Aug. 18, 2025

From Tragedy to Tribute — How One Father's Loss Sparked a National Movement of Remembrance

From Tragedy to Tribute — How One Father's Loss Sparked a National Movement of Remembrance
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Season 2

When George Lutz lost his son Tony in 2005 while serving in Iraq, he entered a world no parent ever wants to know — becoming a Gold Star father. But out of unimaginable grief came an unshakable mission. With faith and fierce resolve, George turned sorrow into purpose by creating the Honor and Remember Flag, a national symbol dedicated to recognizing the sacrifice of our fallen service members. In a country where symbols matter, George is doing what no one has done before.

Bill Martinez Live is broadcast live Mondays at 3PM ET on W4CY Radio (www.w4cy.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (www.talk4radio.com) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com). Bill Martinez is viewed on Talk 4 TV (www.talk4tv.com).

Bill Martinez Live Podcast is also available on https://www.billmartinezshow.com,  Talk 4 Media (www.talk4media.com), Talk 4 Podcasting (www.talk4podcasting.com), iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, Audible, and over 100 other podcast outlets.

Transcript
WEBVTT

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The topics and opinions expressed in the following show are

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solely those of the hosts and their guests and not

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those of W FORCY Radio. It's employees are affiliates. We

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make no recommendations or endorsements for radio show programs, services,

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or products mentioned on air or on our web. No liability,

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explicit or implied shall be extended to W FOURCY Radio

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or it's employees are affiliates. Any questions or comments should

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be directed to those show hosts. Thank you for choosing

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W FOURCY Radio.

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Well, good afternoon, Glad you could join us. If you've

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been a follower of our show, you know my heart

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towards veterans, in particularly military. Being a former United States

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Marine Corps marine, you have some understanding, and especially when

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it comes to Memorial Day. We often talk about what

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a hallowed day that is is and how difficult it's

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been for me over the years. So often the casual

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response to Memorial Day was happy Memorial Day, And I

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just did not seem appropriate to me to say happy

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Memorial Day because I've always coming, you know, from a

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military family, so to speak. Our dad served in World

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War Two. He was a medic in the European Theater

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was at the Battle of the Bulge with Patent as

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a medic, and in three of his sons, including myself

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and my two older brothers, served in three other branches

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of the government, well except my second oldest brother serving

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the Army, as my dad served in the Army. My

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oldest brother was a career Air Force and then here

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I the third son in the United States Marine Corps.

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So everything that has to do with veterans and our

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love for country and patriotism, it's something that was very

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much entwined in our lives. I've heard me say on

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the show that it's very difficult for me when I

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think of Memorial Day because I just feel the loss,

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not having a direct loss myself, but just feeling an

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incredible amount of empathy for parents and families that you know,

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a Memorial Day is a hollowday. And when I met

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George Lotts for the first time and we were talking

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about his book, Tragedy to Tribute, he said something that

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really has stayed with me ever since we talked about this,

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and he says, Bill, he says, for gold Star families,

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every day is a Memorial Day. And I said, George,

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exactly every day is Memorial Day. And when George lost

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his son Tony in two thousand and five while serving

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in Iraq, he entered a world no parent ever wants

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to know. Now you can imagine that becoming a gold

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Star father. But out of unimaginable grief came an unshakable mission.

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With faith and fierce result, George turned sorrow into purpose

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by creating the Honor and Remember Flag. It's a national

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symbol dedicated to recognizing the sacrifice of our fallen service

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members in a country where symbols matter even still, George

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is doing what no one has done before, establishing a unified,

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tangible way for America to say thank you, sincerely to

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the families who'd loved ones gave everything for our freedom.

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Join us right now as we welcome George Lutz, the

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author of the book Tragedy a Tribute. George Lutz welcomed

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the show. Good to have you with us.

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Sir, Hey Bill, thank you so much for giving me

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the opportunity to share the story.

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It's so important to so many, Well.

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It really is. And again, you know, I echo and

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I've shared with people ever since we first met George,

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that you know, every day is Memorial Day. And it

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just so you know, rhymed with my reason and connected

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in my spirit because I said, yes, exactly, and it

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explains something that I couldn't put in words, I couldn't

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express before. All I knew was that there was some

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incongruity and there was just some mismatch about Memorial Day

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and a lack of reverence that I felt like all

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Americas should have towards you know, towards gold star families,

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towards those that paid the ultimate price, and that needs

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to be recognized more than just one day a year.

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Absolutely, oh absolutely, I mean, if you think about it,

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we enjoy the freedoms that we have been given every

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single day, right you know, to you know, all of

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those freedoms to say what we want to move about

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the country to to to be able to you know,

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just you know, to carry arms, what you know, all

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of those things that are given to us because somebody

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stood up and said, you know, here I am take

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me right. I am willing to put my life on

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the line, you know, from my from my the land

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that I own, from my family who lives there, and

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and so you know, in my journey of just you know,

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obviously of grieving when it started for me, you know,

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and the opportunity that I've had, the blessing I've had

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to meet, you know, thousands of gold Star family members

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from every generation, you know, and realizing that they are

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grieving every single day, and everything triggers them.

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Bill.

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You know, it could be a favorite song, it could

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be a letter that they just found, it could be

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a piece of clothing. And it's not just the day

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they died, but it's their birthday, the day they graduated

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from high school, you know, the day they got married,

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you know, whatever it might be that triggers that for

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a family member, you know, they have to live that

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for the rest of their lives. And these men are

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all and women are very all similar. They're very giving

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of themselves. You know, they're very selfless. You know, they

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wanted to do something better, you know, in their lives,

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and so they could have stayed home. You know, my

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son could have stayed home. He was a really smart kid.

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He was a marketer, a salesman. You know, he he

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was already selling cars, buying and selling cars, and he

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was getting his real estate license and and you know

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he'd already had had one. He was married and had

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a child. I mean, he gave all that up because

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he saw that something horrendous was going on in the

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world and he believed he can make a difference. It's

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the same story, you know, one hero after another. And

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I really think that we as Americans, we've never had

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a way to appreciate that or even acknowledge that, you know,

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until this flag was created.

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Well, uh, George, as I've been sharing this flag, as

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I told you, I just got my flag here recently,

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and as I've been sharing with people, it's amazing how

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it touches them. Uh, you know what what you've done

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with this flag. As you say, symbols mean something in

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our country. This is why our flag means so much

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and why I got to tell you. I resent. I'll

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tell you up front. I resent the Supreme Court decision

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that says people are free to burn our flag. I

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just I cannot handle it, because you know, it is

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the flag that we all stood and gave an oath

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of office too. That never expires when you enter the military,

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right and like your son, you know you know that

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there's something in there. When you come and receive that

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call and you respond to it, you say, hey, if

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not me, then who right, And that's what Tony did, right,

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do you mean, you know, and you talk to him,

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you know, maybe you can tell us a little bit

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of a story about when Tony said, Hey, Dad, I'm

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I'm going to enter the military. What did you tell me?

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Yeah, I mean Tony was his own man, as I said, right,

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he thought on his own. He had his own dreams

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and inspirations, and you know, he he was living, you know,

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apart from us, you know, not too far away. And

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he came in the door one Saturday morning and and said,

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you know, hey Dad, I'm I joined the army and

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and I'm leaving for a boot camp, you know, next Saturday.

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I mean, that was that was as quick as it was.

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I mean, he never asked my opinion, He didn't ask

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my advice. I mean, he already was on his own trajectory.

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And you know, I just looked at him and I said, Tony,

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are you crazy? I said that there was a war

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going on. We had just gone we had just started

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going into Iraq and O three and uh. And this

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was when he came to me, right in the spring

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of three and and he said, Dad, I've got a

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skill set that I believe can make a difference. He said,

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I believe that the women and children of o Raq

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are being oppressed, and I can make a difference. And

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and so you know, what could I say. I mean,

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I couldn't argue him out of it. He already made

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his decision. So I just I just wrapped my you know,

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wrapped my arms around him. You know, I gave him

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a big hug. You know, I told him that I

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loved him, and I told him to keep his head down.

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And and that's all the father can do, right, just

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be proud.

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Yeah, exactly. Was was Tony affected by nine to eleven?

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He was.

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It was after nine to eleven, as so many were,

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that he recognized that the you know, the horrific nature

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of that attack, and uh he talked about it and

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talked about it, and yeah, he was. And I think

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he made that decision. I mean within a year and

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a half later, right.

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He was. You know, he had he had enlisted, but

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you know, he only wanted to be in the US Army.

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That was, he only wanted one job, Bill, and that

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was psychological operations. It was a job that he felt

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was was very much aligned with his marketing kind of

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sales background.

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Huh.

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And he thought that he wasn't influencer, you know, in

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and of himself, and he thought that that job description

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would fit him to a t. And he actually, most

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people don't test into it from civilian life, you know,

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they have to be already enlisted and then they move

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into it, right and he and he was his test

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course were so high that he actually tested right into

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that MS.

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Oh wow, So he pretty much had his choice at

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that point. Yes, I mean, how did he know about psyop?

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I mean, you know, he's not even in the military,

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you know, I mean, I get it. I mean I've

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been marketing most of my life in sales and that,

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so I I understand that. But I would have never thought.

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Of course, when I went the military, I I had

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a broadcasting background. So the ironic thing for me, George,

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is that, of course I had two brothers already in Vietnam.

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I'd have been a third one. And so it's like

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saving Private Ryan that scenario, and the Marine Corps says, oh,

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you've been you're you've been in radio. We're gonna make

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you a field radio operator. I said, no, you don't understand.

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That's not the same kind of radio I was. I

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was juvenile, playing records, you know, taking dedications, telling people

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about the weather, you know kind of deal. Uh not

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you know, not announcing bombing coordinates. And uh but anyway,

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as things would work out and as God would design,

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because it was a God deal totally, I ended up

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in working working for public relations and basically was the

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voice of Camp Pendleton and did my humble version of

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good morning, Camp Pendleton for my uh, for my service,

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you know, to the country. But uh, but it was

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you know, it was interesting. But just to think I

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would never have thought I would not have known anything

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about a si of opportunity in the Marine Corps.

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But come to come to find out that he had

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researched every branch of the service, and he had researched

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every job description. See he actually look, you know, found

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you know, found this, you know, because he wanted to

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serve so badly, and and and that was it, you know,

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once he founded he's he said, this is what I

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want to do.

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So George, did he have the sense of mission to

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think that in terms of SIOP is taking you a

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we if we might say the gospel message of freedom

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of America to Iraq? Is that what I'm hearing from you.

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Well, I mean, I guess in a sense that he

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thought that the Psyop opportunity would enable him to make

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a dent in bringing resolution right and bringing resolution to

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the conflict, you know.

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00:12:38.200 --> 00:12:41.039
Because they wanted to they wanted to make a difference.

226
00:12:41.080 --> 00:12:42.039
And he was.

227
00:12:42.039 --> 00:12:45.240
Actually involved in the first free elections in Iraq. He

228
00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:48.399
was only in there for six weeks before he died,

229
00:12:48.759 --> 00:12:53.000
but in those six weeks he actually was was an

230
00:12:53.039 --> 00:12:57.720
influencer and actually stood at the ready when they had

231
00:12:57.759 --> 00:13:01.080
their first free elections. So he he actually did make

232
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a difference.

233
00:13:01.919 --> 00:13:07.080
So he did a lot in six weeks time. That's amazing, George.

234
00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:09.799
Yeah, he loved Psyops so much.

235
00:13:09.879 --> 00:13:11.840
And you know, one of the one of the reasons

236
00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:14.360
he liked it so much was because he was just

237
00:13:14.399 --> 00:13:18.200
this lowly private when he went in right, and when

238
00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:22.039
he got in there because Psyops is a three man team.

239
00:13:22.759 --> 00:13:25.720
It's only a three man team that are assigned to Marines.

240
00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:29.919
He actually was with the two six Marines when he died.

241
00:13:30.360 --> 00:13:35.399
But he was able to influence kernels in the Marines

242
00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:38.039
because they listened to the Psyops.

243
00:13:38.320 --> 00:13:39.600
Yes, and he was.

244
00:13:39.639 --> 00:13:42.399
Just so proud of the fact that he would say

245
00:13:42.399 --> 00:13:45.639
to me, Dad, you know, I've got colonels who actually

246
00:13:45.759 --> 00:13:49.360
value my opinion. And he was a smart kid. He

247
00:13:49.440 --> 00:13:51.960
was twenty five when he died. He wasn't, you know,

248
00:13:52.039 --> 00:13:55.480
in his teens, so he had he had experienced life

249
00:13:55.480 --> 00:13:58.759
already and had a lot of common sense. So he

250
00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:02.399
was in something that really what really you know, clicked

251
00:14:02.440 --> 00:14:06.159
with them, that really resonated and and he was really

252
00:14:06.200 --> 00:14:09.639
proud of and and he was he was listened.

253
00:14:09.320 --> 00:14:12.840
To right well, you know, and I think that that

254
00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:17.840
is really the goal of every humanoid is you want

255
00:14:17.879 --> 00:14:21.720
to do what your design calls you to do. Tony

256
00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:25.120
was designed to do this, and he and and as

257
00:14:25.159 --> 00:14:29.279
he did his research, he discovered pretty quickly that this

258
00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:31.679
is where he needed to be and this was the

259
00:14:31.720 --> 00:14:35.399
branch of service that he needed to be. So he

260
00:14:35.399 --> 00:14:40.279
he was he was right where you know, uh, where

261
00:14:40.320 --> 00:14:44.559
his his own his own spirit, his own soul, where

262
00:14:44.600 --> 00:14:47.799
it matched up. And uh, you know, I know, in

263
00:14:47.799 --> 00:14:52.399
in counseling young men and you know, uh, employment opportunities

264
00:14:52.440 --> 00:14:55.519
in that I often say you've got to find that

265
00:14:55.639 --> 00:14:59.840
round peg that your round hole fits into. Sure, you know,

266
00:15:00.120 --> 00:15:03.200
because if you're a if you're if you're a square

267
00:15:03.240 --> 00:15:06.759
peg trying to fit into a round hole. Uh, those

268
00:15:06.879 --> 00:15:10.559
those points of resistance are going to cause friction. You're

269
00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:13.080
not going to be a happy camper. Uh, and and

270
00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:15.120
everybody else around you is not going to be happy.

271
00:15:15.440 --> 00:15:19.360
So obviously George Tony was such that he was so

272
00:15:19.480 --> 00:15:24.200
fulfilled in that duty and acknowledged by the brass Uh.

273
00:15:24.679 --> 00:15:28.399
And not only that, but that he was blessed with

274
00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:31.679
being very effective and that's amazing in a in a

275
00:15:31.720 --> 00:15:34.480
six week period. So obviously before he got to a

276
00:15:34.559 --> 00:15:37.440
raw Iraq, was he you know, how much time was

277
00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:40.440
he spending here in the country and training in that then?

278
00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:41.080
Right?

279
00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:45.960
So he he enlisted in three and then he went

280
00:15:46.039 --> 00:15:49.159
through his basic training, he went through his A I

281
00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:52.919
T training, you know, he started learning his language, and

282
00:15:52.960 --> 00:15:57.200
he went to language school. And so a year I

283
00:15:57.200 --> 00:16:00.440
guess a year and a half later, Uh, after all

284
00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:03.480
of his training, as he was getting ready to deploy,

285
00:16:03.679 --> 00:16:06.399
they knew they would deploy at some point, right, right,

286
00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:10.200
So what happened was in five, in the summer of five,

287
00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:15.759
he had a second child in early August, and then

288
00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:20.639
he was right right away deployed to Louisiana, where he

289
00:16:20.840 --> 00:16:27.120
was effectively doing search and rescue after Hurricane Katrina, and

290
00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:30.480
so he went down there as kind of this test case,

291
00:16:30.879 --> 00:16:33.320
you know, with their hum v's and you know, their

292
00:16:33.399 --> 00:16:37.240
high waters, you know, geer and and went down there

293
00:16:37.279 --> 00:16:40.080
to find you know, to find bodies. But one of

294
00:16:40.120 --> 00:16:43.000
the things you know, in using his training they were

295
00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:47.039
able to do was he actually, two weeks after the event,

296
00:16:47.519 --> 00:16:51.759
they were actually able to rescue two ladies who had

297
00:16:51.799 --> 00:16:56.519
been hidden up in an attic for for over two weeks.

298
00:16:56.639 --> 00:17:00.600
And you know, he told me after that that deployment,

299
00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:04.119
he actually was deployed to to you know, to to

300
00:17:03.799 --> 00:17:06.240
uh to Louisiana. You know, that was one of the

301
00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:10.599
most rewarding, you know moments of his life. They they

302
00:17:10.599 --> 00:17:14.119
were doing their thing, you know, loud speakers and all

303
00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:19.839
the things that psyops do, and when they found these women, uh,

304
00:17:19.880 --> 00:17:21.559
they were able to put them in touch with their

305
00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:24.480
families via satellite phone. Of course, there wasn't any power

306
00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:28.440
or anything that was you know that was you know

307
00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:33.319
accessible at that point, and the families were already that

308
00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:37.160
were planning the funerals of these two elderly ladies. So

309
00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:40.200
you know, this was just the point that you know,

310
00:17:40.359 --> 00:17:43.839
he realized that, hey, I'm I'm doing something I really

311
00:17:43.880 --> 00:17:46.799
love to do, except this is something.

312
00:17:46.519 --> 00:17:47.400
I'm being a part of.

313
00:17:47.480 --> 00:17:50.880
I'm being effective, you know, I'm using my training and

314
00:17:50.920 --> 00:17:55.359
I'm making a difference. And I think that really validated him,

315
00:17:55.839 --> 00:17:58.880
you know, as he moved into uh, you know, into

316
00:17:58.920 --> 00:18:02.240
deployment just a few short months later. Right.

317
00:18:02.759 --> 00:18:05.920
So here he is, he's got two kids. He goes

318
00:18:05.960 --> 00:18:10.400
to a rock and you know, George, when when you

319
00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:15.720
got the news that that you had lost Tony, Uh,

320
00:18:16.079 --> 00:18:20.119
share that with our audience. If it's not too personal.

321
00:18:20.119 --> 00:18:24.240
Well, you know it's emotional. It's it'll be twenty years

322
00:18:24.920 --> 00:18:28.720
Bill this year. Yes, And you know, I remember vividly

323
00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:32.319
that morning, you know we have. I was out for

324
00:18:32.359 --> 00:18:35.680
a morning walk, you know, in the backyard, and you

325
00:18:35.720 --> 00:18:39.119
know it was just you know, a crisp December morning

326
00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:43.480
and I was always walking to the back to enter

327
00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:44.319
the back of the house.

328
00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:45.880
I looked over to the.

329
00:18:45.880 --> 00:18:48.359
Driveway to the left and I saw this, you know,

330
00:18:48.440 --> 00:18:51.880
this kind of non descript white van sitting in the

331
00:18:51.960 --> 00:18:54.920
driveway and you know, there wasn't any markings on it

332
00:18:54.960 --> 00:18:58.359
that I could tell from that distance, right, And I thought, well,

333
00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:00.839
it's it's early in the morning. It was probably about

334
00:19:00.839 --> 00:19:03.200
seven thirty in the morning, you know, a little early

335
00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:06.440
for anybody to be visiting, right, And it was just

336
00:19:06.559 --> 00:19:09.440
after Christmas. And so I went in the back door

337
00:19:09.480 --> 00:19:11.519
and I walked through the living room and my mom

338
00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:14.519
was who was staying with us at the time, uh,

339
00:19:14.720 --> 00:19:18.839
you know, had the door, you know, open, and there

340
00:19:18.839 --> 00:19:22.039
were these two two guys in uniform standing on the

341
00:19:22.039 --> 00:19:25.279
front stoop, you know, of the porch, and you know,

342
00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:28.960
she's looking at me. I'm looking at them, and she goes, well,

343
00:19:28.960 --> 00:19:32.519
what should I do? And I said, just let him in, mom,

344
00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:36.440
you know, just let him in. Yeah, And so I

345
00:19:36.519 --> 00:19:38.880
ushered him into the into the main room.

346
00:19:39.480 --> 00:19:41.720
I yelled from my wife upstairs.

347
00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:44.599
You know. So they haven't said anything to you, but

348
00:19:44.720 --> 00:19:47.559
you're you're sensing this is not good news.

349
00:19:47.920 --> 00:19:52.799
Something something's going on, right, Something's going on, because I'm

350
00:19:52.839 --> 00:19:57.519
thinking it has to do with Tony obviously. Uh you know,

351
00:19:58.039 --> 00:20:01.279
these are Army soldiers. I'm thinking in my head, maybe

352
00:20:01.279 --> 00:20:05.160
Tony's hurt, you know. Uh, I'm thinking maybe they're at

353
00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:05.920
the wrong house.

354
00:20:06.960 --> 00:20:07.559
Yeah, anything.

355
00:20:09.000 --> 00:20:12.759
So my wife was getting ready for work upstairs, and

356
00:20:12.799 --> 00:20:15.240
I I just called for her to stop what she

357
00:20:15.440 --> 00:20:19.480
was doing and come downstairs. And of course, you know,

358
00:20:19.559 --> 00:20:24.880
once once she got down there. You know, they they

359
00:20:24.920 --> 00:20:28.240
pulled out this piece of paper and you know, started reading.

360
00:20:29.640 --> 00:20:33.559
But essentially what they were delivering with those five words,

361
00:20:33.599 --> 00:20:36.400
no parent wants to hear. You know, we regret to

362
00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:41.119
inform you. And so you know what happened after that

363
00:20:41.240 --> 00:20:44.240
was pretty much of a blur. Right, what are we

364
00:20:44.319 --> 00:20:46.240
gonna What are we going to do now? You know,

365
00:20:47.880 --> 00:20:50.400
where is he right? You know, are we going to

366
00:20:50.480 --> 00:20:53.519
be able? We're gonna be able to see them see him?

367
00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:56.279
You know, what about our kids? You know I have

368
00:20:56.359 --> 00:20:59.119
five children. You know they weren't at the house. What

369
00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:02.880
about our kids? How are we going to tell them?

370
00:21:03.640 --> 00:21:05.799
What are we going to do next? I mean, you

371
00:21:05.839 --> 00:21:09.279
know all of those things that you don't ever as

372
00:21:09.319 --> 00:21:11.440
a parent want to have to consider.

373
00:21:11.880 --> 00:21:15.640
So as you're going through this journey, just like you said,

374
00:21:16.160 --> 00:21:19.359
something that no parent wants to hear or be involved

375
00:21:19.359 --> 00:21:23.759
in and part of the healing process. I don't know

376
00:21:23.799 --> 00:21:26.440
if you ever get healed from this per se, but

377
00:21:26.519 --> 00:21:28.519
I guess just the process. I think you and I

378
00:21:28.559 --> 00:21:31.079
talked about this before when I was talking with a

379
00:21:31.160 --> 00:21:34.599
dear friend who lost a son. He told me, says, Bill,

380
00:21:34.799 --> 00:21:38.000
you never get over it, but you get through it,

381
00:21:38.960 --> 00:21:43.160
and I thought that was insightful. And as you are

382
00:21:43.200 --> 00:21:46.880
going through that process, you know, dealing with all the

383
00:21:46.960 --> 00:21:51.119
questions that you got hit with in in a flashpoint,

384
00:21:51.200 --> 00:21:53.799
you know, what do we do? You know, what about

385
00:21:53.799 --> 00:21:57.200
his siblings, what about his children, his wife, all this

386
00:21:57.400 --> 00:22:01.839
and you know, and you know, funeral arrangements, all this.

387
00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:06.240
So as you go through all that and you're able

388
00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:10.200
to catch your breath, you begin to realize, because your

389
00:22:10.279 --> 00:22:14.359
son was a man of purpose, that there was no

390
00:22:14.440 --> 00:22:18.279
way your son was going to in any way possible,

391
00:22:18.440 --> 00:22:23.279
even on the other side of this human existence. He

392
00:22:23.400 --> 00:22:27.119
wasn't going to let you grieve yourself to death, so

393
00:22:27.319 --> 00:22:30.680
to speak, but that he was going to inspire you

394
00:22:31.440 --> 00:22:35.880
with a purpose that heretofore you probably never would have

395
00:22:36.200 --> 00:22:40.359
thought about in a million years. But his legacy left

396
00:22:40.400 --> 00:22:44.680
you with a passion and a purpose to do something

397
00:22:44.920 --> 00:22:50.160
and to create a flag, to create a movement that

398
00:22:50.240 --> 00:22:54.880
heretofore has just been kind of waiting for some leadership

399
00:22:55.279 --> 00:22:59.880
and a vision to kind of coalesce the Hearts of

400
00:23:01.119 --> 00:23:03.160
gold Star families. Is that fair to say?

401
00:23:03.599 --> 00:23:03.839
Yeah?

402
00:23:04.000 --> 00:23:08.640
Yeah, absolutely, I mean, you know, the next two weeks

403
00:23:08.680 --> 00:23:12.759
after his death, you know, we're pretty numbing and all

404
00:23:12.799 --> 00:23:14.640
of the things that we had to go through. He

405
00:23:14.799 --> 00:23:19.359
was killed on December twenty ninth. He was buried on

406
00:23:19.480 --> 00:23:23.680
January thirteenth, and you know, a lot had to happen,

407
00:23:24.119 --> 00:23:28.319
you know, in that process. And once once we put

408
00:23:28.359 --> 00:23:31.920
him in the ground, you know, you know, the conversations

409
00:23:31.960 --> 00:23:34.440
in your head begin. You know, what am I going

410
00:23:34.519 --> 00:23:36.440
to do next? What am I going to do at all?

411
00:23:36.480 --> 00:23:39.279
Do I even want to live? You know, are just

412
00:23:39.480 --> 00:23:43.200
real serious questions, you know, that have to be answered.

413
00:23:43.599 --> 00:23:46.839
They have to be asked and answered, you know. And

414
00:23:46.839 --> 00:23:49.640
and and I was angry at God. I mean, I

415
00:23:49.680 --> 00:23:52.519
put yellow ribbons around all of my trees in the

416
00:23:52.519 --> 00:23:56.039
front yard, and I knew that that now they were

417
00:23:56.119 --> 00:23:59.039
going to be black. And so I was. I was

418
00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:03.400
angry at God because because God should have warned me,

419
00:24:04.039 --> 00:24:06.960
you know, he should have given me some idea that

420
00:24:07.000 --> 00:24:10.480
this might happen, even though I joked with Tony, you know,

421
00:24:10.640 --> 00:24:15.359
prior in our conversation, right that, and so you know,

422
00:24:15.559 --> 00:24:18.759
I know that you're a spiritual man. And and and

423
00:24:18.920 --> 00:24:22.680
one of the things that that I wrestled with, I

424
00:24:22.680 --> 00:24:29.519
mean very adamantly and very emotionally with was you know,

425
00:24:29.839 --> 00:24:33.200
were the why questions that every family asked. Of course,

426
00:24:33.240 --> 00:24:37.039
you know the why and the what if? And so God,

427
00:24:37.640 --> 00:24:41.799
God just slapped me upside the head one day, very

428
00:24:41.880 --> 00:24:46.160
shortly and he said yeah, he said, I mean as

429
00:24:46.279 --> 00:24:50.119
audibly as I could. You know, imagine, you know, he

430
00:24:50.279 --> 00:24:54.279
said to me, hey, you know what. I know you're hurting.

431
00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:58.039
I know you're hurting. Right, He says, I know what

432
00:24:58.079 --> 00:25:00.799
it feels like because I lost my son too.

433
00:25:01.720 --> 00:25:04.599
And then he said, I will tell you.

434
00:25:04.559 --> 00:25:08.680
This that your son and my son are together with

435
00:25:08.720 --> 00:25:09.480
me in paradise.

436
00:25:10.400 --> 00:25:12.599
And that's well, that's all I needed.

437
00:25:13.000 --> 00:25:19.400
Yeah, because my self, my selfishness at having lost him

438
00:25:20.119 --> 00:25:22.039
was was dissolved.

439
00:25:22.400 --> 00:25:23.400
It was dissolved.

440
00:25:23.759 --> 00:25:25.839
Not that I didn't miss him, not that I don't

441
00:25:25.880 --> 00:25:28.039
grieve over him, as you can tell.

442
00:25:28.640 --> 00:25:30.880
But he was a spiritual man.

443
00:25:31.319 --> 00:25:34.720
The last conversation we had together, it's in the book,

444
00:25:35.319 --> 00:25:39.319
was on aol Insitant messenger, where Tony said to me,

445
00:25:39.519 --> 00:25:43.680
typed out to me, Dad, God is literally my shield.

446
00:25:45.640 --> 00:25:49.200
And so I knew that I didn't have to worry

447
00:25:49.240 --> 00:25:52.480
about him, yes, right, I just had to worry about

448
00:25:52.519 --> 00:25:58.559
me and what I was going through. And that flipped

449
00:25:58.759 --> 00:26:02.519
this the narrative. It flipped the narrative in a way

450
00:26:03.119 --> 00:26:06.880
that started me thinking about other families and what they

451
00:26:06.880 --> 00:26:09.319
were going through and how they were grieving, and what

452
00:26:09.440 --> 00:26:13.240
was their assurance and did they have their questions answered?

453
00:26:13.519 --> 00:26:15.519
And did anybody care? Right?

454
00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:19.400
I mean that became the question did anybody care? Because

455
00:26:19.799 --> 00:26:21.720
you know, after he died, I did a lot of

456
00:26:21.720 --> 00:26:24.720
research because I wanted to. I wanted to hold on

457
00:26:24.799 --> 00:26:28.079
to something that that would somehow.

458
00:26:27.759 --> 00:26:28.799
Salve my pain.

459
00:26:29.680 --> 00:26:33.599
And part of that salve was knowing that he didn't

460
00:26:33.640 --> 00:26:37.680
die in vain, right, and that somebody really cared, right,

461
00:26:37.960 --> 00:26:42.759
that America had some way of acknowledging that. So this

462
00:26:42.839 --> 00:26:46.039
is this is the mission that I went on to

463
00:26:46.119 --> 00:26:50.000
try to figure out how to how does America care?

464
00:26:50.079 --> 00:26:52.279
What do they do? What do they say? You know?

465
00:26:52.319 --> 00:26:54.720
What could I embrace? I mean I had the yellow ribbons.

466
00:26:55.200 --> 00:26:57.720
I mean I saw the support our troops, pray for

467
00:26:57.799 --> 00:27:01.559
our troops. But my son was no longer a troop, right,

468
00:27:02.079 --> 00:27:06.319
So what did we do? I'll give you an example

469
00:27:06.359 --> 00:27:10.200
if I might, Yes, Ah, let's say we send there's

470
00:27:10.240 --> 00:27:13.759
only one hundred soldiers, there's one hundred troops, and we're

471
00:27:13.799 --> 00:27:17.240
back home going support our troops, you know, pray for

472
00:27:17.319 --> 00:27:21.000
our troops. You know, rah rah rah, Let's do what

473
00:27:21.079 --> 00:27:25.200
we can and all but one die. Okay, we're still

474
00:27:25.240 --> 00:27:29.400
back here, and this is a real visual that I'm

475
00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:33.759
impressed with. We're all still back here, going support our troops,

476
00:27:33.799 --> 00:27:36.039
support our troops, pray for our troops.

477
00:27:36.359 --> 00:27:39.880
But most of them are gone. And so we we.

478
00:27:40.440 --> 00:27:45.519
Had no mechanism to remember the ninety nine, only to

479
00:27:45.599 --> 00:27:50.079
remember the one exactly. The only mechanism we had, Bill

480
00:27:50.279 --> 00:27:53.839
was Memorial Day. And as we've already talked about, that's

481
00:27:53.960 --> 00:27:59.240
not enough because the families think about their loved ones

482
00:27:59.480 --> 00:28:00.720
every single day.

483
00:28:01.160 --> 00:28:01.359
You know.

484
00:28:01.519 --> 00:28:05.119
We we wear them around our necks. You know, we

485
00:28:05.279 --> 00:28:09.079
tattoo of their names on our bodies. You know, it's

486
00:28:09.240 --> 00:28:13.599
all of that. But America doesn't understand, you know, because

487
00:28:13.799 --> 00:28:17.400
you know we're mostly apathetic. I mean, we're free to

488
00:28:17.480 --> 00:28:21.720
be apathetic, right, But I thought, how do I cut

489
00:28:21.759 --> 00:28:24.279
through the apathy and and do it in a in

490
00:28:24.319 --> 00:28:28.079
a good way, in a positive way, in a celebratory way.

491
00:28:28.640 --> 00:28:30.359
And George, this is.

492
00:28:30.400 --> 00:28:33.839
All coming together not only in your own mind, but

493
00:28:33.920 --> 00:28:37.279
as you're talking with other gold Star families, right and

494
00:28:37.319 --> 00:28:40.400
you're starting to connect the dots and seeing, Okay, there's

495
00:28:40.440 --> 00:28:44.160
something consistent. Here, there's something that needs to be done.

496
00:28:44.240 --> 00:28:44.480
Is that?

497
00:28:45.440 --> 00:28:47.799
Is that? Is that fair? Yeah?

498
00:28:47.920 --> 00:28:51.440
Yeah, absolutely, Because the first thing I started to do

499
00:28:52.039 --> 00:28:55.960
when I was realizing that other families were going through

500
00:28:56.000 --> 00:28:59.599
this was to start to visit other families. And so

501
00:28:59.640 --> 00:29:04.119
I I began to attend funeral, military funerals. I live

502
00:29:04.160 --> 00:29:07.359
in a military town, so I began to attend military

503
00:29:07.400 --> 00:29:11.200
funerals every time I heard of one. And in five

504
00:29:11.680 --> 00:29:15.519
six oh seven, those were horrible years. You know, we

505
00:29:15.519 --> 00:29:19.079
were losing a lot of our service members. And I

506
00:29:19.119 --> 00:29:21.279
attended a lot of funerals, and I got to know

507
00:29:21.319 --> 00:29:24.599
those families. I got to hug on them, to cry

508
00:29:24.640 --> 00:29:27.200
with them, to hear their stories, to let them know

509
00:29:27.240 --> 00:29:30.920
they weren't alone. And then I started to meet heroes,

510
00:29:31.000 --> 00:29:35.519
families who died before Tony, you know, all the way

511
00:29:35.559 --> 00:29:39.039
to World War Two, you know, I was meeting children.

512
00:29:39.440 --> 00:29:42.920
You know, I was meeting mothers from Vietnam, you know,

513
00:29:43.039 --> 00:29:45.480
from Korea. I was meeting.

514
00:29:45.599 --> 00:29:47.559
All generations of families.

515
00:29:47.839 --> 00:29:50.400
And the one thing the families wanted to know more

516
00:29:50.440 --> 00:29:53.720
than anything was that their loved one wasn't forgotten.

517
00:29:54.079 --> 00:29:57.240
And so this resonated with me over and over.

518
00:29:57.599 --> 00:30:00.799
Well, how come they're thinking that you what is it

519
00:30:00.880 --> 00:30:04.200
about that that that resonates so much with them? I mean,

520
00:30:04.240 --> 00:30:07.720
and why aren't they remembered? You know, where was the

521
00:30:07.759 --> 00:30:13.279
missing piece? And and after Tony died, I started receiving

522
00:30:13.400 --> 00:30:14.799
gifts in the house.

523
00:30:15.160 --> 00:30:17.759
You know, people just sent things to us. You know.

524
00:30:17.839 --> 00:30:22.599
They would send unfolded flags, they would send photographs, they

525
00:30:22.599 --> 00:30:27.759
would send greeting cards, they would send marble statues, I mean,

526
00:30:27.960 --> 00:30:34.799
any everything, anything and everything, quilts, paintings, and I would

527
00:30:34.880 --> 00:30:37.440
get these things and I go, oh, wow, this is nice.

528
00:30:37.480 --> 00:30:40.839
But you know it's I'm not a taker. I didn't

529
00:30:41.119 --> 00:30:43.839
I don't like to get things. I don't like attention.

530
00:30:44.559 --> 00:30:46.440
You know, the only reason I'm doing this is because

531
00:30:46.480 --> 00:30:50.200
there's not many others doing it, right. And so I

532
00:30:50.279 --> 00:30:53.319
realized that I wanted to give a gift. I didn't

533
00:30:53.359 --> 00:30:55.599
want to get them. I wanted to give them, but

534
00:30:55.680 --> 00:30:58.319
I didn't know what that gift was. And the more

535
00:30:58.480 --> 00:31:01.519
families I spoke to, and now I've spoken to thousands

536
00:31:01.519 --> 00:31:03.480
of families, Bills thousands.

537
00:31:03.200 --> 00:31:06.839
And you've in all fifty states you've deployed to, right.

538
00:31:07.079 --> 00:31:09.079
I've been to all fifty states. And if we have

539
00:31:09.160 --> 00:31:11.799
a moment, I'll tell you about my trip to Ukraine

540
00:31:11.839 --> 00:31:13.279
to talk about those families.

541
00:31:13.359 --> 00:31:15.240
Oh wow, yes, yes, okay.

542
00:31:15.400 --> 00:31:19.279
But I realized I wanted to give a gift after

543
00:31:19.319 --> 00:31:22.240
speaking to all of these families, and I wanted that

544
00:31:22.359 --> 00:31:25.319
gift to be remembrance. And I didn't know what that

545
00:31:25.359 --> 00:31:27.880
looked like. I just know I wanted to give it.

546
00:31:28.359 --> 00:31:33.680
And so, after attending funerals and talking to families and

547
00:31:33.720 --> 00:31:36.440
looking at different gifts I was getting, I knew it

548
00:31:36.480 --> 00:31:41.680
wasn't about just writing a story or going on television

549
00:31:41.720 --> 00:31:45.359
and telling my loss. It had to be something permanent.

550
00:31:45.480 --> 00:31:50.759
It had to be something legacy minded, right. And the

551
00:31:50.799 --> 00:31:52.960
one thing that I kept running into when I went

552
00:31:53.000 --> 00:31:54.640
to these funerals were flags.

553
00:31:54.799 --> 00:31:55.559
Flaglines.

554
00:31:56.000 --> 00:31:59.480
I kept seeing lines of US flags, you know, at

555
00:31:59.480 --> 00:32:04.200
the funeral with Utans right standing there, right, And so

556
00:32:04.319 --> 00:32:07.839
I kept going, I need to I need to do

557
00:32:07.920 --> 00:32:12.279
something like this. And what I finally realized was the

558
00:32:12.319 --> 00:32:15.759
fallen needed a flag. We needed to we needed to

559
00:32:15.799 --> 00:32:20.319
have a flag that represented our nation's fallen service members.

560
00:32:20.400 --> 00:32:24.079
Now, when that idea coalesced in your mind, was that

561
00:32:24.240 --> 00:32:27.160
like three o'clock in the morning kind of idea or

562
00:32:27.319 --> 00:32:31.160
was it? How did the idea of this flag because

563
00:32:31.200 --> 00:32:35.359
I mean, this is just it's so awesome. It's almost

564
00:32:35.400 --> 00:32:39.519
like I have this sense that God himself said, hey,

565
00:32:39.559 --> 00:32:43.480
I got the symbol for you, right.

566
00:32:43.599 --> 00:32:48.160
It's it's such a mismash of processes in my brain.

567
00:32:48.799 --> 00:32:49.240
It's hard.

568
00:32:49.640 --> 00:32:53.119
It's hard to articulate exactly what that was. But I

569
00:32:53.319 --> 00:32:56.400
was a grieving dad. I'm an introvert, believe it or not.

570
00:32:56.960 --> 00:32:59.240
I didn't want to do it, but this idea came

571
00:32:59.279 --> 00:33:01.839
to me. We need a flag. We have flags for

572
00:33:01.920 --> 00:33:04.559
everything in this country. We know we have our US

573
00:33:04.640 --> 00:33:08.359
flag that represents our country. We have our POW flag

574
00:33:08.359 --> 00:33:11.319
that represents our fallen and missing. Every branch of the

575
00:33:11.359 --> 00:33:14.960
service has a flag. Every college and university has a flag.

576
00:33:15.440 --> 00:33:18.200
Everybody has a flag. We even have a flag on

577
00:33:18.240 --> 00:33:22.079
the golf course that directs your golf ball. And I thought,

578
00:33:22.519 --> 00:33:26.480
the one flag we're missing, the one flag we needed,

579
00:33:27.119 --> 00:33:32.200
is a flag that represents the people who enable us

580
00:33:32.279 --> 00:33:35.400
to fly every other flag. If you look at it,

581
00:33:35.680 --> 00:33:38.359
if you look at it that way, yes, And so

582
00:33:38.759 --> 00:33:41.240
I didn't want to do it. I just wanted the

583
00:33:41.359 --> 00:33:45.480
idea to be taken and somebody to do it. So

584
00:33:45.519 --> 00:33:49.079
I started floating it around and saying, hey, what do

585
00:33:49.119 --> 00:33:52.160
you think of this? And you know, to my veteran friends,

586
00:33:52.480 --> 00:33:54.559
I'm thinking of it. We need a flag and oh yeah,

587
00:33:54.599 --> 00:33:57.440
that's a good idea. And so I finally wrote to

588
00:33:57.480 --> 00:34:01.759
my congressman, and my congressman came back, you know, months later,

589
00:34:02.319 --> 00:34:06.079
and said, well, we've asked around and the American flag

590
00:34:06.200 --> 00:34:09.559
is enough, so we don't need any other flags. And

591
00:34:09.559 --> 00:34:14.719
and honestly I was devastated. I thought, I went, come on, guys,

592
00:34:15.159 --> 00:34:18.280
men and women are losing their lives. We need to

593
00:34:18.400 --> 00:34:21.559
reckon how are we recognizing them? You tell me how

594
00:34:21.599 --> 00:34:25.719
we're recognizing them, and I'll embrace that right, that symbol.

595
00:34:26.199 --> 00:34:29.679
And and so I was deflated for months and months

596
00:34:29.719 --> 00:34:34.079
and months until another conversation with God, I mean came

597
00:34:34.159 --> 00:34:37.679
from a from a word at church. We went and

598
00:34:37.800 --> 00:34:41.760
visited to another church and the preacher, you know, gave

599
00:34:41.800 --> 00:34:44.440
me a word from God and and said, God has

600
00:34:44.519 --> 00:34:47.199
told me to tell you that you are about to

601
00:34:47.239 --> 00:34:51.280
be launched on something that you've never expected. Buckle your

602
00:34:51.280 --> 00:34:57.079
seat belt because you're going to be launched. Uh, you know, so,

603
00:34:57.079 --> 00:34:57.920
so get ready.

604
00:34:58.239 --> 00:34:59.519
The countdown has begun.

605
00:35:00.320 --> 00:35:04.159
And I went, what what? My wife, I looked at

606
00:35:04.159 --> 00:35:06.000
you you and go what is he talking about.

607
00:35:06.239 --> 00:35:08.920
Yeah, this is not of nowhere, right that he makes

608
00:35:08.519 --> 00:35:09.920
This is.

609
00:35:09.880 --> 00:35:12.679
Out of nowhere, completely out of nowhere.

610
00:35:13.079 --> 00:35:15.519
And so my wife says, well, maybe he's talking about

611
00:35:15.519 --> 00:35:19.119
the flag, and I go, nobody wants the flag, you know.

612
00:35:19.719 --> 00:35:21.360
I go and I'm not going to do it. I'm

613
00:35:21.400 --> 00:35:23.760
not talented enough to do it. I don't have the

614
00:35:23.800 --> 00:35:27.440
skill set. And so the next day, you know, in

615
00:35:27.480 --> 00:35:30.719
my prayer time, I said, okay, God, are you talking

616
00:35:30.760 --> 00:35:35.119
about the flag? And he said, if you think it's important,

617
00:35:35.519 --> 00:35:39.000
then you have to do it, and if you do it,

618
00:35:39.400 --> 00:35:41.719
then I will walk with you every step of the way.

619
00:35:42.440 --> 00:35:47.119
And I just I just went, WHOA. I said, yeah,

620
00:35:47.239 --> 00:35:50.840
I do think it's important. And this was in February

621
00:35:50.920 --> 00:35:54.400
of two thousand and eight, and by May.

622
00:35:54.719 --> 00:35:56.480
Everything fell into place. Bill.

623
00:35:56.960 --> 00:36:02.920
I had the nonprofit organized, had I had my board complete,

624
00:36:03.440 --> 00:36:08.280
I had a website in development, I had the whole

625
00:36:08.320 --> 00:36:11.840
process of the flag design. And on Memorial Day of

626
00:36:12.119 --> 00:36:15.440
eight is when I unveiled it publicly to the nation

627
00:36:15.920 --> 00:36:20.239
to become our national our nations and national symbol of remembrance.

628
00:36:20.519 --> 00:36:27.800
Well and today, fast forward, we're what twenty eight state legislatures.

629
00:36:27.960 --> 00:36:31.400
Wow, two weeks ago we got we got New Hampshire.

630
00:36:31.639 --> 00:36:35.079
Well, congratulations, that's great news. I didn't I didn't get

631
00:36:35.119 --> 00:36:38.559
that report. So I'll add that, add that to the list.

632
00:36:39.000 --> 00:36:42.119
And so slowly but surely they're coming around. As I

633
00:36:42.239 --> 00:36:45.920
mentioned to you, George, I mean, I believe this is

634
00:36:45.920 --> 00:36:49.159
why God brought us together and that we're to take

635
00:36:49.239 --> 00:36:52.079
it to another level. And of course, as I mentioned

636
00:36:52.119 --> 00:36:55.559
to you, I'm heavily involved with the with the Knights.

637
00:36:55.599 --> 00:37:01.239
I'm I'm a faithful navigator for for Palm City in

638
00:37:01.280 --> 00:37:05.800
Florida and the Fourth Degree the Surnights, the fourth Degree

639
00:37:06.000 --> 00:37:13.119
of the Knights of Columbus are our central principle is patriotism.

640
00:37:13.559 --> 00:37:16.920
And so when I presented this to several of the

641
00:37:16.920 --> 00:37:20.239
board members right away, they didn't hesitate whatsoever. I said, Yeah,

642
00:37:20.239 --> 00:37:23.760
we're in. We're in. Get the flag. And so we

643
00:37:23.840 --> 00:37:28.519
got the flag and we're going to proudly carry it

644
00:37:28.559 --> 00:37:33.559
at every patriotic event in parade that the Knights are

645
00:37:33.599 --> 00:37:38.000
involved with. I'm talking with other assemblies as well to

646
00:37:38.079 --> 00:37:43.119
get them involved. I just so believe in what you're doing.

647
00:37:43.480 --> 00:37:46.039
And now to hear the background, now this even makes

648
00:37:46.519 --> 00:37:51.440
even much more sense into why God has connected us

649
00:37:51.480 --> 00:37:55.280
and you know, I'll tell you I'm honored. I'm honored

650
00:37:55.280 --> 00:37:58.679
to co labor with you to this and George, well,

651
00:37:59.119 --> 00:38:00.000
well thank you.

652
00:38:00.320 --> 00:38:02.920
I mean, you know, as I go through this, you know,

653
00:38:03.000 --> 00:38:06.400
I have my my roller coaster ride bill. You know,

654
00:38:06.480 --> 00:38:09.679
there's a lot out there that you know, have they

655
00:38:09.679 --> 00:38:14.000
don't understand the depth of what this really and truly means.

656
00:38:14.239 --> 00:38:17.000
I mean, I I believe, I mean, and you know,

657
00:38:17.079 --> 00:38:20.199
try not to sound prideful at all, but I believe

658
00:38:20.239 --> 00:38:24.039
we're on the precipice of bringing pa, of raising the

659
00:38:24.119 --> 00:38:29.079
level of patriotism in this country because we've never stopped

660
00:38:29.239 --> 00:38:32.480
to recognize the lives that have been given for this

661
00:38:32.639 --> 00:38:37.960
country in such a magnanimous way, because we've relegated them

662
00:38:38.000 --> 00:38:42.519
to a day that nobody remembers, you know, And so

663
00:38:43.320 --> 00:38:47.119
it's not a piece of cloth. It's an opportunity for

664
00:38:47.280 --> 00:38:51.679
every citizen in America to stand up and say thank

665
00:38:51.719 --> 00:38:55.639
you to the people they don't know who gave them

666
00:38:55.679 --> 00:39:01.559
the freedoms that they enjoy every day. And so if

667
00:39:01.599 --> 00:39:04.400
you look at it in a way that goes beyond

668
00:39:04.800 --> 00:39:09.320
you know, goes beyond even history, it's that we're coming

669
00:39:09.360 --> 00:39:12.960
to our two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of our country's birth.

670
00:39:13.400 --> 00:39:17.199
But I don't hear anybody talking about the sacrifice that

671
00:39:17.400 --> 00:39:20.559
was given to get to two hundred and fifty years.

672
00:39:20.920 --> 00:39:27.440
And so those lives should be celebrated just as vehemently

673
00:39:28.039 --> 00:39:32.079
as the birth of our nation, because they didn't get

674
00:39:32.159 --> 00:39:34.599
to come home and be veterans. They didn't get to

675
00:39:34.599 --> 00:39:39.119
come home and raise their families and to contribute in

676
00:39:39.199 --> 00:39:42.039
whatever career level that they were a part of. Tony

677
00:39:42.039 --> 00:39:43.760
would have made a heck of a difference in this

678
00:39:43.920 --> 00:39:46.400
life that he would have had a chance to come home.

679
00:39:46.800 --> 00:39:50.840
But now that he's gone, I think the difference in

680
00:39:51.000 --> 00:39:54.639
the he's making in his life is through this vision.

681
00:39:55.039 --> 00:39:58.760
You know of what we have now. But if you

682
00:39:58.880 --> 00:40:00.800
look at all of all of.

683
00:40:00.719 --> 00:40:05.079
The things that are being done for only a few, right,

684
00:40:05.119 --> 00:40:07.880
if you look at post offices that are being named

685
00:40:07.880 --> 00:40:14.400
for heroes, roads and bridges and different entities their scholarship programs,

686
00:40:14.800 --> 00:40:19.159
but they're only for a few names. There's not everybody

687
00:40:19.199 --> 00:40:23.000
can't possibly be remembered. There isn't enough real estate in

688
00:40:23.039 --> 00:40:28.119
our country to name everything after everybody, right, And then

689
00:40:28.159 --> 00:40:31.159
there's families who will never come out of the woodwork,

690
00:40:31.199 --> 00:40:32.320
and even let you know.

691
00:40:32.199 --> 00:40:33.159
That they exist.

692
00:40:33.519 --> 00:40:37.800
Exactly, if you think about the Vietnam Era, they stop

693
00:40:37.960 --> 00:40:41.039
talking about their loved one's death. They didn't go out

694
00:40:41.079 --> 00:40:43.559
and tell their neighbors. They didn't make a big deal

695
00:40:43.599 --> 00:40:46.599
about it, because they wouldn't even left their own children talk.

696
00:40:46.639 --> 00:40:50.199
There are other children, the siblings talk about it because

697
00:40:50.199 --> 00:40:54.679
it was too painful, and that has happened through generations.

698
00:40:55.039 --> 00:40:57.920
Exactly. Well, Georgie, and you think about it, and we

699
00:40:57.960 --> 00:41:01.280
do talk about it on this show. We say, for

700
00:41:01.400 --> 00:41:05.239
the I think we're at one point two million Americans

701
00:41:05.440 --> 00:41:08.760
who have paid the ultimate price going back to the

702
00:41:08.800 --> 00:41:13.119
American Revolution. One point two million. And as you say,

703
00:41:13.559 --> 00:41:17.280
they are family members that are still associated with the

704
00:41:17.360 --> 00:41:20.960
one point two million, you know, going back. Their heritage

705
00:41:21.000 --> 00:41:24.679
and legacy goes back to the American Revolution, and why

706
00:41:24.679 --> 00:41:28.880
shouldn't they be part of this of this honor. To date,

707
00:41:29.000 --> 00:41:33.159
you've presented nearly six thousand honor and Remember flags to

708
00:41:33.280 --> 00:41:36.440
gold Star families. There's a lot of gold Star families

709
00:41:36.440 --> 00:41:39.480
out there, and this, this honor and Remember flag is

710
00:41:39.719 --> 00:41:44.840
just oh, I mean it is. It just touches your heart.

711
00:41:45.000 --> 00:41:49.039
And I know it's such a gift for those families.

712
00:41:49.119 --> 00:41:53.199
They cherish that because it's it's like it's part of

713
00:41:53.239 --> 00:41:57.480
their loved one that that has been lost. It's an

714
00:41:57.519 --> 00:42:01.800
ongoing remembrance. And I want those families to know that

715
00:42:01.880 --> 00:42:06.599
they're not alone, that there are millions of other Americans

716
00:42:06.639 --> 00:42:11.639
who are participating and sharing in their grief and their memory.

717
00:42:12.039 --> 00:42:15.039
And this is why it's so important to hear Tony's story.

718
00:42:15.639 --> 00:42:17.519
And you know, I was hoping we were going to

719
00:42:17.559 --> 00:42:20.519
have more time to even talk to because You've been

720
00:42:20.559 --> 00:42:24.639
so blessed to talk to other gold Star families and

721
00:42:24.719 --> 00:42:28.000
to hear their stories, and we have to do that

722
00:42:28.320 --> 00:42:31.480
is you know, have you back, George, so we can

723
00:42:31.519 --> 00:42:35.360
talk about these other stories as well, because this is

724
00:42:35.400 --> 00:42:38.960
what America is all about. I mean, but for them,

725
00:42:39.320 --> 00:42:42.679
we're not here today. You know, we're not enjoying the

726
00:42:42.719 --> 00:42:48.920
freedoms that are guaranteed, God given and guaranteed and clarified

727
00:42:48.920 --> 00:42:51.719
in case you had any doubt in our constitution and

728
00:42:51.800 --> 00:42:55.239
declaration of independence. George, We've got about four minutes left here,

729
00:42:55.760 --> 00:42:58.719
and I want to appeal. I want to appeal to

730
00:42:58.800 --> 00:43:04.280
our audience because this, you know, this show goes out

731
00:43:04.320 --> 00:43:07.079
you know, across the country and around the world, and

732
00:43:07.159 --> 00:43:11.000
for those that are in tune with what we're talking about.

733
00:43:11.159 --> 00:43:15.480
I want them to engage and to and to join

734
00:43:15.599 --> 00:43:20.119
this movement of honoring those every day, not just on

735
00:43:20.280 --> 00:43:25.559
Memorial Day, but every day, to honor their ultimate sacrifice

736
00:43:25.559 --> 00:43:27.840
that they paid, so that you know, we can go

737
00:43:27.960 --> 00:43:30.920
out and you know, enjoy time with our family, go

738
00:43:31.039 --> 00:43:35.199
to a ballgame, do these things that you know, Tony

739
00:43:35.280 --> 00:43:38.920
can't do here and here and now and others who

740
00:43:38.920 --> 00:43:43.119
have paid that ultimate price. And and I just think

741
00:43:43.159 --> 00:43:45.800
what you've done, you know, for all of us here

742
00:43:45.840 --> 00:43:50.639
in coalescing, you know, coalescing the sentiment and the honor

743
00:43:52.239 --> 00:43:55.679
behind this flag, George, I mean, this is this is

744
00:43:55.719 --> 00:43:59.360
such a blessing. I know, people who contribute and the

745
00:43:59.400 --> 00:44:02.920
will part dissipate in this movement that they will be

746
00:44:03.039 --> 00:44:08.440
greatly blessed because with these flags, you are blessing others.

747
00:44:08.480 --> 00:44:12.239
You're blessing other families. You're blessing other patriots in our

748
00:44:12.239 --> 00:44:15.159
country who may not have lost a loved one, but

749
00:44:15.360 --> 00:44:19.639
it will cause them to remember that our freedoms came

750
00:44:19.719 --> 00:44:21.039
at a price, right.

751
00:44:21.320 --> 00:44:23.199
Right, And I mean, and we can you know, get

752
00:44:23.320 --> 00:44:26.519
into the long discussion of survivor's guilt and not just

753
00:44:26.599 --> 00:44:30.159
the families that have lost. But it's the comrades, right

754
00:44:30.199 --> 00:44:33.239
that that lost their brethren and what they're going through,

755
00:44:33.280 --> 00:44:36.280
and some of those that have never even spoken to

756
00:44:36.320 --> 00:44:40.199
the families because it's been too painful. You talk about

757
00:44:40.599 --> 00:44:45.920
you talk about almost six thousand flags being being presented, Well,

758
00:44:45.960 --> 00:44:49.719
those are just the flags that were requested, Bill, Can

759
00:44:49.760 --> 00:44:52.480
you imagine the families that may not even know.

760
00:44:52.559 --> 00:44:54.880
To request the flag that we haven't touched.

761
00:44:55.000 --> 00:44:55.119
You know.

762
00:44:55.280 --> 00:44:57.079
Those those are the ones that have come out of

763
00:44:57.119 --> 00:44:58.039
the woodwork.

764
00:44:57.679 --> 00:45:00.400
So to speak, and said, hey, I want you to

765
00:45:01.000 --> 00:45:04.199
I want to be recognized, you know, in this way.

766
00:45:04.599 --> 00:45:08.119
And so there's thousands more you know, to be reached,

767
00:45:08.480 --> 00:45:10.719
But then tens of thousands will never.

768
00:45:10.679 --> 00:45:12.000
Get give a flag too.

769
00:45:12.360 --> 00:45:14.880
That's why flying the flag, if you want to activate

770
00:45:14.920 --> 00:45:17.599
your audience, is that they should get an honor and

771
00:45:17.639 --> 00:45:21.320
remember flag and put it on a flagpole exactly because

772
00:45:21.840 --> 00:45:24.559
you're going to reach so many more thousands of people

773
00:45:24.599 --> 00:45:27.679
that go buy your flagpole than you might ever know

774
00:45:27.800 --> 00:45:31.079
in person. And so that's the visual I want to

775
00:45:31.119 --> 00:45:34.760
see across this country. There's thousands of flags flying on

776
00:45:34.880 --> 00:45:39.599
thousands of poles, so that thousands of families will recognize

777
00:45:39.639 --> 00:45:43.400
the fact that Hey, that business, they get it. Oh,

778
00:45:43.480 --> 00:45:46.039
that church, they get it. That's school, they get it.

779
00:45:46.440 --> 00:45:49.239
You know, whatever it might be, that entity, that home depot,

780
00:45:49.360 --> 00:45:52.159
that Wendy's, that Chick fil A, you know, whatever it

781
00:45:52.280 --> 00:45:57.679
might be. We're sending messages of thanks across the entire network.

782
00:45:57.280 --> 00:45:58.639
Of this world. George.

783
00:45:58.639 --> 00:46:00.840
When people fly the flag and they take a picture

784
00:46:00.880 --> 00:46:02.960
and send it to the website.

785
00:46:03.159 --> 00:46:07.239
They can send it to our our email address. Okay, Uh,

786
00:46:08.199 --> 00:46:10.639
just if you go to Honor and remember dot org

787
00:46:10.800 --> 00:46:14.239
our website, right, Honor and remember dot org. All spilled

788
00:46:14.239 --> 00:46:17.360
out at the bottom is our contact information. I would

789
00:46:17.360 --> 00:46:20.199
love to see pictures of flags all over this country.

790
00:46:20.519 --> 00:46:25.239
Well, and also hit the donate button because we need donations.

791
00:46:25.440 --> 00:46:28.639
Uh you know these you know, buy a flag. There's

792
00:46:28.880 --> 00:46:33.320
different formats of the flag that you can fly in

793
00:46:33.360 --> 00:46:37.239
your yard. As George was saying, bigger flags for those

794
00:46:37.320 --> 00:46:40.039
that like us that are going to be using it

795
00:46:40.559 --> 00:46:44.559
on our parade events, this will fly very proudly alongside

796
00:46:44.960 --> 00:46:49.320
the American flag. And and you know again, you know

797
00:46:49.360 --> 00:46:52.960
we've got gold Star families that are still waiting to

798
00:46:53.159 --> 00:46:56.599
be presented their honor and remember flags, and you know

799
00:46:56.679 --> 00:46:59.719
you need budget. This is not uh this isn't cheap.

800
00:46:59.760 --> 00:47:01.719
I mean when you see these flags, I mean they're

801
00:47:01.840 --> 00:47:05.000
very nicely done. They're great quality, George, I mean they

802
00:47:05.199 --> 00:47:09.679
really look good. And you know, and I know when

803
00:47:09.960 --> 00:47:14.039
when anybody has it, I mean they just you know,

804
00:47:14.360 --> 00:47:18.760
because it represents, it represents so much all in this flag.

805
00:47:18.880 --> 00:47:23.599
Like you say, the symbol that it represents, it's almost

806
00:47:23.639 --> 00:47:26.119
hard to put, you know, put it all in words, right.

807
00:47:26.440 --> 00:47:30.639
Every life. That's why it's so important. It specifically represents

808
00:47:30.760 --> 00:47:33.639
every life given in America for our freedom.

809
00:47:34.000 --> 00:47:36.199
Well, we've got to wrap things up. George Lots, the

810
00:47:36.239 --> 00:47:39.880
founder of Honor and Remember, a national nonprofit dedicated to

811
00:47:39.920 --> 00:47:44.920
permanent public recognition of every US service member who died

812
00:47:45.079 --> 00:47:49.559
in the line of duty. Go to the website. Do

813
00:47:49.599 --> 00:47:52.400
they go to Tragedy to Tribute dot org or they

814
00:47:52.440 --> 00:47:55.599
go to uh Honor and Remember dot org.

815
00:47:55.920 --> 00:47:58.800
Well either one will get you to either one. Tragedy

816
00:47:58.880 --> 00:48:02.760
and Tribute dot org is the book specifically, but it

817
00:48:02.760 --> 00:48:05.719
will also take you to Honor and Remember dot org.

818
00:48:05.960 --> 00:48:08.760
Well, you'll learn more about what we're doing.

819
00:48:08.760 --> 00:48:12.239
There's thousands of pictures of flags presented to families and

820
00:48:12.599 --> 00:48:14.639
much more about what we have going.

821
00:48:14.840 --> 00:48:17.239
And for everybody in our audience. Thank you, thank you

822
00:48:17.280 --> 00:48:21.440
for your generosity, Thank you for coming alongside George Lutz

823
00:48:21.599 --> 00:48:25.440
and his family and all the other gold Star families

824
00:48:25.480 --> 00:48:29.400
out there that look at every day, every day of

825
00:48:29.440 --> 00:48:32.440
their lives until the day they die is Memorial Day,

826
00:48:32.800 --> 00:48:36.280
and this is such a way, very special way to

827
00:48:36.400 --> 00:48:40.039
honor each of those that have paid the price. George Lotz,

828
00:48:40.079 --> 00:48:42.800
thank you so much for being with us. Godspeed my friend.

829
00:48:42.800 --> 00:48:45.760
I look forward to seeing what else we can do

830
00:48:45.920 --> 00:48:50.079
to come alongside and help the effort of honor and

831
00:48:50.119 --> 00:48:51.599
remember take care of my friend.

832
00:48:51.960 --> 00:48:53.400
Thank you, Bill, God bless you.

833
00:48:53.599 --> 00:48:55.559
God bless you, and you ladies and gentlemen, thank you

834
00:48:55.599 --> 00:48:57.440
so much for sharing a part of your day with us.

835
00:48:58.599 --> 00:49:01.599
You've got the website and you know, I look forward

836
00:49:01.639 --> 00:49:05.760
to hearing you know about a great response to come

837
00:49:05.800 --> 00:49:12.400
alongside these very special and very special gold Star families

838
00:49:12.880 --> 00:49:15.800
that the price that they paid and the price that

839
00:49:15.840 --> 00:49:19.079
they will pay until they date to die. You know,

840
00:49:19.599 --> 00:49:23.239
how do you possibly repay that but to say thank

841
00:49:23.280 --> 00:49:26.519
you and if you can participate and donate and fly

842
00:49:26.719 --> 00:49:29.360
the honor and remember flag, God bless you, and whatever

843
00:49:29.400 --> 00:49:32.760
influence you may have, like tonyad, whatever you can do

844
00:49:32.800 --> 00:49:37.679
as an influencer to get your city, your state, whatever

845
00:49:38.320 --> 00:49:42.039
you know. To come along and proudly fly the Honor

846
00:49:42.159 --> 00:49:45.360
and Remember flag would be much appreciated. Thank you for

847
00:49:45.400 --> 00:49:47.360
being with us. May God bless you and keep you.

848
00:49:47.440 --> 00:49:50.000
May make his face shine upon you. May he'd be

849
00:49:50.039 --> 00:49:53.559
gracious unto you and give you his peace. God bless

850
00:49:53.679 --> 00:50:05.280
Take care the supporting at the product