served in World War II.
What is the best way for those of us who love
and care about you to support veterans on a day like today?
Well, as evidenced by what's going on today, often this morning,
people came over and shake hands and just being as kind as they can be.
And I appreciate that.
We appreciate you as well. Where did you travel to with Donnie?
We went to, we all met in Atlanta, Georgia, at the Delta Airlines hub,
and had a, they called it a gala, and the dinner was so exotic there,
and we had a great get-together with 80, 20, 29 veterans,
and a support staff of anywhere of 100 people.
And we spent the night at a hotel in Atlanta.
The next day, we flew to...
Directly to Normandy,
and we had a very nice reception there.
They met us at the airplane as we got off.
Jim Shorten, I was thinking of something last night.
So my dad and I, he used to make me read the Rocky Mountain News
and Denver Post every day before I got home from work, from school.
And I had to be prepared to discuss articles.
And we talked a lot about Vietnam.
Back then. And then fast forward. I remember being in high school
and my dad said, what is your history class this semester?
And I said, it's the history since Vietnam.
And he said, what do you mean? That's that's not history.
That just happened. But more and more, I read a lot
of historical fiction and the Vietnam War is being revisited.
And you are here and we're glad to have you here
for this perspective of even yesterday.
We were talking about recruitment numbers
for the military going way up. Why do you think that is?
I think it's because of Pete Hegseth and Donald,
you know, President Trump, you know,
they're pushing it and making the people
in the military more proud to be, to serve.
Where before, I mean, we had ships running into each other,
planes not flying right.
We had a lot of problems in the aircraft,
and people were pretty much afraid to even go in the military.
Now they're proud to be in the military.
Have you felt supported as part of maybe the best defense organization?
Oh, yes, definitely.
Yeah, I think it's a wonderful organization.
There's a few organizations out there that are doing
a lot to support vets, which I think is really important.
Yeah.
And veterans, supporting veterans is really important as well.
Tell me more.
I believe a lot of people,
especially guys who come from back in real hard combat,
Thank you very much for your time, Pat.
You know, when they come back, they got PTSD.
They're living a life that's pretty dangerous and rough.
And when they come back, I think the best people to help them
are people that have been in the same situation.
And those people have been able to beat it somehow
with some, like the Best Defense Foundation,
some of these other organizations that go around helping them.
Yeah, and I know that President Bush is very active in that PTSD,
especially getting the awareness out there that very much helps.
Joe, may I ask you, are you optimistic about
the future of America and why?
I'd like to be more optimistic about it.
I get a little concerned about, obviously,
some of the things that are going on.
In the long run, I think the U.S. is going to survive nicely.
Actually, that's...
We've been through things many times,
of course, and we're doing nicely.
Well, we're here largely living because of all the amazing bravery
and heroism of people like you two, and thank you so much.
And Donnie, if people are watching and they want to help you help them,
especially the point about closure
and helping them go to their last battle, how do they help?
Well, they can go to our website bdf.org backslash vets.
I mean, this is how we support these veterans.
I mean, it doesn't happen by itself.
We really have to, you know, to garner some support to make it happen.
I mean, going to Vietnam, Jim was with us in Vietnam this past April,
Normandy, we just got back from Germany.
I mean, these things cost money and we want to support other brothers
and sisters of yours through our battle for return stronghold and next
gen program, you know, especially at this time, it's so important.
So glad we met at the Freedom Bunker,
and we made friends, and I know you're a Jersey guy.
Yes.
Yes, and Liverpool connection.
We have all these connections, and I love that.
Thank you so much for being here.
Thanks for having us.
Thank you.
I'll be better.
Thank you so much for having us.
Speaking of honoring those who serve,
one veteran going the extra mile to give back,
retired Marine colonel and cancer survivor Hank Donegan,
just completing, this is not a typo,
like Ashley said earlier, his incredible 570th marathon.
Proving that age and adversity are no match
for determination, all while raising money
for a cause close to his heart.
And Hank Donegan is joining us now.
Hank, thank you so much for coming on, and happy Veterans Day to you.
Thank you so much for your service and everything you've done.
But when we say 570 marathons, not only that,
but you told me you have run 100 since you
had been diagnosed with brain cancer.
What kept you going?
I think, you know, I've...
Run with a purpose, and that purpose is raising funds
for wounded warriors through the Semper Fi and America's Fund.
So getting out there and knowing that.
And doing something I love
that I can still give back in that way and serve.
I think that's what keeps me going.
Let's go into your military history,
because you cannot do what you have done,
running 570 marathons, 100 after a diagnosis like that,
having not been a tough you-know-what.
Tell us about your military history.
So I did a total of 34 years, a combination of Navy and Marine Corps.
I served most of my time as a Marine infantry officer.
And I'd like to say that.
The Marine Corps made me a runner because,
you know, if you're a Marine leader,
those troops expect you to be in the front, and they like to test you.
And so running is a good way to keep your stamina
and stay out there in front, and it gives you resilience.
So, you know, there's a lot of stress,
pressure, a little sleep on the battlefield,
and it's something important just to keep everything on an even keel.
Do you think you're ever going to stop,
or do you think you're just going to run forever?
I'm going to die with my boots on.
I love it.
Tell us about your recovery,
because it's not easy getting a cancer diagnosis.
You had a tumor the size of a golf ball.
That's not good.
And where was it?
So it was right here, my right frontal cortex.
It's not good.
No symptoms.
It was found by accident.
I had no symptoms.
When it was found, I was running a marathon a week.
And I continued to run right up until the weekend before my surgery.
I asked the doctor if it was okay to run
because I didn't want to fall behind on my marathon a week goal.
So he said, if that makes you happy.
So I did.
And then I asked him, how long
are you going to keep me from not running?
He said, your body will tell you that.
And so I was one night in the hospital.
They sent me home the next day.
I couldn't do anything for a couple of days,
but on the fourth day, I could get out there
and walk a little bit.
I could walk about a half a mile.
And then three weeks later, I ran my next marathon.
Wow.
My gosh.
You people are just built different.
You are.
And that's the reason we have the freedoms we have.
It's because of people like you.
Hank, thank you so much.
And thank you for what you did and what you do.
And thank you for being here this morning.
We appreciate it.
Thanks for having me.
Of course.
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