Tier_1_Athletes

Today is a day of grief for so many reasons. We mourn for so many, yet as we did 24 years ago we need to strengthen our resolve to courageously stand our ground and not live in fear. Charlie was an amazing human being taken from us by a vile, filthy animal way too soon. However, the enemy has already lost. His voice now is louder and stronger than ever before! Like those we lost on 9/11, he will NEVER be forgotten.🇺🇸

Last night my son asked if we could do “The Murph” in the morning. He said he had been waiting to do this with me since he was little. He is 18 now and a man, graduated from high school. He is named after a fallen warrior, Pat Tillman. This morning he honored another fallen warrior, Michael Murphy, with his old man. Very proud of this young American eating the elephant one bite at a time🤘🏼🇺🇸

A beautiful evening with my bride at the 2024 Gala at the in San Diego. The event raises money to prevent first responder and veteran su***de. Amazing people doing Gods work saving lives through equine therapy. It works. “You don’t have to ride alone”

2024 service awards was a definite high point in my last year of service for I have been blessed to have worked with so many valorous teammates in my last decade of service assigned to . I am overwhelmed with gratitude for my teammates too many to list, but a few are and many more. All of them live “The Man in the Arena”, uncommon valor was commonly witnessed during my career.
“The guts to try, so that others may live”‼️🤘🏼🇺🇸

Well, another surgery down. 2024 is an amazing year so far. Making LOTS of progress in many ways. Thank you for all of the support and prayers.

July 4, 1776.
We The People…..
Happy Birthday America🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Know it, it is your heritage and your culture. Don’t believe the lies of others that espouse that America doesn’t have a culture. Freedom and independence is our culture. Our ancestors spilled blood for it. It is time to buy in, assimilate, one nation under god.

You enjoy the freedoms daily that most in the world will never know. You owe it to a generation that raised their hands and stepped forward. They volunteered, many never came home. The ones that did come home, often didn’t completely come home mentally and spiritually. You owe them. You owe them to be an American worth having paid the greatest price for. You owe them to protect the Republic, the flag that stands for it and the Constitution that built this great nation, including the Bill of Rights. Isaiah 6:8…
“For whom shall I send said the Lord, and I said, “Here am I, send me.”” 🇺🇸

They don’t tell you when you are young that there is toll to pay for your career. 1992 until now has gone fast. I have 13 months left. This is surgery #2 of 5 or maybe 6 total. This is just the physical side. There is also an impact on your brain/psyche. I am trying real hard to use this end of service time to fix and heal both. I owe it to myself, and I owe it to my wife. When we were young she didn’t realize she was marrying my profession as well. Take care of your self, nurture your marriage. When you leave your team room, or station, or assignment you don’t want to be lost in a room with your family wondering who you are. Be well. No joke, find Jesus.

Last night I had the amazing opportunity to attend the fundraising gala. I spoke of this organization recently on the recording I did for . I truly believe this organization helped me get off of the path of self destruction. It is saving lives and changing homes. My family life has turned around 180 degrees. Equine therapy is real folks. It is also very expensive. The amazing people who attended this event donated an incredible sum to the well being of first responders and veterans that are battling the emotional disconnect that happens from turning off your emotions to emotionally survive horrific traumatic events. I cannot thank the donors enough. Your benevolence is amazing. I look forward to hosting one of the fire station dinners that raised a great sum. “You don’t have to ride alone.”

“Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the revolutionary war.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners, men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers or both, looted the properties of Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. The owner quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. These were not wild eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: ‘For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.’”

I am not ok. In fact I am pretty fu***ng far from it. I have lost another friend, but this time it hit really close. Too close. In fact, some people would be pi**ed by this sentiment, he was my child. My 4 legged K9 child. His name is Buck. He died in my arms on the morning of 3/6/23. He was 13 1/2 years old. I brought him home to my family in my lap on Christmas morning in 2009. He was one of the finest souls I have ever known. He was my best friend.

In fact, get ready for this controversial statement, he was the most Christlike person I have ever known. He saved my life several times. Figuratively of course. But none the less from late 2018 through 2020 I was at my lowest of lows and considered eating a bullet every time I came I was left alone. My survivors guilt, dreams, memories and PTS were at a point I did not know how to cope. I can’t say he physically stopped me, but my obligation to go for a hike with him always seemed to normalize my emotions, no matter how dark they became. He absorbed all of my negative energy, he heard all of my horrors and all of my sadness. When Buck died, he died knowing deep dark sentiments and secrets no mortal man will ever hear from my lips. Through all of this he always loved me, he was always happy to see me, and most importantly no matter how bad of a human being I became… he wouldn’t leave my side. He was my “ride or die” for a quarter of my life.

I am grieving for losing him. I buried him in a man sized grave I dug myself. When I finally cried for him a couple days later I heard misery and agony come out of me that I have been holding in for a very long time. No longer was I the strong one who didn’t mourn. Losing Buck broke me, and it felt good. It felt amazing to feel again, to feel the utter despair and sadness from losing someone who cannot be replaced by “next man up”. I am going to embrace this loss. I am going to go through the entire process of “DABDA”.

I will see you again Buck. You will be whole and healthy. We will run through fields together for miles. We will hunt birds. We will sit and watch sunsets. Until then son. Until then…..