|int| Preserving the Past: Brad Hoopes's Mission to Chronicle Veterans | Ep 93

What if you could peek into the seldom-shared tales of our veterans - those who have bravely served our country? In our engaging conversation with Brad Hoops, the founder of Remember and Honor, we bring you just that. Brad’s remarkable project is dedicated to preserving the stories of our veterans through personal interviews, and our discussion uncovers the impact they have on both veterans and interviewers.

We learn about Brad's moving experience with a World War II veteran, which deeply impacted him and shed light on the generational disconnect between veterans. Our focus then shifts to the distinct experiences of veterans from different wars. From Korean War veterans to Vietnam veterans, each has their unique insights and challenges. We also touch on the changing landscape of veterans' organizations and the potential role of social media in fostering a sense of camaraderie that may be dwindling elsewhere.

We wrap up our conversation by shining a spotlight on the personal experiences of veterans, especially those who might feel guilt or shame about their roles or assignments. We emphasize the importance of supporting all veterans, regardless of their military role. We explore the power of storytelling through interviews with World War II and Vietnam veterans, revealing the varying perspectives within the veteran community. Join us as we amplify the voices of our veterans, honor their service, and explore the complexities of their experiences.

Remember and Honor Stories on YouTube

Reflections of Our Gentle Warriors - Brad's Book

Contact Thad - VictoriousVeteranProject@Gmail.com

Thanks for listening!

Transcript

Thad David: 0:10

they feel not understood by other veterans and I wonder how much that goes into it. And have you heard anything like that where veterans of one generation don't feel connected to veterans of another generation?

Brad Hoopes: 0:24

I know I've heard from a number of Vietnam veterans that came back and went to join the VFW or the American Legion and were told by the guys there oh you know, that wasn't a war you were in. I mean there's a little bit of hostility there still from some of the guys. It's like I walked away from there and never even thought about joining again because the World War II and Korean guys saw Vietnam a little bit different. And I can tell you there was one thing that really stood out with me is, like I said, I was on the board of Honor Flight and I don't know if you're familiar with Honor Flight or your viewers, but it's a program that takes veterans back to DC to see all the various monuments and such and it started out as purely to take World War II veterans back and we were one of the first hubs that started taking Korean and then Vietnam. And there was a very distinct change in the aura of the flight. There was some anger. You could tense the feel, the anger when the Vietnam veterans started going.

Thad David: 1:32

My name is Thad David. I'm a former Marine recon scout sniper with two deployments to Iraq. As a civilian, I've now facilitated hundreds of personal and professional development trainings across the country, and it struck me recently that the same things that help civilians will also help veterans succeed in their new roles as well. Join me as we define civilian success principles to inspire veteran victories. Welcome to another episode. I'm here today with Brad Hoops, the founder of Remember and Honor. How are you doing, brad? Good? How about yourself? I'm doing excellent. I'm very excited to have you on. You're doing so much work for veterans and just for the veteran community in general. I'm really excited to unpack that, and really quick for anybody that doesn't know what is, what's the elevator pitch of what is Remember and Honor.

Brad Hoopes: 2:23

It's just a project to preserve the stories of veterans, to get them down on permanent records so that they're never lost or forgotten.

Thad David: 2:31

Okay, so what do you do? What does it look like? Where do those stories get preserved?

Brad Hoopes: 2:37

Well, it's primarily just a kind of a combination between just a casual conversation with a veteran and like a 60 minutes TV show type interview. Sit down and it's really their life story, but with major emphasis on their time in the military.

Thad David: 2:55

Okay, and where can anybody find these? Where do you post them up? What does that look like?

Brad Hoopes: 3:01

Yeah, I've got a YouTube channel. It's youtubecom. Slash at Remember and Honor Stories is where I've started uploading. I don't have them all uploaded yet, but chipping away at the stone with that.

Thad David: 3:19

Okay, that's. Thank you, Roman. How many did you have? Currently Nearly 600. 600 is absolutely amazing. What got you into it and when did you start this and what made you wanna to do?

Brad Hoopes: 3:32

this. Well, it was about 20 years ago and I had read an article about how the Library of Congress was starting their project, the Veterans History Project, to collect veteran stories and I thought, well, geez, why not try to do something on the local level to feed this program? So I went out, just went out, bought a video camera and just started doing it. It was really kind of a I guess, a perfect storm of interest for me. I mean, I love history, always loved history. I should have been a history major. I was. I've always loved, enjoyed meeting people and learning their backstory and I've just always had a reverence for veterans. So it just all, it just all collided and went from there.

Thad David: 4:14

That's amazing, and being around for 20 years doing it, I would imagine that you've heard some, some pretty incredible stories.

Brad Hoopes: 4:23

Oh, it's beyond incredible to me. I mean, I didn't serve personally, so you know, and you look at life, I guess, and you think, oh, you know, a human can only be stretched this much physically and mentally. Then you hear the story about the guy that was stretched this much, that guy that was stretched that much, and it's, it's just, it's truly amazing for some of these people.

Thad David: 4:49

What was your? I mean just thinking about all of them. What's your favorite, your favorite interview or the most, the most amazing story, if you could pinpoint?

Brad Hoopes: 4:59

That's always a tough question. I get that asked quite a bit. I mean, it's much like you know asking you tell me which one of your children's favorite. There's quite a few of them, I guess, but it's you know, and I can honestly say of the 600, there isn't that any of them that I haven't found interesting.

Brad Hoopes: 5:22

I think probably probably the crowd favorite and quite frankly one of I guess one of my favorites was a World War II veteran over in Europe, roy Layman, from Fort Collins, and he was telling his story about he was with with intelligence. So he said you know, I was close enough to the front lines that I didn't get shot at. But far enough back, close enough to the front lines they didn't have to wear a tie, but far enough back I didn't get shot at. But he, you know, he traveled, he rode the front line. So he saw all the death and destruction and maiming and such and he could just really tell the sadness in his eyes 65 years later the experiences of it.

Brad Hoopes: 6:03

But then he told about a three reprieve when they were in the Netherlands and they got put up in various families' homes and he became instantly attached to this family, in particular their eight-year-old girl, one of the daughters, and they just became best friends and you could just see the light in his eyes, the sparkle, as he told about that three weeks. And then, of course, the front line moved and he had to move on and so he had to leave the family behind. And that night I mean, like all my interviews, they all seemed to seep into my dreams at night, and that one in particular I got the next morning. It's like geez, I gotta see if I can't find this little girl. And I was able to track her down and connect them so and that's how did he react to that.

Brad Hoopes: 6:52

It was pretty incredible because I only had a picture. I didn't have a last name. It actually had the first name misspelled. But I knew the town so I got on the internet. I mean, this whole story just is testament to the power of the internet. I got on the internet and found the local newspaper and I had to jump back and forth with the translation service till I found the news tip button and I explained what I was doing and didn't hear anything. And then all of a sudden I got a message from a reporter, said yeah, I'll do the story. So he did it. He goes, it'll appear on Saturday morning. And so I got up real early on Saturday morning, turn on the computer and boom, there she was.

Brad Hoopes: 7:33

They had her neighbor had read an article, and I read the article and they took a picture of her and and and then corresponded back. And what was really cool about that too, I must. I don't know how many emails I got from citizens in that in that town reading that article. Every one of them ended with we can't thank the Americans enough for what, what we had, you know what America had done for us. And the thing was he had talked about how you know they, they had played games together and and took walks and and how, for Christmas Eve they made him feel like a family and took him to fam, to their church services, and that's where they went out, that's where her mean was her name, that's where she posed for the picture that she sent that morning, and so I hadn't told Roy about it and so I took everything over and they were all excited. So we we did a video and sent it off to them.

Brad Hoopes: 8:34

But what was really cool was the reporter then did a follow-up story with her and she talked about once again, about how the games they played and the, the walks they took, and and pulled out a diary entry where he'd signed it, and then she told the story about going. He came over and he said, well, we got to go, we're gonna go see this great general's in town. So he walked her down there and she sat on his lap and he get the general gave her a bag of donuts and of course, as an eight-year-old she had no clue who general Eisenhower was and and it was just it was. It was very cool, but sadly six weeks after they connected she got a brain tumor and passed, and then Roy passed two years later. But yeah, so long story short that I guess, if you got a pin, point me, that's my favorite story.

Thad David: 9:25

I could. That. I can definitely see why that and that's absolutely. That's incredible. What an amazing thing just to hear a story and then the fact that you were the, the catalyst to that reconnection point I meant the world to to both of them yeah, it was, it was good, yeah, wow. And you said that one's a just a crowd favorite as well yeah, what I'm when with the video.

Brad Hoopes: 9:50

And I wrote a book and that's one of the stories in the book and that seems to be. Everybody seems to comment on that story in particular and for anybody listening if you would share your, share your book the title is reflections of our gentle warriors hmm, and when did you, when did this one come out?

Brad Hoopes: 10:10

that came out in 2015. I had it is kind of a roundabout side thing that came out of that. I was the Loveland newspaper was doing a series on Loveland's World War II veterans and asked me to be a contributing writer, and so I had 18 stories published and another 12 on deck to be published. And then they sold the paper and discontinued the series. And so I was getting calls from these other 12 guys and when do you think my story is gonna publish? And it's like I hate to tell you it's not. They sold the newspaper but I thought, well, geez, you know I've got these 30 stories already. Why don't I sit down and watch a few more of my own videos, write a similar S-like essay and then bundle it all into a book? So I wrote in red that was 30 stories and I watched another 40. It was the 17th anniversary. I thought, well, that 70 stories and 70 anniversary. So I'm gonna look into a book and publish it so now, that's just it.

Brad Hoopes: 11:09

Just it's there. They're very, you know, three or four page quick stories, just a wide range of service branches, wide range of experiences, and just to give, I think, people a general overview of of World War two, for those who may not know much about it or nothing about it, and hopefully, for lack of a better word, a gateway drug for them to want to go on and learn more about that period of time yeah, is, and so that book in particular is specifically on World War two.

Thad David: 11:39

Yeah, that was just World War two veterans, correct? That's sounds of an incredible, because that's one thing I love little, bite-sized chunks and having something that I can just go in and grab one page or you know, like you said, two or three pages, I can sit down, I can read one section at a one-story over coffee, exactly, yeah, yeah, exactly. And so you've obviously interviewed. It sounds like a lot of World War two veterans yeah, out of the 600, probably about 400.

Brad Hoopes: 12:09

Or World War two. I mean I I've never had, I never set out to specifically target any veteran. I to me, any veteran that walked out the door deserves to have their story told. But in the beginning I I targeted World War two primarily, just because the clock was ticking with that group and and yeah, so I jumped at that. But, like I said, no rules on how I want a particular veteran, any veteran, I'll sit down and tell their story.

Brad Hoopes: 12:39

Who would like to have it told have you interviewed veterans from pretty much every war since World War two yeah, I would say it probably, like I said, for probably about 400 World War two, about a hundred Korean, about in about 60 Vietnam and then the rest you know that have served but weren't in any sort of conflict and only a few of our most recent conflicts of just a handful of that group. Why is that? You know, I I can't have a broke into that group and I think my thought is that maybe it's still too fresh. I mean, everybody else, the World War two guys have had 60 plus years to chew on it, the Vietnam guys 40, 50 years to chew on their experiences and and I think they were ready to talk. I don't know, it's just a theory, but I think it's it's still very fresh and and and our most recent veterans are probably still chewing on it, really them, do you reach out?

Brad Hoopes: 13:46

let me do you actively reach out and try to grab them up you know, and that's, I think, been a big part of it too, is finding them.

Brad Hoopes: 13:55

You know that certainly the World War two and Korean and Vietnam veterans they collect, they do things together. I think more of the most recent recent veterans or individuals, I think more individuals they don't seem to to group up and certainly don't join I don't think in the numbers of the other conflicts, like the American Legion of the VFW, so they're hard to to track down is probably a big part of it. My, my biggest source through the years was I used to be on the board of Honor Flight and I'd get, I would get the, the, the flight list and white everybody. So that was very easy. And then, you know, probably the second biggest source is you know you'd interview a veteran and they tell two friends who tell two friends but yeah, so I haven't, I haven't, I haven't, just haven't cracked that group hmm, and it's interesting that you brought up they don't collect up in the same way that the other groups do.

Thad David: 14:53

What? How do the other ones collect up that that newer generations don't seem to?

Brad Hoopes: 14:59

well, like I said, I, you know you, I think you talk to anybody at the, the VFW and and the American Legion, I think, like any service organization, rotary, whatever, I think that's on the decline. Memberships are under the clients. They don't seem to join that you know. You have the VFW or the, the Vietnam guys that like to collect and and get together. I just I don't know. I just feel like they're more individual, individualistic than than the other groups.

Thad David: 15:35

Like you know, pure speculation yeah, yeah, well, and that's what I think that I was. I was very excited. One of the things is what I've obviously to hear the stories and the collections that you brought to the tables is fascinating, and I love to learn from history. I love to learn from you know, hopefully, if somebody else's walk to a similar path to me, what, what insights can I take away from it? And that's what I've really enjoyed about tapping into some older generations and hearing their stories. But common threats and it's interesting that you brought up that they group up and then, for some reason, ours doesn't to be like I said.

Brad Hoopes: 16:15

It could be wrong in that regard. I just haven't. I haven't found the collective groups with these groups, but I agree with you, I would. I would love to connect the older and the younger to share their experiences that you know. These guys have walked a walk the road now and it's anything I think could be helpful for the new guys to.

Brad Hoopes: 16:36

You know, I think we're kind of shameful in our past history of how our veterans were treated and how how they were learning of. You know, I guess one thing that bugs me and I could be once again wrong, I didn't serve, but it seems like the government's very good about taking a civilian and holding them into us into a warrior, but then when the time comes to to let them go, it is like okay, sign here, thanks, you're out, you know, thanks for your service. Instead of that, that same procedure to bring them back from a warrior down to a civilian again and and I think you know, sadly, our previous or older vets and walked a pretty rough road and you know, thank God I think we're starting to learn we needed that. We need to treat our veterans better and and help them along and and I just I just think there would be. There would be a lot of good to connect our old and and new veterans Together. I think they could both learn from each other to, quite honestly, yeah.

Thad David: 17:46

How was it for Just with that too? How and how was it for, like, world War two veterans coming back home? Is it similar, because I only know I we hear so much about what it's like for veterans. Now, were there common threads of what they dealt with, or did it seem like my impression of, as they just kind of came back, I'm like, well, we're getting back to work?

Brad Hoopes: 18:06

Well, that's just it. Yeah, there's very distinct, distinct lines. I mean the World War two, I Mean that generation, I think was humbled to begin, is humbled to begin with, but yeah, they're the philosophy there was. They got back home and, you know, kind of just brush themselves on and and Went on with life. I remember one guy In the South Pacific, gone for two and a half years, had, you know, had choked at home, you know, missed out on two and a half years. He got home on a Thursday and was back at his old job on Monday and there was just, you know, that was just the attitude the Korean guys, they're, you know, truly, the end, you know, forgotten.

Brad Hoopes: 18:54

Veteran Nomar is is definitely Describes that group. I think the vietnam, to me, the Vietnam and our present conflicts have have very similar, are very similar, and that's, I think those are the two groups I would probably match up with the Vietnam and and our most recent conflicts I there's just, to me, a lot of similarities in that regard, although you know the nice thing about Most recently, we've come to appreciate our veterans when they get home, or is with the Vietnam, as you know, with the Vietnam vets, it was despicable how, how they were treated when they when they returned home.

Thad David: 19:36

It was. I actually just did an interview with Vietnam veteran recently and I was asked, I was curious to ask him about his experience coming back. He was like, honestly, I don't know if they just weren't when I landed, he was like, but I never experienced it. I landed back in the States. I think he landed up in northern California and got another airplane, flew back home and Texas, I believe, and he was like and then I just Started working and I never there was nobody around. So he for in his experience that Very obviously the Vietnam veterans were treated as a whole and then not great way and it was interesting that his he was like I know that it was there and I just never had to even Think about it, but that was very much.

Thad David: 20:19

He was very much more like the World War two that that asked him what his Experience was, what what's that also, and he was like I got back to work, yeah, I'm here. Yeah, I've been married to my wife for 40, you know, 40 years. Yeah, just Incredible. Yeah, absolutely. So you think a lot of similarities with Vietnam and the current generation, different than the World War two veterans.

Brad Hoopes: 20:46

I Think so. You know. I Certainly no expert, no, I think you know. I think if you describe the last, I Guess they called the good war was World War two, and and you know, I think there's been controversy between, and well, and Korea. I think Korea was probably a Good or just war. I don't know if that's words should even be attached that. But but Vietnam and our most recent conflicts, I mean there's a lot of controversy as to why we were there, what was the, the end game, how it ended. I mean, those are to me, are the similarities, hmm.

Thad David: 21:30

It's such an interesting thing to think about just coming back home for more. And you know, having gone into I did the initial invasion in Iraq, went back again for another deployment shortly after that, and Just having our experience of it, just it fascinates me to think about other generations that I think when I was younger, I was very young and I'll just speak for me personally. You know, I think my biggest thing when I went to, when I was in the initial invasion in Iraq, was I was like I wonder if I'm gonna be home before I turn 21,. You know, like am I? You know it's like is that really? You know You're in a war zone, like why are you thinking about that? And it's interesting to me to reflect on it and think about just wonder what it was like for for other generations that went off and and thought and and their generations were.

Brad Hoopes: 22:22

Well, you know and once again I go back to the fact that I didn't serve and what a common thread that always seems to Weave through all my interviews. As you know, I look at these people. You know 17, 18, 19, 20 years old and what they went through, and it's like you know what was my life like during that period. Well, my biggest worry was that math test on Wednesday and with that cute girl in English, ever go out with me and and the big Pressure or the week is you know what are we gonna do on Friday night? You know what's going on and hear these. You and these other veterans are in war zones, and that's another thing, too. That I can't wrap my head around is is a war zone. I mean, I know it's man-made, there's got to be the most unnatural place for a human to be in, and I Don't understand it.

Thad David: 23:12

I think For me and I was just talking to a buddy, that just reminded me I was talking to him last week but for me, I always, I've always thought about it just every. Personally, I think war has been around for as long as mankind. Oh yeah, I think that as long as we have mankind it's gonna be there and while the battlefield is gonna change, that it's, it's always gonna be a part of it. And so I've always compartmentalized it in that manner that that was just me being able to go and and serve my country and be a part of it. So it wasn't. I Didn't view it in this grandiose way. It was just me going to do what I'd sign up to do. Mm-hmm, that makes any sense, I'm sure. And the other thing that it makes me think about too is interesting is it's having doing two deployments.

Thad David: 24:01

A common theme that we had was we left the initial invasion and Iraq came back home and for, as we had, our platoon was supposed to go out on a mu and Marine expeditionary unit where we jump on the Navy boats and we travel and go from San Diego, and we were supposed to just bounce around. We were gonna go to Hawaii, australia, you know, just do the live the life. Yeah right, we ended up, essentially, we went to Hawaii and did a training up there, but when it's basically straight to Iraq, I went, got dropped off in Kuwait, went right back in, and One of the things that we remembered was that all the time that we were home I think we were home for I don't know the timeframe and spec guessing nine months, but it felt like that was just a little. That nine months of being home was a dream and it felt like we had just never left that, that space. And it was that that space and it was.

Thad David: 24:55

It was just interesting having to go back over again, but I just don't. I don't think about it in that way. It's a conversation my sister has with me. Often she's like well, you don't realize what it's like to talk to you, having gone to war. I just did what I signed up to do. It doesn't.

Brad Hoopes: 25:15

Did your sister, and I don't know if you were married before you went off talking about your sister. Does she see a different person?

Thad David: 25:26

Yeah, that's a good question. I don't know. I've never asked her that actually and I feel like I probably should. I noticed joining the military was a big shift in general, so I would say yes, but we haven't had a big deep conversation about it. And one interesting thing that I discovered recently through just another interview actually with a spouse, was the.

Thad David: 25:56

I've always told myself I'll share whatever you want to share. I'm an open book and just ask me. I just tell people all the time, just ask me. And I was talking to my buddy's friend of ours. His wife has been married to him through three deployments. He's still in the reserve, so now he's just a lot of stuff.

Thad David: 26:14

But she said her biggest thing was she's never known what to ask. So she always loves it when he gets together with his buddies because they just start talking and she hears the stories that she wants to hear. And she's like I don't know how to open that up. And it was a big a ha for me that I think I might have seemed more closed off than I intended to be because I wouldn't ever bring it up. I would just ask me about it. Nobody asked and I was like, oh, that's fine, I didn't hurt my feelings. And then I thought about it. I was like, wow, my sister probably never asked, because I bet she didn't know what to ask. And I talked to her about it after the fact and she said I was always very open in that she never felt like I was. But it's an interesting space.

Brad Hoopes: 26:54

So well, I tell you, I think if I had a dollar for every child or spouse that said thanks for doing this, we didn't know his story I'd be doing this broadcast from my private island somewhere and you talk to the guys about it and I said well, you know, I didn't want to put this on my family. I they wouldn't understand. Unless you were there I wouldn't understand. I'll talk to my buddies about it. So they've closed off from from quite a few of them, most of them actually. Yeah.

Thad David: 27:30

Well, and it's interesting, we had a, probably my proudest, because I'm I don't I'm not very boastful of my time and service. I'm not very good at stuff up just so I think anybody watches a new video I want to like. If they're like who's this guy talking about the military, At least you can see that I was in the military and that's. But if you go around my house like this, there's not, there's not a lot of stuff around, so much. So like this Veterans Day, my son gave me a his school. He drew a little picture that said happy Veterans Day. And he was like did you know it's Veterans Day? I was like yeah, and I was like what did you? You know? What'd you talk about school? And he's like I told my teacher that my dad's a veteran and they like hit me in my core. It was like my proudest moment of ever being a veteran and for whatever reason. Just it gave me all the feels.

Thad David: 28:18

But I started looking at my son loves to collect all my medals from races. If I do races and stuff like that, like I did a marathon or just a half or whatever, he just likes the medals. I was like I never thought to do it, but I've never. Actually I don't have any of my medals, like all my, like some veterans have like shadow boxes and stuff like that. I showed it to my wife and she's like why do we not have this stuff? I was like I don't have a good reason, why not? And it was. It struck me that that's something I started ordering just to be able to give to my family and kind of let them into that world and right from the people that didn't share, you know, because I think that the family really does want to know about it and I don't want to, you know, and that's what I like about learning from these past generations and and be able to have conversations like this. That's why I'd love to tap into your knowledge of kind of what they, what they experienced with it.

Brad Hoopes: 29:08

Right, right. So along those lines, it reminds me of a story of a World War II Marine that was on Iwo Jima, sole survivor of his unit, badly injured, in the hospital for a year and a half. Afterwards, years later, his son comes up to him and says well, dad, can you drive me down to the costume store? And he goes well, what are you doing? He goes well, I'm in a play and I need a military uniform. He goes well, once you just wear mine, he goes you're in the military. I mean, there's a incredible story and no clue, I don't know.

Thad David: 29:38

Yeah, and that's. I think a lot of people are kind of in that same boat, but with no ill will towards it.

Brad Hoopes: 29:47

Oh, no, no.

Thad David: 29:48

It's just, you know, for whatever reason it'll come up whenever it manifests itself, right, in that case, a Halloween costume, just so, with that too, because of you mentioned the World War II families not hearing about it. So you've connected with a lot of the families as well.

Brad Hoopes: 30:12

Oh, very much so. Yeah, well, not many of the family. You know, the funny thing is I'll hear years later from family members that you know we were dads past. We wanted to let you know that dads past and we discovered, you know, going through the stuff, that this interview and oh, thank you for doing this, we didn't know we had this. And so that connection, the starting I mean I've met quite a few during the interviews but I'm starting to meet more now, years later, as they're coming across these interviews, and I mean I've had a couple that found their dad on YouTube, didn't realize they, you know. Once again, that humbleness, I guess, is just putting it aside.

Thad David: 31:01

Jumping on sharing it. It's wild to think that they would do the interview and then not share it with anybody. Wow, and I can only imagine how those families felt to be able to step into their loved ones, their deceased loved ones, a little bit of their past. So it's, you're doing amazing things.

Brad Hoopes: 31:25

And I've always said I mean one vision that's going to be going through all these years. I've always had this vision that you know, someday that the grandchildren of these veterans are going to sit down with their grandchildren and pop this thing and say, you know, I'd like you to meet my granddad or my grandma. I mean, I've always just had this vision. That's when I was at my lowest. I just kept going with that vision.

Thad David: 31:45

So yeah, Was it a struggle for you, or has it been a struggle to keep interviewing and to keep it all going?

Brad Hoopes: 31:54

Yeah, I suppose it has. I mean that's yeah, how come? Oh, just financially. I mean, the thing is, you know, when I first started this thing out it was just purely a side hobby, like I said once again, just to satisfy my love of history. But as I started hearing more and more stories, it's like things started to change and I can tell you the day that the trajectory made a sharp turn.

Brad Hoopes: 32:22

From that I'd gotten a call the next morning from the wife of a World War II veteran. I'd interviewed him the day before and she said you know, I'm just calling to thank you for doing this. You know the kids and I don't know his story and we look forward to getting the DVD and watching it. She goes. I also wanted to let you know that last night was the first time in 60-some years he slept through the night and it was game over. I pretty much just dropped everything else I was doing and just took on just this project just consumed me. It just vowed that I was just going to do anything I could to help and honor veterans in any way I can. So you know, from a financial or business standpoint it wasn't very wise to my approach, but certainly no regrets in what I've done.

Thad David: 33:10

Well, so, just from simply I would say simply but from being able to share the story, allowed him to sleep through the night.

Brad Hoopes: 33:19

Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly, and I've since fallen. You know he had stuff to get off his chest, you know, and that's why I'd like to connect the old and the new. And I vowed. Then, like I said, I just became totally consumed and I wanted I don't want most certainly the most recent guys. There's no reason that they, for the next 60 years, can't sleep. We've got to do everything to make sure that that ends, that we do whatever we can to make sure that for, for example, you're yourself, I want you to sleep now. I don't want you to go sleepless for the next 40 years.

Thad David: 34:02

Have you seen other or heard from other veterans that have said that, the similar thing?

Brad Hoopes: 34:07

that after opening up and sharing, yeah, it's happened numerous times since then and then, and then the other end of the spectrum as well. You know, there's really two groups that I come across when I do interviews, those that you know experience things that they just soon not talk about or share again, and you know, I respectfully back away from that. But there's the larger group that'll say, oh, I didn't do anything, I don't have a story. And and I'll argue until I'm blue in the face with that group and there was one guy that he was the poster child for that Vietnam veteran and his wife actually set up the interview and up to the point that, till I turn the camera on, he said I don't know, I'm sitting here, I don't have a story, I don't have a story. But of course he had a story.

Brad Hoopes: 34:51

It ended up he had a great story. Well, a story great isn't always the exact word but she called me like a couple weeks later and she goes Brad, you know, we just sat down and watched that, that interview or the DVD, and she goes. I just wanted to tell you, for the last three days he's been walking around with his chest puffed out. So he realized you know, you know we did have a story. So, yeah, wow.

Thad David: 35:14

And I that's very interesting to think that. How long has been walking around thinking you didn't have a story to share, exactly? Yeah, I guess over time you start to believe it. If you keep telling yourself that you know, for depending on how much time goes by, I mean you're going to start believing that thing that you're telling yourself about it. And then once you lay it all down there and you're like wow, it actually was pretty unique.

Brad Hoopes: 35:44

Like I said, when I first started out, I thought, oh, the benefactor of these is going to be the families that didn't know the story, and then it's down on record, that's proven to be obviously the case. But yeah, there's therapeutic value to these as well. I'm certainly no expert, I'm no therapist, and I think these guys just need an outlet to tell their story and to hear themselves talk. I think has been beneficial.

Thad David: 36:13

They say that and it brought to mind a few things. But the idea that happiness it happens not from the experience, but the reflection of the experience. And that's why journaling, writing down gratitudes, is such a powerful thing, because it's the reflection of it, the value and the appreciation of it. And thinking about veterans that aren't sharing and, for whatever reason, they have to not share that, the moment they finally get to share it and think about it, they're like oh wow, I actually am really proud of that time and that really was an amazing thing. So I can definitely see that.

Thad David: 36:53

And then I know you said you're not a therapist and I appreciate you sharing that out there. I know you're very humble with everything that you're doing, but the idea that there's this old management article that I've always thought about with just being a veteran and that the don't take the monkey I don't know if you've ever heard of that, but if two people, if somebody comes and vents to you and they are just complaining about their day, that they give the monkey to you, and now you have this complaint on your back or their problem, they give you their problem and it's sitting with you. But if you just keep holding it. You'll just keep holding. All these monkeys will just be clinging to you.

Thad David: 37:33

But the moment you share things, and things like your story or allowing people to share it, you get to like. That monkey leaves your back and if they've been holding that story for so long, never having shared it, not only the appreciation of be able to reflect on the good they did, but if there was anything that they just wanted to get out that I could see, that would be a heavy rock to finally drop down. That's amazing. I love what you're doing. What can you share about the Korean war veterans, because you mentioned earlier, kind of forgotten about.

Brad Hoopes: 38:18

Yeah, it's obviously. You've heard it's called the forgotten war and the forgotten veteran, and they truly have. We had the World War II, which obviously was just a major world event, and then it caught in that gap. And then the other side is, it was Vietnam and those guys were just forgotten and you know they were an amazing group of people too and it was a short period of time. You know, I think it was what a two year, three year war. You know, 38,000 were killed and Vietnam went on for a decade and 58,000 were killed. So it was a major war for us.

Brad Hoopes: 39:01

I mean, it's still considered a conflict, I think. And the thing that I always like to point out, I think you can say whatever you want about our military and our politics and such, but that is a prime example of what the American soldier did for the world. When you look at, if you've ever seen that nighttime satellite photo of the Korean Peninsula and you can see the DMZ, it's very distinct. Everything south of the DMZ is lit up like a Christmas tree, everything north is pitch black and what we've, what we one often did for that country, and it's just just to me an example of the American soldier and the good we do in the world.

Thad David: 39:50

But how many interviews have you done with Korean vets? Maybe about a hundred, okay, so substantial amount. What thoughts or feelings do they have about their experience, their time in?

Brad Hoopes: 40:05

They're probably closer linked to the World War II guys Just went off, did their thing, came home. You know it was a little bit different. You know each, obviously, each war is different. I mean, you said you had a number of deployments and a lot of these guys, multiple deployments. You know the World War II guys went off and they were in the government, had it. It was open, ended. You came home and we were done Korean. That changed. I think they just did a one year. Some of them did, I think, a 13 month deployment and then Vietnam was just one and then. But then it changed again with you guys. So but so yeah, a lot of them it's. They're very similar to the World War II guys and a lot of them were in World War II, served and went off and they got called up again. So I would, I would probably link them into, bundle them in the World War II crowd in that, went off, did my, did my thing, came back and brush myself off, went to work, you know, moved on with life.

Thad David: 41:07

So yeah, it's interesting to me just to see those comparisons and it hit me also earlier about the grouping together, how the you know, the VFW, just all of that is shrinking down, which I and personally I've never. I haven't joined, haven't explored it and I don't have any good reason why or why not. I think, and actually I just had a thought that hit me with that yeah, I always thought about it as an older generation or different, different generation. But the social media, yeah, my phone's over there, but I think there's a lot of social media groups that I think give the feeling of that camaraderie but it's not as visible as a. You know, you're driving down the road and you see the VFW. It's there.

Thad David: 41:58

Because if there's a social media or a private social network group, like I know I was a sniper in the Marines, so and if you're a Marine Corps scout sniper, there's actually a private social media group just for anybody that's a Marine Corps scout sniper, you can send in your DD214 and or you know, and there's other ways of verifying you, but you can join. So I wonder how much that masks it. But it's interesting that that too, because something that I talked to another veteran earlier is that they feel not understood by other veterans and I wonder how much that goes into it. And have you heard anything like that where veterans of one generation don't feel connected to veterans of another generation?

Brad Hoopes: 42:45

I know I've heard from a number of Vietnam veterans that came back and went to join the VFW or the American Legion and were told by the guys there oh you know, that wasn't a war, you're in. I mean, there's a little bit of hostility there still from some of the guys. It's like I walked away from there and never, never even thought about joining again, because the World War II and Korean guys saw Vietnam a little bit different. And I can tell you there's one thing that was that really stood out with me is, like I said, I was on the board of Honor Flight and I don't know if you're familiar with Honor Flight or your viewers, but it's a program that takes veterans back to DC to see all the various monuments and such and it started out as purely to take World War II veterans back and we were one of the first hubs that started taking Korean and then Vietnam, and they for the longest time. We did 22 flights and probably oh I don't know, probably about the 15th flight we started taking Vietnam veterans and there was a very distinct change in the aura of the flight. I couldn't, I couldn't believe how much. I mean. It was a drastic the trip. They were all great trips, but it was, there was some anger. You could tense the feel, the anger, when the Vietnam veterans started going. It was it, just it, completely. It was still, like I said, still a great trip, but boy, you could, you could, and you talked to anybody that was involved with that and they'd probably all say the same thing.

Brad Hoopes: 44:30

Now the mood changed when we started taking the Vietnam veterans. How so? And what was the change? I think it was, there was anger there was. I think there was. There was some anger.

Brad Hoopes: 44:43

The previous trips you had, you know, we asked everybody, we gave him t-shirts so he, you know, kind of keep, look out for each other and keep everybody together. And it was, everybody just kind of went as as the tour went, and with the Vietnam vets, you know, it's like no, I don't want to wear a shirt, I'm going to wear my, my vest and I'm going to go off and do this. No, I may not go, may not go with you on that one. It was just like I said it was. I'm overemphasizing it probably, but there was a change, there was a. There was just a different aura or a different mood on on those trips. And then the last bunch were just purely.

Brad Hoopes: 45:27

By then we started losing pretty much all the the World War II veterans in Korea, so it'd be a handful, but mostly Vietnam. And yeah, it was just. It was just a different trip and amazingly too, from a health standpoint. You know, when we started taking taking Vietnam veterans, I was talking to Stan Cass who was the Colonel, stan Cass who led up the program. I said, well, stan, I guess we we can cut back on our medical personnel and and and the number of wheelchairs we take. He goes no, no, we got to ramp up. We took more wheelchairs in the later flights than we ever did in the earlier flights with the World War II guys. It was yeah, yeah.

Thad David: 46:09

Wonder why. Why did we do that? Because that's definitely something that two days still happens, where we're almost getting segregated and it's a different even from people from this, this one war over in, you know, iraq, afghanistan, that that's happening with that. So it's interesting I wonder why we do that as veterans.

Brad Hoopes: 46:31

Yeah, I can't figure it.

Thad David: 46:36

It. Also, I don't want to say it's. I'm sawless is the right word. Just knowing that it was still happening then doesn't make it right today. It almost brings me a little joy knowing that it wasn't. It's not a new thing. That's just sparking up today because I think that I heard somebody I was. What was that that I was hearing again here? Oh no, it was about that. There's this thing about combat veterans and it's like that's a thing like different than a veteran and it's like some combat veterans that say they're different than a regular veteran.

Brad Hoopes: 47:11

Well, that's what I, you know, and that's one thing I can't sort out either and I don't know with your group if it's how much it plays into it. But you look at, you got your World War II veterans, you got your Korean veterans, and then you get to the Vietnam War and you're either a Vietnam veteran or you're a Vietnam era veteran. If you weren't boots on the ground, you're a Vietnam era veteran. And I don't get that. And I don't see, you know, an Afghan or Iraqi era veteran. That one certain group it's like. You know, if you weren't, if you weren't in country, you're an era veteran.

Brad Hoopes: 47:56

And it and everybody I talked to, nobody can seem to answer that question. I can't Like, why it's there? Why it's there? I mean you know World War II, korea, you know nobody, not everybody, was over in the Pacific or over in over in Europe. There was, you know, here in the States. I mean, once again, I don't I try not to comment on it because I'm not a veteran but I mean, you know, I truly appreciate the, appreciate the frontline veterans that were up at the tip of the spear, but you know, for every one of those guys there's 10 people behind them that need to support that, and to me this is important, oh yeah.

Thad David: 48:39

But I wonder and I'm excited to dive deep into that, or deeper, because it's, it's interesting and again makes me happy to see that it's similar it doesn't make it okay. Yeah, right, because I see it now and I'm like, why, why? Why are we, you know? Because I'm just happy that anybody served, simply because, like you said, like there's, no matter what you did, no matter what role it was.

Thad David: 49:01

There's, I think 90% are going to. There's a needs to be 90% of support to be able to get the boots on the ground. And they're equally as important because without it it doesn't happen.

Brad Hoopes: 49:12

And coupled with that, I mean when you enlisted one off, or Uncle Sam pulled you out the door the minute you signed up, you had no clue where you, what your lot was going to be, where you were going. You didn't know if you're going to the frontline, or you know back in Ohio peeling potatoes the whole time. So you know.

Brad Hoopes: 49:34

I don't know I don't understand it, but once again I try to back off of it because I'm not a veteran and I don't feel like I've got a right to weigh in on it and I can understand.

Thad David: 49:46

It's a very common thing that you know for a lot of civilians to not want to chime in and I can definitely respect that, although I do think that, just given the nature of 600 interviews with various generations of veterans and conflicts and wars and it's I think you have a lot of knowledge on it it made me think of just being in. You know, I was a recon marine and once you in the Marine Corps and I don't I would imagine it's still the same today but when I was in the, any marine you get your green PT gear, you get your green silks, you get your green shirt and that's your, that's what you work out in. But once you graduate from Marine Reconnaissance School you get black PC gear and that's the way you earn black PC gear and and I remember just being at our unit, like there better not be anybody that hasn't been through the school wearing black PT gear.

Thad David: 50:43

If somebody's going to go say something and I really like that's such a small thing, but it seems such a like a similar parallel to you, weren't you know if Vietnam era versus Vietnam veteran, and it seems like a very similar thing, that it's one of those, like I earned it.

Thad David: 51:00

So you can't claim it Right, right and not saying it's right, wrong and different.

Thad David: 51:05

But it seems like it's happening on a small scale, so it doesn't surprise me that it's happening on a larger scale as well, because I'm definitely guilty of the black PT gear. So it's, it's an interesting thing. But it's interesting to see it because, on the flip side, now that so many veterans that haven't deployed that's also one thing that's coming up with the newer generation of veterans, because it's so many veterans have been able to deploy or you know, I say have been able to a lot of veterans, or a lot of people in the military, want to, especially if there's a conflict, that's something they want to go do, but several don't get to and there's almost this depressive nature around not having. You know, I was in the military but I didn't get to go over and they have a guilt that they're holding by not going, which is an interesting thing to see. Have you interviewed, have you interviewed from different generations, people that were maybe a Vietnam error veteran, that didn't actually get boots on the ground?

Brad Hoopes: 52:10

Oh, yeah, yeah, like I said, the only rule I've got with my project is I have no rules and so, yeah, particularly, I mean, what is really interesting is the World War II veterans, those that stayed stateside or didn't get into the action, and even more so that those that through medical conditions, whatever, couldn't enlist at all. And there is a deep shame with that group that those that never served or stayed stateside, that they didn't get into the action even years later still. But with the Vietnam guys, I'm trying to take some of the the era veterans. They would, I guess they were a little bit more modest.

Brad Hoopes: 53:04

Well, you know, don't have much to story. I, you know, I was in California or I was on Okinawa the whole time, didn't, didn't get it in the country, don't really, I guess, talk too much about it. Yeah, I don't know how, just trying to think of some of the era veterans that I met, yeah, they don't really, I guess, one way or the other, talk too much about their thoughts on that, other than, and some of them say in what I know now, you know, my God, I didn't, I didn't go into country, you know right.

Thad David: 53:42

Well, I'm at the end of the day and you mentioned it earlier, but when you sign up, you have no. Well, that's, that's a choice, yeah nobody asked me if I wanted to go Exactly, yeah, and I was happy to, but it just for anybody that didn't go.

Thad David: 53:58

So I know I wouldn't judge somebody because you didn't get a choice Right, like the military, like the one thing I know for a fact is the military really doesn't care what you want, right, and we're the other, like they really don't care, they're going to do what they need to be done, what needs to be done, and that's just how it rules.

Brad Hoopes: 54:11

So yeah, and my, like I said, my philosophy is anybody that served in the military. They're all standing around the spear. Some of them are closer to the tip, but you know a lot held a lot closer to the spear than I ever got, so they're just a deep respect for that.

Thad David: 54:26

Yeah, I'm sure the same thing. I love anybody that's willing to step up and just sign on the dotted line. So, man, thank you so much for taking some time and, oh, I appreciate this time Very enjoyable to share as to what you're doing, and I definitely encourage anybody to jump on. You said the best place to find your interviews is on YouTube.

Brad Hoopes: 54:51

Yeah, that's where they can get a general idea of what they're all about. Okay, and what's some great stories.

Thad David: 54:59

to be sure, I'm going to go remember and honor on YouTube. I know I'm already subscribed. What's that? I remember and honor stories? I think is the best way. Remember and honor stories. Yeah, all right, and then I'm already subscribed. I'm going to seek out. You said Roy Lehmann.

Brad Hoopes: 55:19

Lehmann, yeah, the video is the soldier and the little girl.

Thad David: 55:22

Okay, I'm going to go find that one. I'm also going to go grab your book.

Brad Hoopes: 55:25

Thank you the reflections of our gentle warriors.

Thad David: 55:27

Well, it sounds just amazing. And just having those bite-sized chunks, knowing that I can grab and read a section Thank you so much. I know you're doing a ton of stuff here in our local area not far from me. You do a ton of stuff for veterans and I'm excited to come out and check out your whole breakfast here on Saturday morning.

Brad Hoopes: 55:48

Yeah, very much. So you need to get down for the pan-veh breakfast on Saturday morning is at a level and that's good fun for sure.

Thad David: 55:55

It's amazing that I had no idea that that is even happening and it's under 10 minutes from my house, yeah, so I'm excited to come check it out and meet everybody, oh, very cool yeah. Yeah, thank you, brad. Thank you for your breakfast, you betcha.