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The Alimond Show
Herbert Valle, Eric Holland, Thomas Setnor - Reuniting to Honor Military Veterans Through Chariots of Honor
What if you could preserve the legacies of our greatest heroes forever? In this heartfelt episode, we shine a spotlight on Chariots of Honor, an inspiring organization dedicated to honoring military veterans. Join us as we welcome the founders, Herbert (Herb) Valle, Eric Holland, and Thomas Setnor, who share their incredible journey of reuniting after decades and launching a mission to celebrate living veterans. From high school friends to passionate advocates, our guests reveal how a chance encounter at a Dulles Honor Flight rekindled their commitment to service and led to their first event in April 2021—a moving procession for Colonel Johnson, a Tuskegee Airman.
The power of storytelling takes center stage as we delve into the rich histories of military veterans and the profound impact these narratives have on families and communities. We explore the inspiring story of Colonel Johnson, emphasizing how understanding service medals and campaign medals can bridge generational gaps and foster a deeper appreciation for sacrifice. Our guests also share their vision of expanding Chariots of Honor beyond local regions, aiming to ensure the timeless stories of veterans are celebrated on a global scale. The urgency of capturing these invaluable histories is underlined, particularly as we reflect on the humility and quiet professionalism of the greatest generation.
Experience the meticulous process behind organizing honor processions and events, including the emotional journey of planning a 98th birthday celebration for a World War II veteran in Mascoutah, Illinois. The story of Medal of Honor recipient, Hershel 'Woody' Williams is particularly touching, highlighting the significance of honoring military service even when faced with the unexpected timing of life's events. Through these powerful narratives, we are reminded of the profound impact of service, sacrifice, and community, encouraging all of us to engage with and celebrate our military history. This episode is a tribute to the heroes among us and an invitation to be part of their legacy.
So my name is Herb Herb Valley Herbert, but you can call me Herb. I'm the president of Charities of Honor and I work with these two co-founders. We established Charities of Honor in April 2021 out of the love for our military veterans, and we hosted our very first procession that time for Colonel Johnson, a Tuskegee Airman.
Speaker 2:And I'm Eric Holland. When was I supposed to'm Eric Holland, one of the co-founders of Chariots of Honor? Herb and I we went to high school together at Largo High School in Prince George's County, maryland, and saw each other after about 30 plus years of not seeing each other at a Dulles Honor Flight and we connected. And as we connected, from there we formed Chariots of Honor, which was an absolute blessing.
Speaker 3:Awesome Alright.
Speaker 4:I'm Thomas Setnor. I also went to high school with these guys.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 4:I came into the mix through a mutual friend of ours from our local VFW here in Leesburg. What's the four digit number? Again, 1177.
Speaker 3:That's right, we know it by heart. Ok, yeah.
Speaker 4:Prior Marine and just you know, our service never stops and that echoes every single day that we get to accomplish our mission of reaching out to veterans. So it's just ongoing, Simplified.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that is amazing. Now can you tell me how? I know I heard a little bit about you guys, but can you tell me how you guys came to come up with the concept, like from your point of view, for this? That would be great. Whoever wants to start?
Speaker 1:I'll kind of start it off real quick.
Speaker 1:So Eric, in 2021, probably around the end of March, very early April called me and said hey, colonel Johnson's celebrating his birthday. And Eric asked me so what should we do? We should celebrate his birthday. What do you think we should do? I said, well, maybe do a birthday party. I really don't know.
Speaker 1:Then Eric kind of said something why don't we do like a procession of some type? I go, ooh, I like that idea. I don't see too many of them. You know, the processions we see are mostly for veterans that have passed away, but not too many where we actually celebrate the veteran's birthday and their service. So I said I, I like that idea. So we kind of like tossed idea a little bit more and more and decided that day when we talk, we're going to make it happen. I don't know how, but we're going to use our military experience and we said we're going to create an operational order to get us organized. And that's what we did. And a month later we um, we hosted it. Now, during the mix of preparing for the procession, this guy yeah, this guy right out of the blue.
Speaker 1:We get an email from him. Uh, introduction from one of our vfw comrades that introduced us virtually, said hey, you got to meet thomas. Thomas is very passionate about a lot of things, especially our veterans. Yes, I want to introduce you to him. And that's how Thomas came involved. And the very first time we met Thomas was the day we hosted the procession for Colonel Johnson that morning and that's how we all started.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 1:And one thing led to another. And here we are, years later.
Speaker 3:I love that. I love that you guys just found each other by chance, or a friend of a friend or someone reached out. That's pretty amazing. Now can you tell me, each of you, your experience in the military, what you guys did? All that good stuff.
Speaker 4:I'll let you guys start Go for it, Master Guns. You got it Well myself.
Speaker 2:I joined the Marine Corps in 1983. Before it, master Guns, you got it Well. Myself, I joined the Marine Corps in 1983. Served for 28 years. Combat veteran Iraq. Went in Iraq doing Iraq Primary MOS aviation operations specialist. Had multiple MOSs Presidential helicopter squadron at Quantico, virginia Embassy guard, combat, water survival instructor, air crew. I've done a lot of things. I'm just thankful that I was able to serve my country for 2020.
Speaker 3:Thank you, yeah, amazing.
Speaker 1:Me, oh, okay.
Speaker 4:You're up, you're up.
Speaker 3:All right, all right, thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you. So graduated college, joined the Navy. Served eight years in the Navy. Served in on two ships, the USS El Paso and the USS Charleston. Both are decommissioned ships sitting up there in Philadelphia. Also served in the Persian Gulf War. War. Veteran, I guess you can say. Served in the Persian Gulf War war veteran, I guess you can say. And I got out in 94 and had been working for the federal government since then. But since then I've always had a passion for our military. You know Thomas had mentioned service never ends and so again here we are continuing that. So that's what I've been doing.
Speaker 3:Wonderful.
Speaker 4:I guess my lineage goes back to World War I, so it was bound that I was going into any branch and I ended up going to the United States Marine Corps. I did five years from 2007 to 2012. Primary MOS was a 5811, as a military policeman Got put into a unit they were testing out of Lejeune, comprised of military police. But we got to go to different infantry schools and then when we deployed I did Iraq in 08 we did convoy security operations all over Al Anbar, came home from that one four months later, got thrown onto another deployment into Iraq or, I'm sorry, afghanistan. My team was part of a task force element training Afghan national police, uniform police, doing patrols through that area and then, intermittent between deployments, I was working as a urban terrain instructor teaching combat operations as well as Marine Corps martial arts, and then got picked up three days shy of a year from my last deployment for my last deployment in March.
Speaker 4:Afghanistan, doing everything from counter-narcotics, counter-insurgency and working with the Ministry of Interior over there training up a new Afghan police force, the Afghan local police force. I don't think that any of those really exist anymore, really, but no, got out and did some government contracting and just been doing federal law enforcement since I got out, worked as a Pentagon police officer and that's kind of how I, tied in with these guys, was able to get the first flag flown for one of our first honorees, colonel Carl C Johnson, and so we were able to get that flag flown for him, presenting the certificate Flown at the Pentagon.
Speaker 2:Yeah, flown at the Pentagon.
Speaker 4:Wow. And then Herb, I swear, is part vampire, because you asked about how this came to be. I think Herb and Eric and I were up until about maybe 3 or 4 in the morning the evening after the first procession, and it was like we've got to call in call and we got to keep pushing through with this and find something. And so we're going through names, we're going through mottos and everything.
Speaker 4:And it was like let's go with Chariots of Valor. Oh, that already exists on Facebook. And then it was like, what about Honor? And it just kind of it came to there and it's grown as a beautiful partnership. But first and foremost, you know, I think out of the friendship we've just become family. So it's been really beautiful.
Speaker 3:Oh, wow, that's like impressive, like all of you, your history with that and then coming up with the name. Thank you for sharing that. I was going to ask, like how you guys came up with that, but it sounds like you guys had some ideas and I'm like no, no. So it just came down to like what about this? Perfect, let's Google? Okay, that one doesn't exist, let's get it. So that is awesome. Do you guys have any upcoming events? I know it's always like days when I went online it actually highlighted somebody this did or like what did that entail?
Speaker 1:So that July 12th, last Friday, we participated in the birthday celebration of John Rossman, who turned 100 years old. World War II veteran served on Utah Beach as part of Operation Overlord. We were a participant. Actually, the event was led by the sons of the American Revolution, the Sergeant Major John Champ of Loudoun County, but them leading it with many other veteran groups such as Charity of Honor, we participated to celebrate the birthday but also, importantly, recognize that military veterans service the most important thing. Well, they're both, but definitely the military service. And so we did that last Friday over at Ashburn Ponds, right here in Ashburn. And did you know? There are many World War II veterans in this county that people don't know?
Speaker 1:And slowly our World War II veterans are dying, you know, the eldest generation, the greatest generation right guys, the greatest generation, and so our goal is to honor as many World War II veterans because they are the oldest generation. However, we will honor and we do honor Korean and Vietnam veterans as well too, but our goal is really to key in on the World War II and yeah, so it was a wonderful event, and you know how wonderful the event is is when the veteran actually gets to speak at the end, and he was almost speechless.
Speaker 1:he was surprised, he was very thankful and just a loss of words, but you can see how happy he was, yeah, and surprised that he was. The whole family, with all the relatives, everybody that participated and attended that event. It was timeless, it was memorable, and those were the types of things that we Charities of Honor do is to capture those things so that the veteran is honored and celebrated.
Speaker 3:Their families are also honored and celebrated, but the community learns about the veteran so that their story can be told to current and future generations, so important yeah, yeah, all right, and can you guys give me a little bit of your perspective on how it is to experience something like that and build that, the processions?
Speaker 2:so to to to give a little bit more of what Herb was talking about. We talked about how our World War II veterans, how they served and they came home and they had a massive formation or celebration of victory in Europe, victory in Japan. But in this day and age where you have social media and there's so many, there's not a quite few of them remaining. I think we talked about maybe 200 plus or so World War II veterans that are remaining that served in the European theater, or probably overall is that it's very important that we ensure that those communities that have those remaining veterans that we honor them. More importantly, the honor is for their family, because there's times where even the grandchildren that they have or great-grandchildren, not familiar with the stories, and we see that when we do the history of it.
Speaker 2:I'm a US history teacher so we see, when we do the history of it, it's narrated, so the story isn't told. But for us, as an organization creating this organization, the passion that we have is to have the veteran, if he is possible, if he can or she can tell that story so we can hear that firsthand. But more importantly, when we have the events, the families themselves, when we hear the stories that the veterans have told the families, when we hear the stories of the grandchildren talking about their grandfathers or their fathers or moms, you cannot put a price tag on that, and I think all three of us as veterans, that's something that we're extremely proud that we're doing and offering our community.
Speaker 3:Wonderful, I love that. How about you?
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's near and dear to my heart. My father's father was a World War II veteran. Actually, he just turned 100, back on May 12th, just a little over a month or no, I'm sorry about two months ago. So we were out there to celebrate that and we actually did a procession for him. Nice, that was actually, the last time we saw each other was when he turned about 98, I believe, because we didn't know if 100 was going to come around.
Speaker 4:But those guys, they are the greatest generation.
Speaker 4:They have sat here and made it into their eighties, nineties, made it to the triple digits, wow, um, you know, and they're out, they're outliving uh, a lot of us from from my, my wars and from from their wars and, um, you know, there's just something very unique about that to to sit there and focus on and, like Eric said, to share that with it.
Speaker 4:The really cool thing about these instances where we get to go ahead and learn about the veterans is, you know, it's one thing to crack open a book and read about somebody, to sit there firsthand, see someone who, in your eyes and somebody else's eyes maybe not to the world, but they are a legend and to get those stories firsthand is just amazing. We've had several instances with families that we've gone ahead and communicated with. You know, what information can you give us about your veteran? And, oh well, he was in the Army, or he was in the Army Air Corps or Marines, but what did they do? And then, well, let me find out. And then all of a sudden it kind of becomes not just a journey of learning for us but for the families as well.
Speaker 4:The children of these veterans who grew up with them or were raised by them didn't know stories. I didn't know that my father was a POW or that he was a Purple Heart recipient or a Silver Star recipient, and these aren't small things to overlook by any means, or to find out that they were part of a major operation. You know that was impactful to the outcome of the war. And to sit there and see just these realizations come over the faces of these family members, it's overwhelming for us because you know we're getting to experience it firsthand with them while they're experiencing it firsthand, and you know to sit there and see complete strangers coming out to celebrate these individuals, you know it's like man. I really hope I hit the age mark one day where I get celebrated like this too, but I mean it's overwhelming every single time. I mean you know it's. It's overwhelming every single time. I mean you know it's the same thing. Yeah, you're honoring a veteran, but you're honoring that veteran and that's what makes it so special?
Speaker 4:because every story is unique, so and then the family.
Speaker 2:so service medals, uh, campaign medals. Then the family kind of oh, now I know that medal, why that medal is so important. Now I know why that medal is encased in shrine and placed up on the wall somewhere and when grandfather looks at it or grandmom looks at it, they stop and they admire it more. So we have the children and grandchildren. Now they're doing a little bit more research on it. And now the pride of understanding what that gentleman or that woman did is Shared. It's shared. Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 3:That is amazing and I like what you guys touched on about how it's not just about learning about them, but the family also is learning through that process. So it's like a great double-edged sword. You know what I'm saying. They're like wait, I didn't know all this, why didn't I even just bother to do it? But it's like you want to do the best for your family member when you do this procession for them, but in the process you get to learn all this stuff that you probably would have never known if you hadn't asked more family, if you hadn't like asked more family. Or maybe you connect with another family member just to find that out. Right, bringing families together through that.
Speaker 2:And then communities.
Speaker 1:I was going to say that. I was going to say that I was going to say that yeah, about the community. So you know the sharing of the information and you know the stories that the veteran has with the family and relatives. But the community is enormous. I mean when we did our first procession with Colonel Johnson. After the procession Colonel Johnson's next door neighbor came out, chatted with us and said I had no idea about my neighbor.
Speaker 1:I had no idea he was a military veteran that served in World War II, korea, vietnam and I had no idea he was a Tuskegee Airman. Your own neighbor didn't even know and we got so much feedback on that. First procession about this is wonderful. We now have a Tuskegee Airman that we know we can honor and celebrate in the community, and that was just Loudoun County. But our goal is to not just share within Loudoun but it's also to share nationwide, regionwide, worldwide. The story is timeless, memorable and forever worldwide.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And you should have seen our faces at the end of the procession. Were you all crying, oh my goodness, I don't think we cried no we were.
Speaker 4:You were real happy. You couldn't pry the grin off their face.
Speaker 3:You guys need to film these moments too right.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah.
Speaker 3:And, speaking of that, like you want it to be more worldwide, I really do think like tell me, like each of your perspectives too, but like making sure you guys are getting this on camera too, right, so other people who aren't in Loudoun County can see this and find out more information about you guys and maybe inquire about it. I guess you guys just travel, so if you are requested somewhere else, or how would that work?
Speaker 1:Yeah, most of our stuff has been local, region-wise. Our longest distance event was in Illinois, mascouda, illinois, which was a wonderful, wonderful, long trip, but just so memorable. Wonderful long trip, just so memorable, well worth it. Well worth it. Three veterans, yeah, three. World War II veterans, Wow okay.
Speaker 1:Our goal and we talk about it all the time is being able to expand more, carrying on the Charities of Honor in other states, other regions. It's a slow process. We're three members and for us what our goal and our passion is still there to really grow it and share it so that others can do the same in their communities as well too.
Speaker 3:you know it's not just.
Speaker 1:Loudoun County. We're here because you know we do it here. Yeah well, you know we got to share. So other folks can do the same thing through church, for the brandy on chairs of honor, mm-hmm the stories've got to share. So other folks can do the same thing through the branding of Charity of Honor. The stories have got to be told. That's a bottom line thing that comes out of our group is sharing those stories.
Speaker 4:I think it's great to sit there and ask somebody to tell you a story you know, rather than have that person that walks up and says, hey, let me tell you something. You know it's. It's again referring to the greatest generation. How many books do you see of guys writing about operations that they did? You know that's that. Just that wasn't the thing. You went out, you did your job, you came home at. You know, today's generation is I went on a special operations mission to take out a target and now I've got a book deal on it and they're going to make a movie and it's like OK, so you know it's, it's. It's really kind of with the greatest generation comes with the birthing of the phrase, the quiet professionals. You know these guys did what they had to do, they did it, they came home. These guys did what they had to do, they did it, they came home, most of them, and we're getting the opportunity to learn their stories, to share their stories. It's not something that's being forced out there or pushed out.
Speaker 3:Kind of monetized.
Speaker 4:Yeah, they're not looking for that. It's oh, you want to learn about me? That's the most beautiful thing is, even when we're trying to get these stories. Can you expand on that little? I don't want to bore you. And then all of a sudden it's like that wasn't boring, that was a pinnacle of the story. Like share, sir, please.
Speaker 3:Or share ma'am.
Speaker 4:And also I want to impress on that we haven't just sit there focusing on the male aspect. We had Clara Evans, a resident in Sterling, and she turned 100 years old and she had some pretty big accomplishments on herself.
Speaker 1:She was World War II, served in the European campaign Army nurse, and yeah, she was our only.
Speaker 4:She was treating Normandy casualties and wounded three days after the storming of the beaches she was out there taking care of these guys.
Speaker 3:The first woman, one for you guys, right. That's no small feat there, that's huge.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, and Sprya's ever, my God. She had on her birthday crown, smile, ear to ear, and was just overjoyed. It was truly beautiful. And I just want to hit one more thing. We talk about community and we put these events out on social media. Hey, come out, help honor this veteran. We had one over in Manassas Tech, sergeant hancock. He was us army air corps. He was part of a bomber crew. He was actually a pow uh in poland, for goodness, I want to say the better part of a year. So yeah, um, but bra uh. Bronze star recipient. I think he had a silver star he um purple heart too,
Speaker 4:yeah, purple heart. After their crew was shot down, they were taking this pow, but we were setting up for his. That was an amazing turnout. But one of the coolest Purple Heart too, yeah, purple Heart. After their crew was shot down, they were taking his POWs, that's right, but we were setting up for his. That was an amazing turnout. But one of the coolest things is, while we're orchestrating, trying to get everyone organized for the rollout of the procession, we had young kids, kids in their teens, walking over. What's going on here? Because we have World War II vehicles, some vehicles throughout time that show up for these things. And what's going on? So we're actually honoring a World War II veteran today and they're like oh, is this, is this like a closed event? Or can we? Can we, can we go get our car? And I'm like yeah, go get your car kids.
Speaker 4:So you got these kids running back to the. Yeah, I got it. Don't don't quote me on that, because now, now I'm sounding close to my age, I don't want to do that. I'm still 38, I'm young. No, these, these kids are running back to their cars and pulling out of their apartment complexes or whatnot hey is this we could pull in here, yeah just calm down. But yeah, you can get in we'll get you in, but I mean it's really cool to see that kind of stuff and then with the community stuff and getting the word out.
Speaker 4:herb, um, you know I I'll say this anytime you put a camera in front of my face and ask about this. Herb is our heart, he is the brain that doesn't quit or sleep apparently Because he will text you at 3 or 4 in the morning.
Speaker 3:I have a grand idea guys, and it's like Herb.
Speaker 4:I'll talk to you in two hours, but Herb has done a magnificent job of getting Chariots of Honor out there. He has gone out to local businesses Big Buns Burgers, marco's Pizza and they actually have sat there and had events on certain nights of the month to raise money for Chariots of Honor so that we can continue doing things like the honor processions and also some other grand things that Herb does, like volunteering at the USO bringing snacks and energy drinks for the troops in transit. This guy's heart and body and mind don't stop.
Speaker 1:So that's what we do also. You know, chariots of Honor is definitely our honor procession and all that stuff that revolves around that. But when we're not doing that there's still other work that needs to be done to support our military veterans and you know, having volunteering for the USO, I also see the need for, well, they need food and drinks, you know, to support our troops who are deploying or who have come back from deployment or who have families immediate family that are part of that veterans retirement. You know USO has been around since World War II, so that tradition continues. So Chariots of Honor aligns with that tradition as well. It's just another piece of the pie of Chariots of Honor portfolio.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know I love that. We do a lot, yeah, weots of Honor portfolio.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know I love that we do a lot. Yeah, we want to do more, absolutely. Is there anything you want to add too?
Speaker 2:No, I mean everybody's saying we're literally collectively saying almost the same thing. We're giving you everything. I mean it's like a gumbo. We literally that's what we're doing and there's a lot of compassion in what we do. And outside of Chariots of Honor, we each individually are giving other things back to our community. More so her, if anybody community leaders, political leaders, businesses in Loudoun County, in this area, when they hear the word, the term Charities of Honor, they hear this gentleman. This gentleman's name is basically the forefront of it. So we're trying to. You know, as he moves, we move and I'm in Yuma Arizona, so I'm attempting to get our brand associated with people out in the Yuma Arizona area.
Speaker 2:It's kind of slow, but we're going to get there.
Speaker 2:And the last thing I'd like to piggyback off what Thomas said. When we have the honor processions and you know we talk about the young men and women or the children in the neighborhood that show up it's an absolutely beautiful sight as we watch the vehicles pass by that veteran, wherever we have that location, and to see three generations in a vehicle, yeah, that is reward. Outside of us putting everything together to see the community come by waving the flags, to see people in their vehicles stop, get out of their vehicles and salute that that veteran. That's it. You can't, you can't add. And then watch the veterans face and then, more importantly, watch his family's face behind him or her to see how they're honored by community. That that's it.
Speaker 3:That's that's what we, that's our mission, that's what we want to accomplish yeah, absolutely, that's a powerful message there and like I love that they get to be honored in that way, right, like I also want to ask how that process is, like what all does it take to do all of that, and do they know at the end, or is it a surprise for people who are listening?
Speaker 2:they're like what is that process?
Speaker 1:the process. Well, you know, the first month that we did the, we did three processions within three weeks of each other. The first one, colonel johnson, then then we got a call from to do a second and we were like we were so passionate, let's do it. We didn't have a really documented approved plan. We kind of like took what we did with Colonel Johnson and applied it to the second one.
Speaker 1:And then the same thing for the third one. That was a lesson learned for all three of us, because we knew that we needed to lock down and get something documented. So the next, the next set of events that we've done. It takes at least a good solid three months because we're coordinating with the family. The veteran is not requesting this, it's normally the family. So we're working with the family, not the veteran and um, and sometimes they're in different places, they're not all now the island of Virginia, they could be in Long Island, like one of our customers, bob.
Speaker 4:Yeah, the Linden family, bob, the Linden family. They are everywhere on the eastern seaboard and they all make it here for the events when Eli was around.
Speaker 1:So three months. We try to spend three months to prepare and coordinate and it it's good that we do that because it gives the community, um, the understanding of oh, I got an upcoming event that I need, I mean or need, to participate in, versus oh, that's this weekend, oh, I'm right. So three months at least, but we've done it in less. But also, we don't always do processions, sometimes it's just a mini birthday. We'll partner with Mission Barbecue. We did a Vietnam vet and we did that within two weeks. We couldn't do a procession. There was just not enough time to help promote that.
Speaker 1:So the quick one was we're going to host a birthday and we're going to do it at Mission Barbecue, oh, and we're going to socialize it and we're going to invite people to come in. So it was a win-win. It was good for Mission Barbecue, it was good for the veteran and the family and chariots of honor. So we're always thinking you know how can we honor the veteran and make it memorable? But of course, remember our bread and butter. Is that honor right, procession? That is Chert of Honor.
Speaker 3:Absolutely yeah, and can you individually like, maybe tell me maybe an experience that has stood out to you guys since being in this organization that you would want to share? Which one? Would it talk about? One one that maybe stands out and you're just like I know they're all amazing stories, right but one that really got to you that you're like holy moly, like we did that, like anything, you guys want to share, I think, for me the muscata, the muscata, for me, the.
Speaker 4:Moscato, the Mascuda, mascuda Mascada.
Speaker 3:That's a beverage right, what's on your mind? No kidding, that's what you mean.
Speaker 2:I mean because that was the logistics behind all of that. You know, from all of us being here in Virginia and then having to do the virtual meetings, get everybody involved in it, get community, get family and also all the organizations that are there involved in it. Get community, get family and also all the organizations that are there involved in it, and then us to actually arrive on the scene and then as we arrive, these three gentlemen, we arrive in a city, a community, and all of a sudden we're dictating everything. So for me, I think that was a great event for us.
Speaker 3:And three veterans. Okay, three veterans, not one. Three.
Speaker 4:I got to say this one hits right here in my heart. So the event that Eric's talking about was in Mascoutah, illinois. Mascoutah is where my grandfather, major Joe Settner, us Army Air Corps and then US Army Air Force I'm sorry, us Air Force.
Speaker 3:Don't mix that up.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Moscato.
Speaker 3:Cheers.
Speaker 4:So, but no, that was actually for my grandfather's 98th birthday. My grandmother had passed away years back, and so he's just been out there by himself, but we wanted to do what we do for him out there.
Speaker 4:And so we started coordinating with a fellow named Tom Richardson from the VFW out there and Tom started publicizing it with the local Gazette out there, going out to the local bank, having him putting it up on the little LED sign, up on the little LED sign. He coordinated with Scott Air Force Base which is a main hub of transportation for all stuff going in and out of the nation to troops deployed. And then Eric was already residing in Arizona at this time. Herb and I drove out in my car, made it in a day.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 4:It was a journey we pushed, but it was wonderful. These two gentlemen, my brothers here, made this journey to to help honor a member of my family and for my father, who was a colonel in the Air Force, my mother, lieutenant colonel oh sorry, my mother was also a colonel. Sorry, mom, you know it's, it's. It was such a big deal because this, this was, this was my family that was being honored.
Speaker 4:It wasn't something that you don't think about, that when you're doing these types of events, when you're doing it for everyone else, that it's ever going to be done for you and then and then, when it does, it's just like, wow, like eric sat there, got on a plane and flew out to illinois for this herb god bless him sat through my Spotify playlist for like 14 hours and got lost on the back roads with me and, and, and you know, to see these, these gentlemen come into my grandfather's house, shake his hand, give him a hug and sit there and know that they're doing this for him. It was just, it was. It was truly a blessing. Um, my, my parents appreciated it. I know my father sat there and was just like this is absolutely amazing.
Speaker 4:Um, and, and it's just, it's, it's something I it'll stick with me for the rest of my life and we and we still talk about it in my household. Um, but, like you said, the community came into it and it's. It went from being just just an event for for my grandfather to the town around. The way goes hey, we got a, we got a navy veteran turning 93. Can he get into it?
Speaker 4:yeah, bring him over, and then the other town over. Hey, we've got a marine turning 100 bring him on over.
Speaker 3:Spread the word, you know, and, and it just kept going.
Speaker 4:We, we had um, I think we actually had the national vice commander for the VFW come out there as well and present these three veterans with the challenge coin. There were proclamations from the state, from the town that were presented. There was a group of ladies out in Illinois that do these patchwork quilts, all quilts made by hand. They had a ceremony of draping the quilts over the veterans and everything and we had.
Speaker 4:I mean, it was just amazing to see the community come out for that, and I mean I'm blathering on right now but, like I said, it's my grandfather. It's my story, but no, you know that it wouldn't be a story if the three of us didn't do what we do and again, you know it's just a blessing and a day-to-day constant part of the beat of my heart. So I want to say thank you, my brothers.
Speaker 1:You are so welcome. Yeah, that was a—for me.
Speaker 1:I think that was—they were all good all our events but that one, the Mezcuda, was just the epitome of all the events because of what these guys said. But importantly, what we went through to prepare for that and what the outcome of that was is that it brought us even closer as a team and we knew it also reinforced our mission and our vision on the things that we want to do for Charity of Honor. We needed to do that trip and so we did, and here we are still.
Speaker 2:And that trip almost resulted in having another event, but unfortunately that veteran who was a Medal of Honor recipient yes, let's not forget that. What happened?
Speaker 1:Woody, herschel Woody.
Speaker 2:Herschel.
Speaker 4:Woody the flamethrower, last living, medal of Honor recipient from World War II. Yeah, we were Herb and I were driving and we were coming through West Virginia and we sat there and kept saying we were getting hungry.
Speaker 4:We were looking and there were all these street signs like arby's taco bell, and it's just like the tummy was saying don't do it. And so we kept driving and, of course, naturally, we're driving in the mountains and we come across a sign that looks like someone hand painted it and it says you know bombshells and burgers? And we're like, yeah, well, let's eat there. So we go off the back road, go down to this little area and well, we saw, and the thing that was appealing, I think, about it was there was like World War II plain nose art of a pinup girl on the side. So we're like, hey, we definitely got to go eat here. And we get down there and there's a gun range called Bear Arms and I was like, okay, that's's interesting. And then connected to the gun range is bombshells and burgers and we're like I think we have to go inside and eat now, so we took a detour, went inside.
Speaker 4:The guys start talking to us behind the counter, herb, and I start telling them you know, we're just passing through, give them the whole story. The guys like you guys are both veterans. And we're like, yeah, because, well, check this out. And he points up on the on wall and there's one of these modern handheld flamethrowers you can do with one hand. And we're like, well, that's cool. He's like, yeah, that's actually signed by Herschel Williams.
Speaker 3:And we're like really he says yeah, come on over here.
Speaker 4:actually, you know, woody said you know, if a, if a good vet comes in here to bring you over here. So we get to the segue between the restaurant and the gun range. Beautiful combination, I think that should just be everywhere. And in this little causeway between the two is this mini museum of everything of Hirsch Williams. And there's all his articles and just photographs and we're like this is so cool. Well, the guy goes, I got something for you. So he goes ahead and he opens up this locked cabinet with all this memorabilia.
Speaker 4:That's given and, by the way, Woody lived right around the corner and would come to this place like two or three times a week, apparently for barbecue, and they had a back room set up where he could, you know, sit there and just have people come sit with him, anybody that wanted to. Yeah, and the guy pulls out a bag and he says you know, woody said to give these to like a vet, that's worthy. And we were each given a challenge coin, uh, woody's medal of honor challenge coin. We we're going, are you?
Speaker 3:kidding me. I think he wants you to have these.
Speaker 4:This is so cool. I think we were riding high on that. I think we're still riding high on that. We were like, wow, this is amazing. We're like we need to come back and do a procession for him. We did the Mascota thing and then Herb reached out and I believe it was Herschel's grandson who was doing his social media. Yeah, the grandson.
Speaker 1:And I actually talked with the VFW Auxiliary that is named after Herschel in that location right there in West Virginia, right, West Virginia.
Speaker 4:Huntington.
Speaker 1:Huntington right. So I called them. I just reached out because we just we chatted about we got to do a procession for Woody, yeah, so okay, well, the only way we'll find out is to call them. So we reached out, called and I chatted with the Vice President of that VFW auxiliary and she loved what we offered. They said nobody's ever done that for Woody or any veteran in our area.
Speaker 1:But, for Woody. I said, okay, when can we meet? So we scheduled a meeting for about a couple weeks later, and that's when we found out Woody was in the hospital. He was suffering from pneumonia or something like that.
Speaker 4:The following week, right after we started coordinating, he was in the hospice.
Speaker 1:So we were coordinating this with the vice president of the VFW, auxiliary and Woody's grandson who does the social media, and then unfortunately, a couple weeks or something like that, he passed away, so we never got that opportunity. But, importantly, we were so honored we never took that side trip because we were hungry. There was a calling, Something was saying you got to pull out here. That is amazing. So that trip to Mascota, to and from, was just amazing.
Speaker 2:Wow, and that's why this is so important to us all three of us collectively and you feel the energy that we bring to this. Yeah, Absolutely.
Speaker 3:I feel, the energy just hearing this and like what are the chances of that happening? And like you had so many places to eat but you chose that place and that led you to that, where they have like a little museum, like amazing man. I could talk to you guys all freaking day. I really could. You guys have some great stories. But I do have one more question. If you could leave our audience with a message, it can be in regards to anything in your life, in your industry, what would that message be? Whoever wants to go first?
Speaker 2:You are first Touch feel visit touch, feel and share history.
Speaker 3:Absolutely.
Speaker 4:You, you go ahead. We've been going left or right all day.
Speaker 3:We're not jinxing this.
Speaker 4:Keep it going.
Speaker 1:Right on. Me, as I said in my podcast last week, is always remember our military and veterans. And I pose the question to current and future generations If we don't have our military, if we never had our military to defend our country, honor them and celebrate and share their story so that we will always remember what they've done for this country, so that we can, as a country, can prosper and enjoy our freedoms as well too.
Speaker 4:Yes, I would just simply say be of service to others over yourself. Obviously, you've got to take care of yourself, but if you got an opportunity, if you've got a talent to share, and share it. You know, um don't take anything for granted. Um always look for the opportunity to do right. But yeah, um, you know it got ingrained in me at 21 in the Marine Corps, that a you know sacrifice.
Speaker 4:You know not in the literal, sense, don't sacrifice yourself, but no, I mean, it is more rewarding to serve others than to serve yourself, and in any capacity. You know, whether it was during our time in the service, or sacrificing time to teach young minds, or travel abroad to come see old friends, or sacrificing sleep, oh yeah.
Speaker 3:I'm talking to you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's me.
Speaker 4:Or, you know, I can't say that I'm teaching young minds, but I'm definitely doing some time away from the family as a cop, but still doing that in service to the community. It's not for myself and nothing that any of us do is for ourselves. You motivate me, hoorah, hoorah, motivate.
Speaker 3:Thank you all for being here today. I really appreciate your time and your stories and you guys are just amazing and you guys have a great energy, camaraderie going on here.
Speaker 2:So I love it thank you very much.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much. Absolutely yeah.