Strength Forged in Service: Sergeant Major Roy Lewis on Military Life, Leadership, and Transition

Listening to Sergeant Major Roy Lewis, his tales of transformation from a small-town youth to a beacon of military inspiration struck a chord within me. His story isn't just one of duty and discipline but a profound journey of personal evolution that speaks to any listener seeking growth amidst life's toughest challenges. In this episode, we traverse Roy's 36-year odyssey through the ranks of the Army, unearthing the lessons he learned, the bonds he formed, and the resilience he crafted.

Navigating the complexities of military life and its rigorous demands is no small feat; Roy sheds light on the nuances of this unique world, from the integration of male and female trainees to the seismic shift post-9/11 that saw a surge in recruitment. His perspective is not one of nostalgia alone but imbued with the wisdom of a seasoned leader who has molded countless soldiers for the harsh realities of combat. Among the many touching anecdotes, the pride in seeing his son become a Warrant Officer captures the pride and beauty woven into the fabric of military life.

As our conversation winds down, we turn to the silent battle faced by many: the transition to civilian life. Roy's insights into the stark contrast between military discipline and civilian spontaneity are enlightening and reassuring for veterans navigating this change. We underscore the significance of veteran communities in fostering resilience and helping one another recognize their hard-earned benefits and claim them. This episode is more than just a tribute to veterans; it's a guidepost for anyone grappling with significant life transitions, highlighting the power of solidarity and the strength of shared experience.

Transcript

Larry Zilliox: 0:15

Good morning. I'm Larry Zilliox, Director of Culinary Services here at the Warrior Retreat at Bull Run, and this week our guest is Sergeant Major Roy Lewis. He is a 36-year Army veteran who is a wonderful motivational speaker. He works with individuals and groups to help them get over some of the struggles that they face in life, and I really wanted to talk to him about one. His career and experience 36 years of doing anything to me is amazing, let alone being in the Army and then just kind of talk a little bit about the struggles that our veterans face today and some of the strategies and things that he thinks can help not solve problems but at least get our veterans in the right mindset to help them help themselves. So, sergeant Major, welcome to the podcast. I really appreciate you taking the time to speak with us today.

Roy Lewis: 1:24

Absolutely. Thank you, Larry. Thanks for inviting me. I'm glad to be here. This is something that I'm passionate about, so you can call anytime.

Larry Zilliox: 1:34

So tell us about your career. When did you enlist, what was the trajectory like, what were the assignments? And I'm almost certain you were in Vietnam.

Roy Lewis: 1:46

Well, close, close. I was born in 1960, so I missed that campaign. However, I did two years of school, college and, kind of a point of trivia, I'm from New York. I'm from a town called Highland Falls. Nobody's never heard of it, but if there are any West Point graduates out there they know where they've heard of Highland Falls. That's the town that's just outside the gate of West Point. Oh, wow. So, yeah, my parents, my entire family there was a mass migration in the 60s to Highland Falls and all my aunts and uncles everybody worked at West Point. So of course I was the. We were the generation that was born up there.

Roy Lewis: 2:28

So my impression of the Army that was my first impression of the Army, really believe it or not. And I didn't want to have anything to do with that, because I remember being about eight years old and we went to go pick my dad up from work and I remember this busload of freshmen came in and they got off the bus and these upperclassmen came out of nowhere and they were just chewing these kids out and I was like, oh my gosh, who would sign up for this? So that's how I ended up doing two years of school, college and I was a music major, believe it or not. Just like most kids, I went to New York City and tried my attempt at fame, which failed.

Roy Lewis: 3:12

And it's so funny though, my best friend, we're still best friends to this day. We've been best friends since kindergarten. I remember telling him having a conversation in 1982, I was like saying I'm thinking about checking out the Army. And we were at that time and I think the Army still does it. They still have a buddy program where you can kind of go in with your buddy and you go through basic training together. However, my best friend, the day we got ready, I was scheduled to go to Fort Dix, new Jersey, and my best friend, he hosed me, he just he bailed out on me the night before.

Larry Zilliox: 3:48

And why aren't you part of that?

Roy Lewis: 3:51

Oh boy, I would still remind him about that to this day. I was so upset I thought I had signed my life away, larry, I thought I was done, and so I went to basic training in 1982 at Fort Dix and my original job was logistics was a supply another fancy name for supply? I did three years active duty and was stationed at Fort Bliss. So I've been pretty fortunate. I've been in all three components. I've been in the active component, the National Guard component, and then I completed my retirement with the reserve component.

Larry Zilliox: 4:27

Okay.

Roy Lewis: 4:27

Yeah, so I've had the chance to see this full spectrum of duty and I tell you at the end of it all you know it's the greatest decision I ever made in my life to becoming a soldier. I've met so many wonderful people, had so many wonderful experiences and it was great. And then, moving on, when I got out in 86, I joined the National Guard. I went to move back. I moved to Boston for some crazy reason, but I was in three state units. I was in the Massachusetts Guard, then I went to the South Carolina Guard and then I was in the North Carolina Guard and then it just wasn't working for me for some reason. But I cannot remember this NCO, I cannot remember the guy's name, but he talked me into joining the drill sergeant program. So at age 40, I went to the US Army Drill Sergeant School.

Roy Lewis: 5:24

Wow, and oh my gosh, that was so hard. I think that's my greatest achievement, larry. It gave me a chance to see what was basic training like behind the scenes. Yeah, and I loved it. I think out of all my careers, my jobs in the military, I loved it, because I'm looking at it now, I still have my brown round in my office right now and I loved it. Hard work, yeah, hard work, yeah. But it was seeing those kids come off the bus bus and they didn't know each other from Adam, and we had like 10 weeks to whip 60 individuals who didn't know each other. And, and at this time the Army switched to its changes policy, we were training male and female trainees together. Oh wow, that was difficult.

Larry Zilliox: 6:18

Yeah.

Roy Lewis: 6:19

Yeah, that was difficult, but we did it. Man, I tell you, if any drill sergeant doesn't tell you, doesn't make their, we don't cry. Our eyeballs sweat so we don't cry. But seeing those kids walk across the parade field, oh my gosh, you know. They were so proud of themselves and the fact that we had a part of that man was worth it. It was so priceless. So talk about that.

Larry Zilliox: 6:41

And then talk about being a drill sergeant for a minute. I don't think people understand how much work it is. So they just think and see the drill sergeant marching, people around yelling at troops, but behind the scenes there's a lot of evaluation, a lot of coordination, a lot of talking amongst the drill sergeants about okay, this, this guy needs more work, this guy's doing good, oh yeah I mean it's just filling out paperwork. It's a lot of work yeah, yeah, I.

Roy Lewis: 7:16

I gained a respect for it because I know if those that are vets, you know when I know, when I was a private, I mean the drill sergeants were like gods to me. You know, they were just, they never looked tired, they, they always look strong, they always look well put together. Well, now I'm I'm a drill sergeant now, so I'm looking at it from behind the scenes and you're right, I never realized how much work went into a basic training cycle.

Larry Zilliox: 7:42

Yeah.

Roy Lewis: 7:42

And it's a lot of respect there, especially when people don't realize that when they raise their right hand it's already been determined. You know they put the companies together specifically it's I think it still runs that way A company is about 60 soldiers, so it's like 30 male, 30 female, and they, and also by their MOS, you know. So they try to keep them together as close as much as together, like when they graduate basic. So if they're all medics they're going after platoon is going to medic school, yeah, together. So we try to do that.

Roy Lewis: 8:19

And then the day to day, I remember out in the courtyard, you know, uh, we had a big chalkboard and it has the schedules from zero five to all the way to 2100 lights out. You know, the whole day is just really engaged, yeah, on training and and stuff and and um, but the it's, but the it's, it's a lot. You're right, it's a lot of planning. You know the, the training, the day is mapped at pretty much the 10 week cycle. Uh, the cycles 10 weeks and it consists of three phases red, white and blue. My favorite was red, because we call that shock and awe. I love that, you know, they get off the bus and it's on.

Roy Lewis: 9:00

I mean, I never knew we had so much power until one night we had picked up and I was on the third floor and one of my drill sergeant buddies said hey, one of your soldiers is having a meltdown on the second floor. And, larry, I went downstairs to check on the soldier and this was the best biggest guy I've ever seen in my life. He had 21 inch biceps. Oh man, I think it was like he was like that from that movie, the green mile. It was huge and he was ball and he was just crying and I at first I started to let. I thought he was faking. I just really thought he was faking because this guy had the capability to take the whole company out if he wanted to. But he was just a young man, 18 years old, and a lot of them, you know, were around 17, 18. Some of them it's their first time away from home. So it is overwhelming. It is overwhelming, you know. I calmed him down and said, hey, you know, and I remember saying something like you know, did your mother ever yell at you? And he's like no. I remember saying something like you know did your mother ever yell at you? And he's like no. No. I said, did your dad ever yell at you? No, no, and I just yelled at him. I said that's the problem, get your gear and move out. Really, you know, wow so, but he ended up being a great soldier.

Roy Lewis: 10:14

But yeah, it's a lot of planning, you know everything down to. I think if I had to say the hardest part is that middle phase, which is white phase. That's the qualification phase for weaponry and the physical fitness test. You know, I tell a lot of soldiers, trainees, I say, hey, we can get you to do rifle marksmanship and passing the physical fitness test. Everything else is easy, cheesy, you know, yeah, but uh, and then the other. The other part is just the dynamics of I call it, uh, the best time management course in the world. You know, you, you go from sitting in your parents house watching tv to when you wake up, when that, when lights come up, it's like it's all my donkey kong. You know, each hour of the day is filled with stuff.

Larry Zilliox: 11:03

That's right, Came on. You know every day, yeah, it's playing out, yeah for sure. Well, that gives them a taste of what the Army or whatever branch you're in, that's what's going to happen.

Roy Lewis: 11:14

My favorite part, larry, is the relationships they form with each other. That's the part that's really interesting, because what we do is we put them in groups of two battle buddies and, uh, we, we don't let them pick their own battle buddy, so we'll put the the black guy with the the white guy or the asian girl with the spanish girl, on purpose, yeah. And. And we tell them you've got, like you know, five days to learn that this person's married, that they got kids, where they're from. How are you going to get it? And, man, at first they can't. It's a wonderful experiment that just really works out so well. At first they can't stand each other, can't stand each other, and then, at the end of the 10 weeks, man, they're like crying over each other. They're just like you know, you're my best friend in the whole world, oh yeah.

Larry Zilliox: 12:05

Wow, you know, I'm sorry you were a drill sergeant for how many years.

Roy Lewis: 12:08

Well, I was in the reserve component, so we have the advantage of as long as we're physically fit, we can be a drill sergeant as long as we want to, because it is a very high-intensity environment, right? So the full-timers are only allowed to be a drill sergeant max three years.

Larry Zilliox: 12:26

Okay.

Roy Lewis: 12:31

Only three years, because it really is. You know, I remember, you know we go light, put them to bed at 9 o'clock and then I'm up at 4. The lights are on at 5. So, and you know, at the end of the day, you know we march them after chow, we bring them in back into the barracks. They got like two hours to write letters and get ready for the next day, and then zero, 2100, nine o'clock, the lights are out.

Roy Lewis: 12:51

It's a pretty, pretty intense. You know environment. You know then you're dealing with discipline problems and all that. But really by the time you get to the third phase, which is the blue phase, and graduate, like in two weeks, they're pretty much on cruise control. You know all the kinks are worked out and they're pretty much they're acclimated to military life.

Roy Lewis: 13:13

Yeah, so after I did the drill sergeant thing, my unit in 2007, we got the task to. We had the illustrious opportunity to go train the Iraqi army in 2007. So my unit, we got tasked to go to Baghdad. I was in Baghdad for a year, you know, training the youth, and that was a that was very interesting as well. Yeah, very interesting. A lot of people don't know, and I'm pretty sure it's the same thing for the Afghanistan folks there, that their style of leadership is more of a Soviet, russian style of leadership, where the officers, they teach leadership from the top down. For example, if you take out all their officers, the company is just totally lost, whereas Americans we teach it from the bottom up. We always have leadership. If you're my commander, something happens to you, then I'm in charge, and then if something happens to me, the next guy's in charge, so there's always someone in charge.

Larry Zilliox: 14:14

The US military has NCO Corps, which is solid, and that's something the Soviets really don't have.

Roy Lewis: 14:23

Yeah, I remember trying to explain that to my Russian Iraqi officer. He couldn't understand, you know, because we told him we had to set up a leadership academy. We're telling them exactly that about how to create NCOs to support him, but he was like he just couldn't get his mind wrapped around it.

Roy Lewis: 14:42

You know, he was just like you know, and then when we did set up the Leadership Academy, the guys that we saw out in the field that shouldn't have been NCOs. They weren't there. They're very tribal. We saw like their nephews and their cousins and stuff like that. But that's why I think the American Armed Forces, we're the best trained in the world. You know, I mean, that's not a boast. I've had a chance to serve with other different countries and stuff and it just works that way and I'm real proud of it.

Larry Zilliox: 15:13

Yeah, you were deployed for a year there.

Roy Lewis: 15:15

Yeah, I was in Baghdad for a year. I was on a special ops team 11 guys Go ahead, dirty team. Our code name was dirty, we were the dirty team. So, uh, and we went out every day and, and me and my captain, everybody had a specialty. So me and my captain, our specialty was logistics. We had to teach them uh, what, uh about how managing, about managing ammo, fuel, weapons, stuff like that. And we did that for a whole year and I got promoted over there and so I got promoted.

Roy Lewis: 15:52

When you get promoted to E8, you're not allowed to be a drill sergeant, so anything after E7, you go back to the NCO role. So I got promoted to Master Sergeant and then when I got home I got to be a First Sergeant for a drill sergeant company. So now I'm in charge of drill sergeants and I loved it. Of course it was kind of made me sad because when they went out and did all the prep work for boot camp and stuff, I just had to manage it. I wasn't, you know. So Icamp and stuff, I just had to manage it. I wasn't, you know. So I did that. And then did that for a couple of years for Jackson. Then I got promoted again to where I finished up in 2019.

Roy Lewis: 16:32

I was at brigade level, promoted to Sergeant Major, the S3 in planning. So that was, I have to admit. Anybody that tells you, even though Sergeant Major is a nice rank to get promoted to, because only 24% of enlisted soldiers ever make that rank. However, I was just used to being with the troops. I was pushed back to the back office, so now I'm working alongside a colonel or either a one-star or two-star general.

Larry Zilliox: 17:04

Yeah, and that is mostly an administrative or a policy role, isn't it that rank?

Roy Lewis: 17:12

Yeah, that was it. It was kind of hard for me because I'm a hands-on guy and I remember I would, you know, be at Fort Stewart and I walk in and I just start talking to the soldiers and stuff and they would just like, you know, snap to parade, rest, and I'm like, hey, relax, relax, I just want to know what you do and and all that and shake hands and but I just love being around the troops. You know, I didn't lie, I'm not an office guy. I loved it and you know, and my even I have a son right now. He's on active duty. He was enlisted but eventually he qualified. He's a warrant officer now. So he's over in Vincenza, italy, as we speak.

Larry Zilliox: 17:52

Oh, that's a tough assignment, yeah.

Roy Lewis: 17:55

Yeah, he's military intelligence and, believe it or not, he was my problem child. He's my problem child. He said, you know? I said, son, you don't think that's an oxymoron military intelligence, all the problems you gave me. So, but in 2009, I was given the wonderful honor to go down to Fort Rucker, Alabama, and pin his bars on.

Larry Zilliox: 18:16

Oh, wow.

Roy Lewis: 18:17

It was nice and I remember whispering. He was at the position of attention. I whispered in his ears and I said uh, okay, you outranked me. Military wise, genetically, I, you know, I'm bringing, I'm still bringing, downtown to chinatown sir, yeah so and he goes. Don't, dad, you don't have to say that. I said no, no, I give respect. What respect is due? Because when you watch forrest gump says Lieutenant Dan through the entire movie that's right, yeah, yeah, yes. So where were you? He's a UW3 man.

Larry Zilliox: 18:47

Oh, is he flying, or what? No, he's intelligence, okay yeah. Intelligence. Yeah, when were you on 9-11?

Roy Lewis: 18:57

9-11, I was with my reserve unit. I think I was still in the reserves and I was I think I was the first sergeant still serving with my drill sergeant company at Fort Jackson and that was wow. That was when we saw the numbers. I know I did see the numbers of recruits, you know, bulk up during that time. It was very interesting because we're used to seeing, you know, trainees that come in, recruits that come in around the age 17 or 18. You know, during that time they were coming in at around 25, 30. I saw one person that was in their 40s that came in.

Larry Zilliox: 19:31

Wow yeah, people wanted to volunteer, for sure.

Roy Lewis: 19:35

Yeah, they did. Yeah, everybody wanted to serve and stuff like that, and it was kind of unique. It made me proud. But you know, there's a thing in the drill sergeant office getting back to what you were saying about the responsibilities of a drill, and it kind of really left me an impression on me. We had it in the drill sergeant office. On the wall it says let no soldier come back from the grave saying that they were improperly trained. We made sure that, you know, regardless of if you were a medic or if you were infantry or if you were a scout, we told everybody hey, our job is to get you to survive on the modern day by a battlefield. This is our job, you know. So you know it's nothing personal, but we're here, you know, to make sure that you at least can survive on a modern battlefield. You don't come home. You come home with your family safe. You don't come home in a body bag.

Larry Zilliox: 20:32

Yeah, when did you retire? I retired in 2019. Okay, so not too long ago. Yeah, I mean that was a surprise to me because that you know you have to kick.

Roy Lewis: 20:38

They had to kick me out because I mean I mean that was a surprise to me, because that you know. They had to kick me out because I mean I'm walking around, I'm older than the colonel, yeah, so you know, just sitting there going like, wow, you know, because I would have stayed forever if they'd let me.

Larry Zilliox: 20:54

And so, when you transitioned, what did you find to be the biggest hurdle for you personally? Was it just the change, the lack of the tribe? What was it for you that? I know there are a lot of veterans, especially soldiers, who have been in for a very long time. It's very hard for them to transition out. It's the only life they've done. Transition out it's the only life they've done.

Roy Lewis: 21:22

Well, that's a great question. You know my son. Right now he's got 16 years in, so I'm kind of prepping him now for that situation. And here's why I know, when I got out, anyone that has served maybe a year to 20 years and 30 years. Let it be known that the military culture it's kind of a and it's not how can I say it's a secure community. You know you go in there. You know what's expected of you. There are no surprises, we take care of our own.

Roy Lewis: 22:01

A lot of my friends that are not civilians they say you know you probably heard it a thousand times yourself that you know you vets, you guys look like you know you guys can come from different er eras, but you talk to each other like you've known each other forever and uh. And I always tell people well, one common thread that we all have is that we have that rite of passage. We've all gone through the same rite of passage. That's something that's intuitive in all of us, um, that we respect in each and every one of us. So it doesn't't matter, whereas the world is like, so superficial. It's like people are given, you know, notoriety for the most silliest things. You know superficial things.

Roy Lewis: 22:44

But in the military, regardless of what branch you served or whatever your job, was that when you wear that stripe, it doesn't matter if you're a commissioned officer or a non-commissioned officer or whatever. When you wear those stripes or you wear those bars, chances are you've earned those to get those and you're taught respect from day one. That's one thing I noticed when my first day in the Army they told us, hey, if you have a beef with an officer or an NCO, they told us how to deal with it the right way. And I can remember, Larry, one time when I remember just seeing an E7 and I was like, oh my gosh, that's a, that's a Sergeant first class. Oh my gosh, you know, sitting there just being, like you know, starstruck, just one, you know, when the first sergeant said hello to me, I'm like, oh my goodness, the first sergeant said hello to me. But you know we have that respect and it's always there, you know, and it's not compromised day one. You know you don't look at the personnel, you respect the rank.

Roy Lewis: 23:42

So that transition I know I'm going about it the wrong way, but the transition from that environment into civilian environment is really kind of difficult at times, because now you're coming out of that safe haven I call it a safe haven environment where you're going in here now, where people are like I can give you an example, one thing that just drives me nuts. I go to the store or go somewhere and I'm standing in this long line. I'm like why am I standing in this long line? If this was the military, this would never happen. This long line, I'm like, why am I standing in this long line? If this was the military, this would never happen.

Roy Lewis: 24:17

When you have to get things done, civilians take their time. They get things done when they feel like it. It just drives me nuts. Even I retired.

Roy Lewis: 24:26

I was working for Bank of America for a while and my boss used to always tease me all the time because he says you're always the first one here in the meeting. I said, yeah, you know, when you have a meeting at nine o'clock, I'm taught to be there at 845, you know. But in a civilian world they get there at 905, 907, you know Strolling. I'm like, right, right. And I even told my son when he joined the Army. I said hey, listen, you know you're going to. When he joined the Army, I said, hey, listen, you know you're going to when he actually, when he became an NCO, I told him listen, I don't know, it's not in your vocabulary, go figure it out. You know you work the problem and yeah, that's it. And I love. I love our culture, yeah, because it demands you to produce, you know, and you know I mean, yeah, we're not a perfect culture, you know, yeah, there are people that can't hack it, but it's very minimal.

Larry Zilliox: 25:20

Yeah.

Roy Lewis: 25:21

You know, when I see a man or a woman with those stripes of bars, man, they've earned those things, they did the work to get those things and you have to respect them for that. But in the civilian world it's just so superficial. People are given notoriety for the most silliest things.

Larry Zilliox: 25:38

Yeah, yeah, it's all popularity, celebrity, all sorts of things like that, all absent from the military. All of it's absent from the military. You know, it's a strange new world it is. It's a strange new world it is.

Roy Lewis: 25:54

It is. You don't know that when I got my drill sergeant hat, my wife had to tell me to take it off because I earned that baby. I burned that one with blood, sweat and tears. Man, that was the hardest thing I've ever earned in my life. When I got my combat action bag for service and during combat missions and stuff, I earned that thing. Nobody gave that to me.

Larry Zilliox: 26:15

Yeah, so they don't hand them out as door prizes, that's for sure, absolutely Well, let me, let me ask you this we, we see a lot of veterans that, um, I, I often think that that they've got to get out of their own head and they've got to find a way to motivate themselves to get to get going to either file claims for benefits or, you know, pick up the phone and call a buddy, or go to a vet center and sit in on a group, um, something be, you know, get, get the help that you need, but I, it just goes into this downward spiral where the depression kicks in the PTS, the TBI, too much medication, not enough medication, what? What are you? What do you say to veterans when, when it looks like they're, looks like they're just not motivated enough or they're just too much in their own head and they just can't get going?

Roy Lewis: 27:21

Well, one of the things. It's almost like the survival of the fittest. You know, when a lion wants to attack its prey, it looks for the weakest animal it tries to. You know, isolate the one that's isolated. And when they get that animal isolated, you know, isolate the one that's uh, isolated. And when they get that animal isolated, you know they're able to kill it. Well, it's the same thing in the military.

Roy Lewis: 27:39

Um, that's uh, when I go out, I may go to the movies or I may go to the store or the mall, and by chance, if I meet a vet, you know, and he or she will ask me they say, oh, they're a vet. And that first thing I ask them you know, where are you with your, your benefits, where you know? And he or she will ask me they say, oh, they're a vet. And that first thing I ask them you know, where are you with your, your benefits? Where you know, give me a synopsis of your career, what's going on, believe it or not, I have heard vets say, oh, it's not a big deal, I just served one year, I served two years, and or I just did this, something really that. And I said you know, I don't have the authority of the us army. Buti pull rank, I pull rank on them and I tell them I said you go down and you are entitled to things. Because, uh, that speaks to me in such a way because when I, before I got out in 2019, I was just like a va. I was like, uh know, for some reason my buddies were always talking about going into VA and I always kind of saw the VA as a place where guys went to got disability and I had this pride that, oh no, I don't need VA, I'm strong, I can handle my own problems and stuff like that. Until the same thing happened to me. I had one veteran that called me out on it, you know, made me go, and then I realized all my benefits. It just opened up a world for me. All my benefits, all the entitlements and I'm able to. I filed for VA benefits the first time and I only got like, I think, maybe 35%, right, right, and I was like, okay, it's not a big deal, whatever. But here's the funny thing I went on a cruise with my wife and I ran into this guy and on a cruise with his wife and he's a former first sergeant and I. He asked me the same thing. You know you're a vet, tell you know. I gave him a quick uh overview of my career and where I was. I gave him a quick overview of my career and where I was and he says you didn't file your paperwork correctly. So, long story short, he and I. After we got done with the cruise, he told me to contact him. I contacted him, he resubmitted my paperwork and I'm at 95% now.

Roy Lewis: 29:48

How does that happen? So it happens because we need to get as veterans. We need to get back to talking to each other, and veterans are getting isolated. I've talked to vets that are homeless as well as professional. We got to get back to taking care of each other and that's a responsibility. That's one of the things I love about being a veteran. We have to get back to taking care of each other. We got to start asking those questions.

Roy Lewis: 30:12

And there are vets out there yes, there are vets out there that are came home with PTSD, came home with you know issues, psychological issues, and we just like I believe in that model leave no fallen comrade behind, and I think that applies also in our civilian culture as well.

Roy Lewis: 30:32

We have to start taking care of each other and watching out for each other, and that was one of the things I loved about being in the military, because my job as the first sergeant especially when I was the first sergeant, when I had to learn leadership and one of the things I learned about leadership was that that I had to take care of my soldiers.

Roy Lewis: 30:53

I had to know if they were taking care of their kids, if they were feeding their family, if they were getting paid. My job is, I think, at the end of the day, I think that was the hardest job of my entire career was just being able to take care of soldiers and make sure that they were well supported in the families and stuff like that. And then I learned to like it because I learned that's what leadership is all about. And I got guys promoted. I made sure guys got paid. I made sure guys had that there were if they needed help with their families. They were running financial issues. That's what it's all about. So I know I'm giving you a long answer, but the answer is we have to start developing concerns for each other.

Larry Zilliox: 31:40

So yeah, as a first sergeant, you really have to be ready for anything.

Roy Lewis: 31:46

Oh yeah, I don't use one-on-one as a first sergeant.

Larry Zilliox: 31:49

Yeah, absolutely Every soldier is different and they all have different problems. And you know, one of the things I've always thought is, when we look at the number of active duty suicides in the military, many of those have had disciplinary action and they usually are within the first year of their service. And I think part of the problem there is that for too long the military just assumed that somebody would join and that they would put them through basic and that they would come out the other end and every problem that they had in civilian life was gone because they were now in the military and they were molded into what the military wanted them to be. But I don't think that that's what happened. I think their problems still followed them well into their military career. Because, as you see that soldier, as the years pile up, the likelihood of them taking their own life diminishes drastically.

Larry Zilliox: 32:58

So I really think that we have to pay more attention to young soldiers, number one on active duty, and especially those that get out after just a year or two. I always tell these young guys I say you know, I don't if whatever you can think of. Tell these young guys I say you know I don't if, whatever you can think of, whatever you got hurt whenever your knee got hurt or your elbow got hurt or you banged it against a tank or whatever you need to go to the VA and file a claim and you'll get a zero rating, usually the first time. But by the time you're my age, they'll just look at you and say oh yeah, you're good, here's a hundred percent. Because that's all going to come back to haunt you as you get older. And now, with the PAC Act, especially yourself being that close at 95 percent, 100 percent you don't realize. 100 percent makes a big difference.

Larry Zilliox: 33:48

It does make a big difference it does In states like Virginia. If you're at 100 percent, you don't pay any property tax. Wow. In other states, children go to college for free, so it really depends on where you live and get that radium. What do you think the number one issue is today that veterans face?

Roy Lewis: 34:10

Well, I think you got to look at it from the veterans perspective. You know, when you're in the military, you're taught to be strong, you're taught not to show any weakness, taught, you know, to, you know suck it up, you know, so to speak, and I thought that way, you know. And then, when injuries, you know, and the military is getting better at it now, but you know, when I started moving up in rank, when I became a, like I was a E seven and I was trying to make E eight, did I have injuries? Yeah, I had a bad knee, I was running on a bad knee and bad back and but I couldn't, like put it in my file because I would go up for promotion against other promotable e7s and I didn't want that in my record, in my file, because I, I, I would be, you know, declassified, I wouldn't be, uh, in the running for promotion. So I, I know personally myself I hit a lot of injuries and stuff, yeah, and and when I made e8, was trying to make e9, I again a bad knee and a bad back and a lot of illnesses and a lot of things.

Roy Lewis: 35:17

That was going on. But I would never, you know, disclose it, you know, for fear of not, you know, not trying to, you know trying to get promoted. So I think a lot of veterans are dealing with it. We're kind of taught that. So now all of a sudden you're in the military, you hide those things and then when you get released from the military, now you have to present those things and I know from my experience I had to go back. I know for VA they're very sticklers about everything has to be service related. So a lot of vets had to. You didn't have the documentation because you were always hiding it.

Larry Zilliox: 35:52

Yeah, it never existed as far as they're concerned. Never existed. Yeah, exactly so yeah.

Roy Lewis: 35:58

So I had this wonderful guy that I, like I said, met on a cruise and he showed me how to go through and he, he did a wonderful job of me uh proving that my head, I had these injuries, yeah, and stuff like that. So, and it was a service related. So I tell a lot of the vets is that when you start getting, if you think you're gonna get out, or even if you're going in, you're getting out, if you're gonna stay for a couple of years, you need to start keeping your own personal records of because you know, like you said, you can jump off the tank or off a truck and, you know, tear up an ankle or or acl, and you don't think it's a big deal. You need to start somehow documenting that. You know, uh, my son had knee surgery about four years ago but it's in his records.

Roy Lewis: 36:45

I made him make sure that it's in his medical records that he had that injury, so it's taking care of when he gets out, because he, you know he was going through the same thing too. I want to be, you know, marketable for my next promotion. I don't want to put this in my record. I said you need to log it in your medical records. You're okay if it's in your medical records, so should you need to when you get ready to file for retirement or disability. That's what they're looking at if it's service-relatable.

Larry Zilliox: 37:16

You know that's such a good tip there to document everything personally and have that kind of journal and record of your medical history that runs concurrent with the official Army or Air Force or whatever branch you're in, with their records. The thing I would add to that is that if you were hurt and you hit it, you document the incident but also document who witnessed it, because the VA will take a statement from somebody you served with about an injury yeah, absolutely. And then you know, because, like 18 years later you're going to go, oh gosh, I fell off that tank and I can't remember who was there. You know. But if you could, yeah, like I did, I had to check it. Yeah, yeah, if you had it written down, you could. Oh, I got to reach out to so-and-so and he'll remember.

Roy Lewis: 38:16

Yeah, I had to track that stuff down. I was fortunate enough I was able to track down a lot of stuff related to my injuries and stuff like that. But yeah, that's a great idea is just to be able to keep records of that, Because a lot of that is also, you know, I think it's the same thing for all the branches you know soldiers and sailors and Marines and Coast Guard guys, air guys, airmen they get evaluations every year. So a lot of times it's in their record that they, you know what their physical condition is, what is the current status of the physical condition. So it's not a bad mark on their record.

Larry Zilliox: 38:55

So it is documented somewhere, yeah, but if they keep it out of the official record, nobody would know well, you know, listen, I I really want to thank you for taking the time to talk with us today. Uh, it's just been fascinating. I I really appreciate you. Uh, you, you're helping us out and and uh, talking about not only your career but some of the motivational things that our veterans can do to try and get going and get the things they deserve. So thank you so much for joining us.

Roy Lewis: 39:24

Yeah, my pleasure, larry. I just want to say to the vets out there do not minimize your service If you are classified as a veteran. This is a funny story, but it's true. My father, my dad I didn't even know when I grew up. I didn't know my dad had served in the military and he kept going to VA and he was getting all this stuff. He lives in the state of Alabama and he was getting all this support and all this medical support. And I asked my mother. I said why is he going to VA? He's never been in the military. My mother said, well, well, he has. Uh, the thing is he did one year in the army, just one year. I think he did a year in the army. I said just a year and she said, yeah, so just imagine my dad having just served just one year and he's got all that support just for a single year.

Roy Lewis: 40:23

So I say to the vets do not minimize your service. You know, talk, talk. If you don't know who to talk, to talk to a buddy that's going or someone that's going to the VA right now. You know, talk to someone that can point you in the right direction or ask them to go with you. I've taken many bets. I've gone with them to the VA and been on the call or gone with them physically to VA to make sure that they're being processed correctly. So we need to start supporting each other.

Larry Zilliox: 40:52

Yeah, yeah, I appreciate that.

Roy Lewis: 40:55

Yeah, well thank you.

Larry Zilliox: 40:56

Thank you so much, Sarge. I really appreciate you joining me.

Roy Lewis: 41:01

Absolutely. Thanks for inviting me.

Larry Zilliox: 41:04

Okay for our listeners. We'll have another episode next Monday morning at 0500. If you have any questions or suggestions, you can reach us at podcast at willingwarriorsorg. Until then, thanks for listening.