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Episode 007 – Bill Williams, creator of Remembering our Fallen and founder of Patriotic Productions

August 8, 2016 By Thad Forester

Bill and Evonne Williams have created a powerful memorial for fallen heroes since 9/11. Its legacy will be that these men and women will never be forgotten and that their names will be remembered and spoken. Their original exhibit has traveled around the state of Nebraska every week since 2011.

In cooperation with Bellevue University, their exhibit has traveled to and represented 18 states. Soon, they will have all 50 states represented and begin a national tour.

He also shares his involvement with flying large numbers of WWII and Vietnam vets to DC on Honor Flights. And then Gold Star wives and children honored at a Nebraska football game last fall. Although Bill and his wife never served in the military, their four sons did. They have incredible support and continue to help Gold Star families around the country heal.

More info here:

http://www.rememberingourfallen.org/

http://www.patrioticproductions.org/

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Exciting New Venture

August 7, 2016 By Thad Forester

Patriot to the Core

I’m very excited to launch my podcast called Patriot to the Core. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed interviewing these great Americans and look forward to all those upcoming conversations. I don’t think anyone will get as much satisfaction from the interviews as I do, but I sure hope many come close because I want to see this podcast well-received and grow.

I think this podcast proves that not only does everyone have a story, but there are many people that are doing good in the world—both serving in the military and serving in other capacities.

For example, episode 003 is Mike Dillman who is a Vietnam Army vet. Not only did he serve honorably, but after coming home to an ungrateful nation, he vowed to not let our veterans be forgotten so he created what is now the largest Memorial Day event on the west coast, possibly largest in the country.

Episode 002 is Michael Andrew who started a non-profit for disaster aid. He’s always ready to deploy w/in 24 hours to anywhere in the world that’s recently been hit by a natural disaster. His specialty is GPS tagging rural orphanages.

Plus, many more guests, which you can listen to right now via iTunes, Google Play, or thru my web site here. A new show is released every other Monday morning. I have guests ranging from all branches of the military, to authors, professional speakers, non-profits, athletes and maybe your neighbor down the street that you never knew donated much time or money to charitable causes. Regardless of who the guests are, they will be Patriots—they love and serve their country and fellow man. And they all have very interesting stories and advice for the listeners.

You will also hear from some of my brother Mark’s teammates with more in-depth descriptions of battles and events documented in his book.

I ask that you subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and/or Google Play and give it an honest rating. I’m not a professional with a radio voice, but this is going to be authentic and sometimes the audio quality will be less than stellar, depending how the interview has to be conducted.

The logo is symbolic of Mark. He was killed with an American flag wrapped around his chest and back armor plates. The subdued bullet hole in his upper left chest represents the fatal shot that took his life.

Thank you for reading this post and I really appreciate you listening to the podcast. I know there are thousands of podcasts to pick from, but when this process began many months ago, there were very few that were formatted like mine. Now there are a few more that are similar, but I hope this one piques your interests, at least a little.

If you have suggestions or questions, please let me know, thad@patriottothecore.com

Episode 006 – Maj Will Lyles, US Army (ret), Green Beret, bilateral amputee, OIF & OEF Veteran

July 25, 2016 By Thad Forester

As a college baseball player, Will was mentally tough and physically strong. After graduating college, he joined the Army and became a member of Special Forces (aka Green Beret). He shares the challenges of going through the pipeline and how the Army gave him much more than he ever gave it.

On his third deployment, he stepped on an IED and lost both legs above the knee. This IED also killed some teammates. He enlightens us with his road to recovery, mental toughness, and strain on his family. He now hunts, snowboards and serves as a motivator and inspiration to anyone dealing with adversity. He expresses how grateful he is to be alive and to live in this country.

Learn more about Will here:

http://poetsandquants.com/2015/10/19/meet-the-rice-jones-mba-class-of-2017/8/

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Episode 005 – Melanie Davis, author, founder of Triumph Press and Love Your Veterans

July 11, 2016 By Thad Forester

Melanie got into the publishing business after sharing copies of her journal to help people deal with grief and hardship. This was because she documented her trial of losing her seven-month old baby girl Brynn to SIDS. Seeing the hope it gave so many, she turned these writings into a book called “The Triumph Book”, which is real stories of people overcoming tremendous trials and finding purpose in life.

Later, she wrote and published “The Triumph Book: HEROES” which consist of real life stories from our veterans. She learned and shares the struggles many of our veterans endure and fight each day.

Her stories are real and powerful. Listen and feel her passion for serving our guardians of freedom. She encourages us to serve others to overcome tragedy.

Learn more at:

www.triumphpress.com

www.loveyourveterans.org

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Comfort of my Home

July 8, 2016 By Thad Forester

stoic police 3 As I sit in my home with my family tonight, I am thankful that I know they are safe. The events throughout the country–really over the last several years–have made me support our law enforcement even more than I did. This week, as I see them standing face to face with protesters that are taunting, yelling, threatening, assaulting, and now even killing, I think about the families of our protectors. I’m sure many homes had spouses say to the other, “Just quit, it’s not worth it.” Or many mothers plead with their grown child to quit and choose a safer job. This is understandable.

We are fortunate to have sheepdogs who are willing to face the enemy and protect the innocent. It’s often a thankless job, and we know they don’t do it for the money (same with the military). Many police are former military. Isn’t it screwed up that many of them have deployed to fight enemies in another country, and now they are in their home country and still being shot at?

For all my friends who are law enforcement or have family members who are, I thank you and support you. I’m fortunate to have never had a bad experience with a policeman. Some arrogant and with no personality; yes. But, that’s not cause to hate them all or to shoot them (of course). I practice common sense when interacting with them. They are the authority and there’s nothing wrong with submitting to that. It doesn’t make me any less of a person.

I don’t argue the fact that some have been arrested, injured or killed by police who made a mistake. There are rogue cops out there, but I believe those numbers are very low. Nothing justifies hating, taunting, and killing any cop because he’s wearing the uniform.

They are someones son, brother, father and husband. They may also be someones daughter, sister, mother and wife. If one of my boys was a policeman, I’d be scared to death for him.

So, I rest in comfort tonight and am thankful for my safety. However, I’m very sorry for the families of those patriots who were killed and injured–they ran to the sound of enemy fire. May God comfort them and their families.

Police-Officer-With-Children