Ever questioned the societal expectations surrounding volunteerism? What if we told you that often, people require some form of return to commit their time and energy to community service? This episode promises to reveal why that is, illustrated through our experiences within the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association® 12-6(CVMA®12-6). We explore critical subjects like peer counseling as a motivational tool, maneuvering organizational bylaws, and the defining intricacies of chapter events and sanctioned events.
Taking a leaf from the book of a dedicated friend, we share first-hand experiences of the challenges faced in volunteer leadership. Steve was a state leader of Mission 22, a powerful charity for veterans, and his story underlines the importance of consistency, accountability, and resilience. We also touch on the impact of Mission 22 and discuss how it partners with various therapy organizations to craft comprehensive services for veterans. As we delve deeper, we underline the significance of being genuinely committed to a charity's mission and the harms of volunteering for mere recognition.
Finally, we turn to a heartfelt recount of Bryant Hartman’s fight, and events leading to the wonderful story of a community who came together to help our organization that helped one of their own , a veteran touched by Mission 22. His tale is a testament to the real, lasting impact that volunteerism can have This episode is an emotive journey through volunteerism, its challenges, rewards, and significant societal implications.
Ever questioned the societal expectations surrounding volunteerism? What if we told you that often, people require some form of return to commit their time and energy to community service? This episode promises to reveal why that is, illustrated through our experiences within the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association® 12-6(CVMA®12-6). We explore critical subjects like peer counseling as a motivational tool, maneuvering organizational bylaws, and the defining intricacies of chapter events and sanctioned events.
Taking a leaf from the book of a dedicated friend, we share first-hand experiences of the challenges faced in volunteer leadership. Steve was a state leader of Mission 22, a powerful charity for veterans, and his story underlines the importance of consistency, accountability, and resilience. We also touch on the impact of Mission 22 and discuss how it partners with various therapy organizations to craft comprehensive services for veterans. As we delve deeper, we underline the significance of being genuinely committed to a charity's mission and the harms of volunteering for mere recognition.
Finally, we turn to a heartfelt recount of Bryant Hartman’s fight, and events leading to the wonderful story of a community who came together to help our organization that helped one of their own , a veteran touched by Mission 22. His tale is a testament to the real, lasting impact that volunteerism can have This episode is an emotive journey through volunteerism, its challenges, rewards, and significant societal implications.
So, uh, let's, uh, let's have a uh Frank, an honest discussion about something. I know it's been bothering you for a hot minute. Um, and that is why our society has decided that we don't try to better our community through volunteering unless we get something in return. Yeah and um that's a broad generalization. I know there are lots of people that give, give, give, give, give until there's nothing left to give, but, like most things, the bad apples are the ones that get the most attention.
Speaker 2:You know, when I first joined the army, my squad leader used to say you used to have eight Joes in a in a squad right and it used to be, you know, six squared away dudes and two dirt bags. And usually and he called it and coined it right and I'm sure it didn't derive from him, but I used it for 22 fucking years Pure counseling, right, yeah. And I used to tell my guys, listen, I'm gonna fuck everybody up. So you know who it is, you know who's slacking, you know. You know. No, no code reds, no blanket parties. No, none of that shit. Yeah, fucking a bill. You know what I mean, cause you motherfuckers are drinking Friday, saturday night, you motherfuckers. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like like hey bro, like you're having all the fun and we're the ones paying the price. Yep, Cause you obviously don't give a shit.
Speaker 2:And and paying the price by a. We're working Whatever, whatever the the time is after normal duty days, because this task should take eight privates. You know, eight hours, whatever. Well, now, now there's only six privates doing dirt, doing what is supposed to take eight privates, so it it's going to take long, right? I mean, that's, that's the matrix of it's still.
Speaker 1:It's still. The job still needs to be done. Whether it's eight swinging dicks or six swinging dicks, somebody's got to do it.
Speaker 2:Right, and you know, and that's that's what I reinforced Like the fucking bottom line is going to get completed. The mission is always going to get completed, Don't matter if it's one guy or a hundred guys. You want a hundred guys, yes, but the mission is going to get completed. So, um, through, through peer counseling, and you know I've been in several volunteer organizations in the in the last several years. That has a problem. They don't have a problem with volunteerism A lot of, a lot of numbers, a lot of people volunteering to do be part of X or Y or Z. They have a problem with the volunteering of the numbers who volunteer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's it, it. People don't have a problem to say, hey, yeah, I'm a volunteer with, uh, you know, bicycle riders of America. But when it comes time for bicycle riders of America to do something, um, yeah, I got this, oh, no, I got that. Hey, I got a funeral. Hey, I got to do this, hey, I got to do that, or I just don't say shit, I won't show up. Maybe they won't realize I'm not there.
Speaker 2:Right Um, since I've been commander of our organization, combat veterans motorcycle association 12, that six Cambridge, ohio, well uh, that statement was trademark Um circle R Jinx.
Speaker 2:Hey, uh, anyways um, but yeah, I mean, since I've been commander, I've, I've had it ask, right, so we, we, we are governed by our bylaws, correct and uh, but inside of that I cannot, uh, take away from our bylaws. Right, it's the old adage I can add to, but can't take away, correct. So the rules are the rules. I can add to the rules. Um, the board can add to the rules, yeah, not you individually.
Speaker 1:Right, as as a, as a group, we do make decisions.
Speaker 2:Right, right, right. We cannot, we cannot, uh, detract right or subtract from the bylaws. The bylaws are the bylaws.
Speaker 1:And the organization is structured in a way to where one person, ie the, you know head guy in charge or whatever, can't unilaterally make decisions Right. That is the, that is the um uh concept and the in theory of how our organization is supposed to run.
Speaker 2:Right, so, um, yeah, so in that vein, right, um, I have an ask. Right, as the commander, every year I haven't asked um, you know, I asked you to volunteer 12 hours of your day at a sanction event which coincides with our bylaws. Right, our bylaws says in a calendar year, from July one to, you know, june 31st of you know, the following year, that's our calendar year. Right, that's our business fiscal year. Fiscal year, that's our business year. So, um, you have to attend one. Right, a vent Now, the, the. The word event is kind of skewed. Right, as long as there is a? Um, a majority of the um body of the board, right, three of five, right, it's considered an event. Right, we have events at our house, events wherever Um, we do fundraising, um, in Kishokton, you know, quaker city, where, where, wherever we're doing that, as long as three of us are there, right, yeah, there, there there's a um, a very, uh, significant difference between a chapter event and a sanctioned event.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're talking chapter events right, which, which the bylaws that does not specifically say sanction event, right, Um, it says event. Right, an event is, um, it has to be a CVMA event, right, in order for it to be a CVMA event, it has to be put on, or, um, it has to be known, published, right, uh, there's standards to how, how far out publish our meetings or events, you know, um, one week, two weeks, things of that nature, right, so, um, it can't be a random Friday night and just so happen. We're all you know getting fucked up at the same spot and be like, hey, this is an event, you know what I mean. So, no, it there's. There's guidelines, right, Right, it could be, you know, our friends giving our, uh, halloween party, our Christmas party, our, um, our, you know, hanging out, uh, going to, um, uh, what's the goodwill? Going to goodwill.
Speaker 1:Oh, when we did fucking um yeah, dress dress, your dress, your partner dress your partner, right?
Speaker 2:That's, that's an event, right? Um? All of that qualifies, right. My ask to you is, um, as members of our organization, that you have to show up to one event a year is required, right, so make? My ask is donate 12 hours of your time the whole year to one day. Third Saturday in the month of August is our sanctioned event. That's my ask, yeah, my first.
Speaker 1:My first meeting was, I think, september of 21. It was at the Zanesville moose and that was where you, where I heard you say for the first time sell 10 tickets, yeah, get a donation of $100 or something in kind, and 12 hours on the third Saturday in August. That's it, that's.
Speaker 2:that was the first time I heard that ask, that that, and I've and I've said it since, uh, february of 2020. That's the ask Volunteer 12 hours of your time, right, Um, sell 10 tickets because we're going to be doing it. Sell 10 tickets because we are a 501 C three, so we donate money to veterans charities. How do we a cure our money to donate If we don't a get out in the public and tell them what we do and also tell them what our charities do? So we sell tickets? Right, we sell tickets. And you know, the first four years of our existence 2016, the 2020, um, we sold tickets and we gave away money at our event. Um, in 2020, we didn't have an event.
Speaker 2:Fucking COVID fucking COVID, right. So we didn't have an event, but the great people of Cumberland came through and we were able to donate, uh, $5,000, $5,500, um to honor flight that year. We were also able to petition our um national body for an additional $5,000 that year. So you know, we were able to. We were able to donate 10 grand that year. Um.
Speaker 1:So I mean, even though even though we were effectively shut down even though we we didn't do, we didn't do any ticket sales. Oh events.
Speaker 2:No event, well, just the Cumberland in 2020, um, because you know we didn't have um, it was in a gentleman's backyard, so we didn't have the restrictions of, you know, mass mandates, social distancing and things of that nature. So we were able to get together.
Speaker 1:And it was essentially a backyard party at Brian's house.
Speaker 2:That's right and it continues to be Right. So that was the ask. And each, each year you have, you have those um that um choose to and those who choose not to right, so it's, it's, it's one of those. It goes back to um what makes what makes a person do right and what makes a person do wrong? Right, like, if you're going to reward people for doing right, right, and everybody wants that, everybody there. Ain't a person out there that don't like a pat on the back. Yep, right, even though you know, and, and you know they might fuck out. You know what I mean. And and and a private moment. Everybody likes to be told hey, what you're doing is pretty good, right.
Speaker 1:Everybody needs to be validated.
Speaker 2:Like, like we we talked about earlier. Uh, in our travels we've ran into people that that mentioned to us how this podcast affects them, right and uh, yet we've yet to have to punch somebody in the face for being a fuck, you guys. And so, um, we appreciate that, right as humble as we take those. Um, uh, kudos, right as humble as we take those, like we, we like it, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, yeah, I mean it. It gives validation to what we're doing, that we're actually doing what we accomplished.
Speaker 2:Right, you know we're yep.
Speaker 1:We accomplished what we set out to do, you know when, when, when you have a spouse come up to you and say, hey, your podcast is helping me understand better. Yes, Like that's huge, Huge, Huge. Like that's what we wanted, and that's why I said you know every episode. If we can help one person, then that's all we all that's. I mean, that's perfect, Right.
Speaker 2:So, um. So when everybody likes, everybody likes kudos, not everybody likes criticism, right, but you have to take the good with the bad, yeah, right, um. And like I said, you know, punching somebody in the face for telling us our podcast sucked, that's tongue in cheek. I wouldn't do that. That's your opinion. Thank you, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:You might be on the next week's. Fuck that guy.
Speaker 2:I mean more than likely you'll be on the next week's. Fuck that guy. But, yeah, like I'm not going to, I'm not going to punch you in the face, but but you know, um, yeah, if you don't reward people for doing good and you don't punish people for doing bad, what makes someone do either that's character, that's how they were brought up, that's how you know and and character it shows like a bright fucking light and good, bad, or ugly. It shows like a bright light. So you have a lot of people volunteering and when I was um mission 22, um state state uh leader had a hundred and 56, um people who volunteered to be in an ambassador for mission 22. Um, I became mission 22 state leader in 2000, november 2018. Um, I gave it up November, february 20, 2022. Yeah, so you know, four year period 100, 100 plus people, 100 plus people in this work in Ohio, just in Ohio. I I'm not speaking for you know, I'm speaking for Ohio 156, um people volunteered to be an ambassador. Right, go to events, tell other people you know, stand under a tent behind a table, like we do at our you know, and tell others about what mission 22 does.
Speaker 2:Um, my wife is not a mission 22 ambassador. Um, however, from September 2018 to February uh 2022, she participated in over 30 events. Not an ambassador Uh. In 2019 alone, she participated in 19 events on 4,000 miles around the state of Ohio, trying to put a dent, bring awareness about veteran suicide. Right, that is volunteerism. That is, I don't need your fucking t-shirt, I don't need your. You know what I mean? Um, oh, by the way, she, you know, has plenty of mission 22 shirts, right? Um, but it was something I was passionate about, so it became something she was passionate about and you know it was.
Speaker 1:It was again, it showed character.
Speaker 2:But let me tell you, um, in 2021, we did, um, I want to say, 10 events. Um, no, it was. It was a little less, little less 2020. We didn't do any events, right, it might have been a little less anyways.
Speaker 2:Um, and it was just me and her and on two different occasions, two or three other people showed up and you're like, and they're like, well, I've never done this before. Da, da, da, da, da. You know, I'm just going to sit back and watch you guys work. You're like all right, and then people would come up, you know, you give the spill, you give the spill, and uh, oh, okay, well, all right, that's what's you know. And then you're like, hey, go ahead. Wow, I don't really feel comfortable. Then then, what are we doing? You know what I mean. Like I don't, I don't need cheerleader, I don't need pom-poms, I definitely, definitely don't need a supervisor, right, oh, I'm not, I'm not trying to do that. Well, like you're watching me work, that's supervision Shit. Or get off the pot, right, like if, if you don't want to, not granted my, my approach to people, especially then, um, you know, early, you know, I became state leader and I became co-state leader with my good buddy, sean Jones, shot out Sean Jones down in Tampa Florida.
Speaker 2:Um, I because you know she is a civilian um, being a um, being a state leader of mission 22 and veterans would come into the organization and not want to listen. What the fuck are you going to tell me, lady? You don't fucking know, right. And you know she got tired of saying hey, dick, I got, I got post traumatic stress too. Is it the same as yours? No, did I get it, you know, through combat? No, but do I have it? Yes, so can I understand? Yes, can I relate? Yes, and oh, by the way, I'm fucking doing it. Yeah, I'm here, I'm here, right.
Speaker 2:And so she then said a bro, could you? What do you think? Well, you know, at a time where, again, I'm sitting on my couch in my fucking underwear not wanting to do a bro, um, what do you think about being co-state leaders with me? And I'll do everything? And you know you just handle the military pushback right, like you know, I'll be like hey, this is what I want to do, what do you think? And you give me your honest opinion and critique. And if we shift, or whatever, but when the plan, I'm like yeah, I'll do that as long as I ain't got to do shit, right, like I'm telling her straight up from the jump, I don't want to do shit.
Speaker 2:No, and our first uh event was down in Cincinnati, and we drove down there and I didn't say one fucking word. I sat there and I super fast, right. And so that's why I can recognize when someone's doing that to me and I and I tell them, hey, I was there, I've been, you know, I've been where you are. I didn't want to talk to people Now I have to, right. And oh, by the way, most of the time the people that are sitting behind me are the spouses of veterans that, hey, I'm trying to get my, my husband, information. You know, I'm trying to. I'm trying to do my part, right, I'm trying to. Yeah, I'm trying. Why do you do this? And my husband don't fucking know your husband. You know what I mean, like, um, but yeah, we're all different.
Speaker 2:Most certainly right. So you know, I didn't talk to anybody. It was a suicide walk down in, down in Cincinnati. I didn't, I didn't talk to anyone. And then, you know, um, but part of my nature is, if I tell you I'm going to do something, bank that, shit it, it, it's done, right, so if I say a duck and pull a truck, hook the motherfucker up, right, so you know, then, now, now I have to. You know what I mean. Now, my, now, my name is attached to this thing, right, they're sending me business cards.
Speaker 2:You know, uh, on, there's a spot on our website that says state leader, fucking Steve Vickers, right, I, now, I now have a responsibility if I wanted or not, right, I have a responsibility. So you know, then, moving forward, and then we had, you know, she had, um, there was another co-state leader, and so we're like, hey, we're going to break the state of Ohio down into three sections because there's three co-state leaders and there's 88 counties and we're going to hit, hit all the counties and hit all the, you know, veteran service offices and all the all that. And, uh, so cool, all right, let's do it. And then, boom that state, boom that state, he drops off. And then you know, um it, it got to a point where me and her were such good friends and you know, she tried to um use my candor on other people and, uh, like other people in chats or, uh, private messages, they'd be like, you know, they would say something and I would say, fuck that, that ain't right. You know what I mean. And they're like, what do you mean? And I'd be like this is this is right, bum, bum, bum. And they're like, oh well, we never saw it that way. I'm like, yeah, if we're going to do this, we're going to do it right, and you know.
Speaker 2:So you know it got to the point that she would see my candor, you know, and it wasn't me trying to get out of anything, it was me saying I'm not going to do it that way because that ain't right. I'm going to do it this way, um, or I'm telling people in the art you know our Ohio group chat what the deal is. So then you know, she found her. She found herself um in in a chat with the region rep, the region rep, um, and uh, she tried, she tried to use candor on him and and uh, he didn't respond. Well, so he he then sent um the transcripts uh, the screenshots to national and national said thank you, sean Jones, for all your great volunteerism, but we know we no longer need your service.
Speaker 2:Snitches get stitches, you know, and and then she, she's like, okay, fuck it. And then, but she continued, you, and continues to volunteer to help veterans, causes and organizations to this day. And she's my, she's my bestie and uh, um, but yeah, but I stayed in the organization and because now they're like, hey, bro, you're, you're the state leader. I'm like, okay, like I'm on a, I have a mission, you know what I mean? Like, but I have to talk to the region guy and I have to talk to the national and I'll be like, hey, listen, like what the fuck are we doing? They're like what do you mean? Like she's talking out of pocket.
Speaker 2:I'm like what did she say? That was wrong. I mean, I'm like we allow 156 fucking people to sit on this list that says ambassador. They sit there, they do nothing, no requirements, no, no dues. No, there's no due for mission 22, right? So they're just people sitting on a fucking list, right? They? They joined a fucking chat group and rarely speak. And when they do speak, it's like this is bullshit. Then they go sit back in their corner.
Speaker 2:But the person doing something, actively doing it, the boot on the ground. You're, you're, you're going to say thank you for your service. Move on, right. I'm like that's what I have a problem with. You know what I mean. Now, if you have a problem with how she's doing it, right, address that, you know. And then, region guy, you ain't no fucking talk to me that way. I'm like I'm fucking talk to you that way all the fucking time. Well, bro, we're veterans. It don't like it's what I try to tell my kids, why I try to tell other adults when they say, don't fucking yell at me. I'm like it's just my passion coming out, bro, like I'm not yelling at you, right? My volume, my volume is just going up. However, don't listen to the vault, don't listen to to, Don't listen to the tone, listen to the message.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Focus on the words, not on the volume.
Speaker 2:That's it. And if what I'm saying in the message is fucked up now, you have a great right. If I'm just yelling to fucking yell, right To get my fucking heart rate up, and but if I'm speaking truth, then you fucking take it as I'd give it to you. Because if, if you don't want me you know I tell people all the time you know I won't give you my two cents until you ask me for change, right, and you can either physically say hey, what's your opinion on this? Or do some dumb shit when I'm in charge of something and I'll give you my fucking opinion, right, because that warrants my two cents. And then when I give it to you, you're like, fuck man, I'm like you know, but that's my opinion Based off what I'm observing from the outside, looking in, right, so that's. You know, that was kind of my my the start of my problem with volunteerism. Like I don't understand. Like Mission 22,. Don't give you free shit.
Speaker 2:Anybody, you know, anybody can be an ambassador to Mission 22. It takes fucking two minutes to get on Mission 22. Boom, hit the link to become an ambassador. This is my name, this is my state, this is my email. Welcome to your mission 22. Ambassador ship program. I mean, that's it. The work is being that ambassador. Yeah, that's where the work you can get the title.
Speaker 2:You have to earn it Right and you can get the title, Earn it right and, and you know when, in 2020, when I became chapter commander in the CVMA, I made it a point. I'm like I'm not. You know. It would be easy for me to say hey guys, one of our, one of our charities should be Mission 22, because they do great things and they absolutely do Right Um one of the state, our state charities is Mission 22. Right Um 12, one are our founding chapter up in Columbus. One of their charities is Mission 22. That's great. I'm not going to wear the hat of the state rep of Mission 22. She'll be state leader of Mission 22 and a chapter commander and say you know, I'm not, I'm not going to Dick Cheney, this motherfucker, I'm not going to be.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to be vice president and be like I think all goddamn um fucking you know all goddamn uh contracts and go to Halliburton. And no, by the way, I'm fucking on the board of health. You know what I mean. I'm not going to Dick Cheney, this motherfucker, like you know no other people out there are given a Mission 22. That's great we have. You know, um, our original members said you know, honor flight is ours, our charity and honor flight is doing great things. So who am I to change that? I'm not right. So I'm.
Speaker 2:I don't want any conflicts of interest. I don't want anybody from the outside If I'm doing right or not, anyone from the outside looking in and being like that's a little shady. That motherfucker's Robin Peter to pay Paul right, or maybe he ain't even paying Paul, yeah Right, he's taking checks from these motherfuckers, you know. And then, so, yeah, so I never, um, I never wanted to blend it. You know, the only time I bring Mission 22 up around, um, you know us right Is when someone comes to me with a problem. Hey bro, uh, you know, I'm dealing with this post-traumatic stress. I'm dealing with, you know, whatever. Hey man, look out here, look, look at this.
Speaker 1:And uh, you know even though you're not the state leader anymore, you're still an ambassador for their program. Yeah, most are in a way that it you know like anybody. You know somebody comes up to me and says hey, you know my car is running like this. Hey, look here, Look here, look here. So when someone comes up to you and says, hey, my brain is doing this, you're like hey, look here, look here.
Speaker 2:Right, and they have, you know, um cause, mission 22. Um as a, um as an organization, they don't help people per se, right. They partner with the people who help the people. They just they're just the, the, the, the funding charity right, and you know it's like a concierge service.
Speaker 1:I mean somebody comes to them with a problem and they're like, hey, um, that would be a good fit for you. Hey that would be a good fit for you.
Speaker 2:And what. What separates mission 22 from a lot of other um of the 22, uh, ameriquote and 22 organizations is they are not a cookie cutter approach, right? They partner with different um therapy organizations out there that you know um tackle post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, um in a um a whole body approach. They do um. They partner with equine therapy. They partner um. They have spiritual uh muddy oaks warrior project that meets out at the wilds in Cumberland, right? Um at at a a retreat they have out at the wilds, um, it's five days Um, and it's a spiritual um approach to to wellness, right. So you know a lot, of a lot of people out there, um, you know they're a, a fias or you know non-denominational, and they go out there and on Friday they get baptized because now they're believers, right. So we don't, we, we don't talk about things like that on this program because we don't want to exclude anybody. And that's the same approach mission 22 takes, because, all about, I've never wrote a horse in my life. Try equine therapy, right, yeah, it may not be for me, right? Or try, you know what. They have a service dog program. They have a you know what I mean Everything that's been proven to help veterans with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. They have a program inside of that umbrella for they send you to it free of charge for you, your spouse or your caregiver, right, free of charge.
Speaker 2:And it's not when I say it's not, a cookie cutter approach, meaning if you try one and one doesn't do it for you, you can try another, you can apply and try another, and ain't it? Ain't going back to rehab five, six times and cause the rehab program is the same program. You know what I mean. So, yeah, yeah, so that's how it's not cookie cutter. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:And yeah, but yeah, I, you know, when people say I got a problem, I give them mission 22 literature, a go to mission 22. At times, you know, and you're like oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no I'm. I'm talking to you how to, how to tell the VA that I'm fucked up so they can up my, my percentage and get the fuck away from me. You know what I mean and we've had people like that. You know, um. So, yeah, it's um. I enjoyed immensely my time at mission 22. However, it came to a point where, when I say all that, right, I say all that to say I never um full disclosure. I never participated in any mission 22 healing program because I found riding my motorcycle is where it is for me and doing all those events that me and Chrissy did, I had to drive my truck to every one of them because you're hauling stuff.
Speaker 2:I'm hauling, I'm hauling the tub, I'm hauling the table, I'm hauling the chairs, I'm hauling, you know, the 10th. You can't put that on the back of a bike. So I'm losing that Saturday, the Saturdays I ride. Now, I lost then.
Speaker 1:And your volunteering was starting to affect your mental health.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Because you weren't able to do what made you heal.
Speaker 2:Yes, and so I said, after four years of being, uh, the state leader of mission 22,. Here you go, you know what I mean. Um, you're.
Speaker 1:you didn't step away from the organization because of any foul taste or anything. It was because you needed to do what made your brain feel. Oh, most certainly. And, and that was in the way of making your brain feel yeah.
Speaker 2:And I still speak, of course, I still speak very highly of mission 22. I still, I still think everything they'd, you know, um, they're above board, um 90,. You know, when I, when I stepped away from mission 22, uh, it was like 97,. Uh, sense of every dollar given the mission 22, went to a veteran. That's pretty fucking good. Um, and you know, they had, uh, I want to say four, maybe five people on a payroll. That's it, um. So you know, and it's a relatively new company. They've only been around 10 years. Uh, started in, uh, 2013. So they've only been around 10 years. And and and the impact, uh, the national impact, the global impact that they have, you know it's, it's, it's great.
Speaker 1:So when I was, when I was, you know they change everything, so I don't know, it may not be that anymore, but when I was in the Air Force, our core values were integrity first, service before self and excellence and all we do, and I try really hard to live by those, even after I got out. Um, I try to be. You know, integrity is real big for me. Um, I used to wear um. So I found when I was uh over in Iraq, if I wore rubber bands on my wrists. Um, I don't know what it was, but it was just something that helped me maintain my calm. So when I started trying to get myself right, I started wearing, um, those little rubber bracelets they give out all the time and I had two from um, uh, wounded warrior project, and one of them had integrity on it. And, uh, I always wore that one on my right, you know, cause that was the one I used the most and I saw the most. And so you know I those types of things are real. Do I, do I successfully live up to those core values? No, you know, I fall short a lot. I fuck shit up, I don't do what I'm supposed to do all the time, but I try, um, so when? So I, we I talk about Jay a lot, jay, uh, play special Olympics sports. Um, I started out as just a parent, um, and then I started volunteering to help out, you know, when they need this or they need that.
Speaker 1:To wear, the last few years, I'm a basketball and a softball coach. I've never coached basketball or softball. I don't know what the fuck I'm doing half the time, but I'm there, I'm going to be there with Jay regardless. I might as well help, you know. And so yesterday I stopped to pick up all the softball stuff from our coordinator and I apologized. She's like why are you apologizing? And I'm like well, you know, for the last few years I was the one that was always available, regardless of what was going on, because I did nothing Right. I didn't have a friend group, I didn't have a social life. Um, I said, but you know, last year I rode so much and did so much that I didn't feel like I gave the, the athletes, enough of my time. Um, and so this year, you know, I'm, I'm going to. You know we're having our regional tournament the weekend, that we're supposed to go to Crescent Pennsylvania. And so I told her. I said, I said this is why this is important to me, um, and and so is there a way that somebody else can do that? And she said yeah, yeah, we can do that, no problem.
Speaker 1:So when I went and picked everything up, I apologized, I said I'm really sorry that I can't give the athletes the time that I've given to them before. And she, you know, I knew what she was going to say, but it did like we say all the time, it doesn't change the way you feel and she's like no, she's like no, absolutely not, she goes. You know, you do what best for you and you know, and work it out. So we had our first practice last night and I love, absolutely love coaching those athletes. It's, it's something that makes life. I, I get my value, my at a boy, my pad on the back, my validation, um, being able to enjoy them, enjoy a sport, you know, and it eats a lot of my time up, but it's time that I don't mind giving at all, um, but again, I felt bad that I wasn't able to give as much as I have in the past, because I'm, you know, but mentally I'm in a better place than I was. So you know, it's and that's and that's why we're buddies.
Speaker 2:Yeah, if you look, if you look out to our friend group, that's why we're buddies. You know what I mean? Like um, you know. I try to tell people all the time. You know veterans are not like-minded and you know they're like-minded. Excuse me, they're like-minded individuals. They're not exact-minded individuals Meaning. For the most part, we view things relatively in the same through the same scope, and I think that goes back to um each branch's core values.
Speaker 1:If you buy into your branch's core values, odds are it's going to dictate how you try to live your life and even after you get out of that you're going to be able to get out of that. Cores values, odds are. It's going to dictate how you try to live your life and even after you get out, that core value is still trying to push you in a general direction, Right.
Speaker 2:And I think there's no coincidence that our closest friends are more exact-minded than we are. Like-minded, right, you know what I mean. It's easy, it's easy to talk to them. It's easy, you know what I mean Like it's easy to sit down and bullshit about shared experiences, because we will find the humor they find in those shared experiences Exactly how they find the humor. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Um, like we were down at Quaker City and we learned about the guy that was too ugly to get fucked in a whorehouse. I told my dad that story yesterday. My uncle they were or Sunday they were fucking dying.
Speaker 2:If there's everyone who was in need of a fuckbag.
Speaker 1:The whores that wouldn't fuck that dude because he was ugly. That's fucked up.
Speaker 2:That's fucked up. Yeah, but yeah. So you know, I think that has a lot to do with it, yeah.
Speaker 1:And I think the people that are close with us, the quote unquote cool kids club. They're the same ones that are at every time the tent gets popped up to sell some tickets.
Speaker 2:And they're also the same ones that feel a certain way when they're not at. Yes, you see what I'm saying. Yeah, that you know you apologizing for a. You know. Understand this as volunteer. Understand you're not paying me on. Understand, you know the expectations might not be so high for you know my role here. However, you know I have built expectations over the years I've been here and you expect you know everybody. When I was in the military, I liked being that platoon Sergeant that when the hard job needed done, they only looked at one person. I like being that guy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, now I complained. You know if any of my first sergeants are listening to like man, fuck that guy. He bitched all the time, but I liked being, I liked knowing, because I walk in and be like, hey, we got a hard one. Okay, what is it Now the difference between them calling me and saying, hey, we need you to go fucking take a trailer of fucking laundry up to the nine doing it. You know a? You remember down in Barrett's when it got hit? Yeah, yeah, they need someone to go on the first roving patrol in there. I said I'll send one of my platoons, you're, you're that guy, that one I didn't bitch about, you're right, I'm that guy. Send me right. Um, and we did, you know. Um, I enjoy, I enjoy knowing that when someone knew they needed something done, right that, I enjoyed that.
Speaker 1:Um, and I like being that guy too. That's why yesterday I sent that text to you, because I've been slacking a little bit in my treasure duties and I knew I was slacking. I just was having a hard time finding the balance to figure it out, and so I didn't need you to tell me that I was fucking up. I knew I was fucking up and once I figured it out I made sure I relayed that to you. Self assessment I'm observing that I'm a dickhead. I'm trying to fix my dickheadness. Here's the stuff that needed to be done Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Completed mission accomplished.
Speaker 2:Yeah and uh and I appreciate that, um, because you know, in the past I have disseminated and you know like a good leader would do, disseminate and then check back, right, and like you know, you have to constantly. You know, you know I give you know, just in the military, right, when you're a leader in the military, you give orders, you ask questions, right. Here are my orders. I ask questions so that I understand that you understand the orders Once. Once that's complete, I could take off. You don't need. There's a hundred ways to fuck a cat, right, but I'm going to come back and periodically check on progress. I didn't eat seven.
Speaker 1:You used to tell me all the time trust but verify.
Speaker 2:That's it, most certainly. And when I come back, hey, what the fuck are we doing? Uh, what do you mean? Um, you're supposed to fuck the cat.
Speaker 1:Now you're fucking the dog.
Speaker 2:This is not like I asked specific questions. This ain't what we were talking about. Oh, um, well, you see, what happened was no, no, no, right Now you're. Now you're telling me, all you're doing is screaming I need supervision, I need you to stand here and micro manage me. That's what you're saying. I got you. I hear you here, I am Right.
Speaker 1:Um, I'd be picking up what you'd be putting down Right so, but yet you come back periodically.
Speaker 2:You come back periodically, tweet thing a, you know, over here, hey, we're good, straight, right, all right, and then you move on and same thing, like I have learned, you know, with with Previous officers. You know, hey, you do this. No, are you gonna do this? I don't know. Well, you understand, it's part of your job description, right, oh yeah, but I don't know, roger, Understand, the next time something in your job description comes up, I'm not asking you, you know mean, and it got to the point where I just did it.
Speaker 2:I just did it. You know I mean, and you know, out in, out in Colorado, the Wayne's like, yeah, I was talking to a buddy and he's, you know he was like, yeah, my commander don't do shit. The buddy and the Wayne's like, well, yeah, my commander has his hands and everything. And and then you know, after he said that he's like you know, we got you, you can give us shit. And I'm like what I said, it ain't that, you know, it ain't that, it's just, it's so much easier. I have learned so much easier for me to just fucking do it. You know I mean like be like a Nike commercial. Then the fucking ask because of the volunteer. You know I mean, yeah, and I get it. And this now, the new the you know since February, the new you know batch, the new board, you know everybody. We are a bunch of like-minded individuals and we we.
Speaker 1:I know the last few weeks I've been the bottom row.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, you know it's like, it's like a conversation. I have a, mike Blandina. About a week ago, you know he, you know he overheard Some of us talking about another member who don't come around as often, right, and and I was like, well, what you have to, what you don't realize, is Another ask. I have right, we talked about the asking Upfront. You know, 12 hours every time, 10 tickets, get a $100 donation or a, an item of equivalent equal value, right to donate. And I told him.
Speaker 2:The other ask is consistency. Things come up in everybody's lives and they'll change and you know it's the ebb and flows and you know if you reach out and say, hey, man, I'm having a, I'm having a time, a man, I have a personal problem that I'd like to keep. I'll tell you about it, but if you could Keep it on the wraps, I don't need everybody knowing my business, but this is the why I'm not around, roger, that that's it. And and you, you're then consistent About. You know, we talked about Gary, right, I tell Gary all the time and he Very similar to you, he's like amen, I wish I wrote more. I wish I, brother, I did it. Yeah, I mean like you're at home with mom, 90 year old woman, woman that, oh, by the way, is on her fourth, just come on, just coming off her fourth Nationals, right, so I mean.
Speaker 2:But you're consistent, bro, you know I mean and you're reliable, yes, and I'm like you said hey brother, mama's out of town, covet hit. This is what we're doing, here's our plan. I'll make it to what I can make, and then, ever since then, he's made it to what he can make. So that's consistency, right? And oh, by the way, all out has a lot of sweat equity built up in this chapter. When that wasn't the case His new normal right he fucking did everything right.
Speaker 1:There's a reason he's got a flash. This is chapter original. Right right, why his FM number is so low right.
Speaker 2:So you know, so you have sweat equity built With me, so that that matters to me. We have a lot of miles in. That matters to me. Now there's there's been people out there that they have a lot of People out there that they, you know, I sent an email out a couple years ago Now and I'm like, hey, I don't give a shit what position you've held in this organization. It's, it's what you've done for me lately. You know, I mean, and if you ain't, if you're not in the boat rowing in the same direction, you're causing drag. Right like you, you're just Holding your, your fucking, or in the water and you're not rowing. That's causing drag, that's making everyone else around you work harder.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we don't need that yeah, I look, if you're in the organization and you're listening to this right now and you're like, are they fucking talking about me? We may not be talking about you specifically, but we're talking about somebody like you yeah, and and which is funny because there's been people.
Speaker 2:I've got on Our webs, you know. I've got on our Facebook group and I've talked on lives. I've done it. I did in 2020, did in 2021. I've done it in 2022. I haven't yet done it in 2023. Yet and, matter of fact, I I've sat down twice to record one and then change my mind Because I've heard. Right, you know, when I put things out there, people call me immediately Afterwards. You're talking about me, right?
Speaker 2:And I'm like did I say your fucking name? No, like, have we talked about your situation before? Yeah, and I ain't fucking talking about you, right, but you feel a certain way because what I'm saying holds true in your heart. Yeah, so Do with that what you will. You know, I, we had the former state leader excuse me, former state rep of Ohio in our chapter and, and you know, when he, when he was done with his Time, he's like, hey, I'm gonna, you know, I'm gonna do something else. Of course he didn't tell me because you know he was state rep when I joined. And then, three years later, now I'm Chapter commander and he, you know, he's one of the one of the Joes now. And I should fucking recognize. And I'm like, you know, and Not only it, not only is he not doing something, but he's sponsoring someone, not doing nothing. And I'm like, well, I get, you know, you want to pursue things outside of CVMA. I get that. Yeah, most certainly.
Speaker 2:That's your entitled yeah, right, well, yes, and I want to do this. We'll go do that, right, and? But understand, I Understand it, but, however, they're still an ask. There's still shit that needs to be done, right? So, you know, I put out, I put out this message and, within I don't know 10 minutes of the message being put out, he transferred Him in the, in the person he sponsored transfer, and I'm like, well, I wasn't necessarily talking about him, but you know it was obvious it.
Speaker 2:It felt, it felt a certain way to him. He knew, so he left. Cool, you know we, we've had In the last several years we've had an influx of people leaving, you know, we, you know, talk to the state sardine arms. The other night and he's like man, when I saw Everybody leaving, I'm like what the fuck is going on down here? I'm like all you had to do is ask, I would, I'd fucking tell you.
Speaker 1:If you're not chasing them off, my wife is. I mean it's it's, it's, it's just a joke, you know it's, it's a make light of the situation.
Speaker 2:But you know it's. It's one of those things Tony must said. People don't like my candor. People don't like me Calling them out. You know they'd like. You know I Look at it this way.
Speaker 2:I Don't treat anyone differently. You know your service, how Little or small, or you know I don't treat your dad any different. I never treat link any different. You know me because there's support members. Never, right. I don't talk down to him Because we're all veterans. We're all veterans, right? I truly in my soul believe that. You raised your hand. You said this is what I'm willing to do and you went and did it. Where, where the army sent you is where the army sent you. It is what it is right, you know. But on the flip side of that, when you volunteer and then don't do anything, you just sit it, you sit down, you just sit it. You go about your life. The same thing you were doing prior to joining the organization you're still doing after joining the organization. The only thing that changed in your life is you lose $20 every year for dues. And what the fuck are you doing?
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, I mean it's, it's, it's like that hokey say it. Let me read this saying sounds hokey, but there's a lot of truth to it and that's where, if it's not in your heart, you shouldn't put it on your back, right? And that, I think, is what really gets a lot of us is that we see people running around taking pictures with their vest on and their motorcycle and all that stuff, but you never actually see them upholding the ideals or the mission that this organization Does. You know, it's cool to have your vest on and it's cool to run around and it's cool to go places and have people tell you Thank you for your service. But if you're not actually doing the service that that vest or that patch Um stands for, then what the fuck you doing?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean it's Now full disclosure. I am because of my father, like I've said before, I was raised very old school in this thought process, so I could be in the minority of people on how this is viewed but I don't think so bro. But I know, like you said earlier, our close group, we all pretty much feel the same way.
Speaker 2:My thing is I'm a veteran, you're a veteran we're all veterans.
Speaker 2:How to fuck, dude, can people look you in the eye and say Like we're equal from what we've been through? Okay, well, guess what? I'm here to tell you we ain't been equal since we joined his fucking organization. Yeah, you know me, and Again, I I would never ask anyone to ride as many miles as I do, because you ain't gonna fucking do it. You're not. You're not. There ain't nobody in this fucking chapter that's going to ride as many miles as me. That's, that's not me boasting. I will make a point. I mean, I fuck, when Sarge, this straight up, when Sarge went, went on the Virginia to the New York trip, he's like, yeah, we're going to do a fucking 1800 miles or whatever the hell it was. I went outside and rode 200 miles a day for five days.
Speaker 1:Well, when I was, when we were supposed to go to Tennessee and then you guys were going to come back and I was going to ride on to Florida before the sidecar fucked up on me, you remember what you told me motherfucker, you're going to have a big ass fucking head start this year, and instead I not only didn't get my big head start, I'm fucking significantly behind now.
Speaker 2:But yeah, my bad, I might have been my voodoo doll.
Speaker 1:Motherfucker ain't going to meet me Throwing pins in a fucking matchbox yeah, cause I'm at. I'm at like 6,000 and it's nowhere close to the 15 I wanted to be, but exactly but shit happens.
Speaker 2:I mean, you make a goal, but shit happens, you know. But what I'm saying is it, like we said on a podcast before, about making you know, we wanted to make a chapter achievement service. You know, like, hey, let's do an award for most miles. It would be foolish of me. I've rode the most miles in our chapter since I've been in our chapter. That's fact. That's not me boasting, that's just fact. Right, I'm the only one that has a loyalty patch since 2019. Every year they did do one in 2020. Long range riding, platoon you know what I mean. Like just because one, you know I'm not, I'm not riding, I'm not riding miles, except for the week Sarge was gone. I'm not. Like that bitch is going to get 1800 miles on me.
Speaker 1:Fuck that, hey that's actually the way you use some truth to that shit, because you voodooed my ass with the sidecar and then Sarge, goes on that trip and ends up going down and fracturing three ribs and getting a partially collapsed lung. Wherever your fucking voodoo dolls are, you can put the bitches away.
Speaker 2:Hey, I will be. I will be the highest Malik person, but yeah, I mean right.
Speaker 2:Now that you say that it's kind of fucked up, and I apologize. But no, I mean, you know, but it coincided with it also coincided with you know, I was feeling a certain way, right, and I'm like, oh, I need to let me get out. And then I got out and then I'm like, oh, let me get out. You know, riding begets, riding Shit, yeah, but yeah, so you know, it's I don't what. What bugs me is how people because when, when I don't, I don't begrudge anybody Right, you volunteered to be in this organization, you volunteered to do the B in the VFW or the American Legion, or you know and people, you know, last year, people are like, man, you're always bitching, okay, you know. Like you know, my, my VFW commander don't bitch when I don't come to meetings. Okay, like I'm not them, I'm not her, I'm not, you know, I'm not.
Speaker 1:If I was your VFW commander, I would be bitching.
Speaker 2:You know, it's one of those things like what the fuck are you doing?
Speaker 1:Like and I don't know if I would call it bitching. Um. You know the standard is the standard is the standard. If you don't uphold the standard, the bare minimum standard, hey, you know you're fucking up. Now, if you have a profile or a waiver or whatever it is, you know that deems why you can't uphold the minimum standard. That's one thing, you know. Hey, I'm not going to be able to hit the standard this year because I've got two fucking broken legs. Gotcha man, we understand it is what it is, you know. But if you're not upholding the standard because you know drinking every fucking Friday and Saturday night at the bar is more important than anything else in your life, hey, that's an issue.
Speaker 2:And all, and which leads me. So, when you do that, right, you know, back in again, back in the military as a platoon sergeant. Part of your responsibility is when soldiers are coming up on reenlistment, right, you know they have reenlistment NCOs or you know in the military. However, before those, before those times, you need to talk with your, your guy, and say, hey, man, you're, you're a good soldier, you're not great for this job, right, and there's a difference.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Like you, you do the yes or no, sir, you do the you know you're good for the army, just not in this position, that's right.
Speaker 2:Right, and I had several of those. I also had several people be like, oh hey, sergeant Vic, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna reenlist and go to Fort Drum, I'm gonna get 20 grand, da, da, da, da, da. And I'm like, no, no, I can't, I can't have that. Why not? Like, you're not good for the army, you're not good to be. You know the, the job you're in, man, you, you do, you do your best to go to fucking McDonald's and fuck up some fries on a regular basis, you know. So, you know you had to have those conversations as well. And, um, and that's, you know, early on you could do that. But then, you know, when 9, 11 hit and they needed everybody, for they needed all swinging dicks, there'll be ID magnets. It didn't, it didn't, it didn't matter. So, um, yeah, I mean, it's just how people can volunteer.
Speaker 2:And so I do the same thing in the CVMA, right, like, again, july one is our fiscal year. So our business, you know our business year starts and you know, a month, a month out, you're like, hey, you know, pay your dues. Da, da, da, da. And but there was some, you know there was some that you're like, hey, um, dues need to be paid by, you know, july 31st or, excuse me, june 31st, but uh, don't pay your dues, just tell me where to come and get your patch, because you ain't done shit in three years. So it's the same concept, like you know, um, and they're like Hi, you know, I just don't have time. You, you couldn't find time in the last three years to do one event. Then you have zero time. So, yeah, um, but I don't begrudge them again. I don't begrudge you you. You know what I mean. You're still a veteran, still my brother. You know, you need something. Reach out to me.
Speaker 2:Um, but your oars in the water cause and drag you're causing drag and oh, by the way, you're sitting in a boat, so you're adding weight. Right, you're costing our chapter money, right, cause we, we pay, right, we pay to stay to Ohio.
Speaker 1:Um, the chapter pays the state $2 per member.
Speaker 2:Yep, yeah, it's two bucks but that's how the state gets this money.
Speaker 1:Right, but that two bucks is two bucks that we can't give to somebody else.
Speaker 2:Well, that's two bucks more than you fucking brought into the goddamn chapter.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So, cause you're not even paying your chapter dues.
Speaker 2:Right, you're not paying your chapter dues, like what the fuck? Um, I mean it's, it's Now. Now we're in. Now we're in a. Now we're in a situation where you might, you may or may not think you're better than me, but your actions are saying your time is more valuable. Right, so great, take your valuable time and get the getting. Yeah, and now there's, there's, there's, um, there's commanders out there that they're all about the dudes, they're all about how many, how many patches they can get in their chapter.
Speaker 1:Some guys, it's quantity over quality. This chapter and it's not just you, it's that group it's quality over quantity.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I don't, I don't, I don't fucking get, I don't get, I don't get that concept. What the fuck does it matter if I have 150 dudes in our chapter?
Speaker 1:Yeah, but there's always been organizations like that where you know well. Prime example, I recently learned in the inner workings of the National Guard that the top officer for the respective state, who's a general, he has to have so many swing and dicks on the books for him to be a general. If he drops below that number he doesn't get to be a general anymore because it doesn't have enough swing and dicks to constitute that spot being a general. So you keep shit bags on the books so that you can continue to be a general and you don't have to go back to being a colonel. It's that concept where you know it's whether it's ego or whatever it is that's causing you know organizations to have leaders say actually I ain't even gonna call them leaders, I'm gonna call them dicks in charge To say numbers on my books are more important than the quality of the numbers on my books. Fuck all that.
Speaker 2:Fuck, fuck all that.
Speaker 1:It's the I'd never. I'd never, I wasn't. I wasn't a nasty girl, so I didn't know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, fuck all that. And you know, I've said this a hundred times I would my outlook because of what riding motorcycles do, what helping veterans do for me, and I'm able to ride motorcycles and help veterans in one organization.
Speaker 1:As winner. Winner chicken dinner baby.
Speaker 2:And when I took over in 2020 and then we didn't have an event you want to talk about feeling like a motherfucking, I already had big shoes to fill right. I still don't think I'm anywhere near the commander. Bobby Cooley was, and you know, me and him have a vastly different approach. And he's the mayor, right. He's the governor and the for him to give me flowers, right. For him to say, hey, bro, you're fucking killing it, like. You know that again, I like. I like those. I like those From the people that matter.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, that's like you said for this year. You know we talked about doing something different. You wanted to make sure that you know the guys that started this chapter were okay with the thoughts you had about maybe changing things up a little bit, because it was important that you lived up to the standard that they said.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and we have for those outside of state of Ohio, for those outside of Southeast Ohio, for those who've never been to a 12, 6 event, let me tell you, when I you know, last year I boastfully wrote best Poker run you can attend, and I say that to say this you show up, yes, you're, you're. You're paying a $20 entry fee, you're paying $10 for the, the passenger. Holy shit, 30 bucks, yeah. And then on a spit over an open flame were rotating 50 chickens. It's straight yard bird, and so you get some yard bird Shit ton of fixings.
Speaker 2:People. People don't eat enough. That's how much food we have. All out brings his vacuum sealer and we I still got shit in my deep freezer. That's what.
Speaker 1:I got, I got.
Speaker 2:I got chicken in my deep freezer that's how many chickens we get and, and you know, we, we started buying the chickens Initially, and then chicken started getting donated and so chicken dinner Right, it's not fucking hot dogs, it's not hamburgers, it's fucking chicken dinner. And then we got sides right Scallop potatoes, green beans, that shit. So you got that everybody who walks through the door gets a door prize, everybody the last several years, your registration, just by registering, just by paying your $20, you get a chance to win a thousand dollars. This year is 500. Because we're giving $10,000 away. But well, this year it's 100 to five different people, right, so you know you get that. And then every other year. But this year you get to ride through Appalachia, a part of Ohio. Most people you know rarely see the twisties, the you know, the switchbacks, the you know you get in Ohio. You get on a route. If it has a triple digit, stay on it, bro, because every three, every three number road over here is worth riding.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know the triple nickel gets all the glamour and the glitz, yeah, but there's a whole lot of triple digit and uproads that are real nice.
Speaker 2:They're real nice. You know we have, we have a lot of, you know, a lot of good auction items. But we usually, usually we have some big ticket items. You know we have. You get a chance that last year we had a guitar signed by Hank Williams. You know what I mean. We get. We'll have some bottles of bottles of liquor, you know, that are not relatively easy to find where we're at. You know we've. We've in our travels, yeah, in our travels out. Yeah, we got one this year from, from Colorado. I mean so in our travels. That that's what we do. So, yeah, I mean it's, it's just so you get a good ride, you get a good meal, and so we're doing. We're going to go back to the um.
Speaker 1:Our DJ hits it out of the park every year um again donates his time yeah, donates his time.
Speaker 2:All I have to do is open the tab for him and, uh, he, uh, he's all about it. Um, yeah, I mean it's it's. Um, clayton's a good dude. So, yeah, I mean it's, it's. You know he even Hill go is far to come down to. You know the VFW. You know usually where we had In years past and he'll check. There's a way you can check the most played songs on the jukebox or whatever they have Jukebox anymore. It's more automated than that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like a big ass fucking iTunes console or whatever.
Speaker 2:He's able, he's able to tap into that and see, you know, the playlist that people like in there and that's what he plays. You know, I mean that's fucking, that's pretty cool, you know. I mean so I mean he does his due diligence and we appreciate him coming out, but yeah, I mean it's and work I 22 people yeah, we're not a big chapter and it's 22, 22 people right there that that put it together. It's it's a Strong tan and their spouses and then couple individuals.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean Saturday, when Gunny was like you gave how much, yeah, and you're how big.
Speaker 2:So I mean, yeah, but that's what we're doing this year. We're doing a cash bash.
Speaker 1:Oh, we're doing a shameless plug.
Speaker 2:Yeah, most fucking certainly this year we're going to cash bash. We're at the Cambridge Eagles from 9 am To, you know, probably 4 pm We'll be in there. But yeah, get there early Register chance to win a hundred bucks.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just for registering just by registering, pay that $20, you get a chance to win a hundred bucks back. We're drawing five. That's we're drawing that five times. So we're giving away $500 there and then when you get in the door you know again we have door prizes. You'll get a meal from grilling, grilling and chilling Dave style here in Zanesville Ohio.
Speaker 1:We won't be doing the open spit because of the logistics of where we're going to be doing it. We're still going to give you some damn good food. We're gonna give you some damn good.
Speaker 2:You're gonna have three different meats, three different sides, all the sauces and all that's. We're gonna provide that for you. Dj will be there, clinton will be there playing again, and then Every 15 minutes, starting at 11 o'clock, we're gonna give away Money. Yeah, and every hour on the hour is the thousand dollar drawing and it'll go a thousand dollars, it'll go 125, and then it'll go 500, and then it'll go 250, a thousand dollars, 125, 500, 250, a thousand dollars, all the way up to three o'clock, and at three o'clock we're giving away $2,500 and all. By the way, at any time during there your ticket gets pulled, we throw it back in so you can win the thousand dollars at 11 and you can win the 2500 at three. Off of one ticket, off of one ticket, and we have tickets left. Yeah, go to CVMA 12 6.com to get your tickets.
Speaker 1:It's $25 a ticket. You know you spend $25 on dumber shit right, and and You're getting four times you.
Speaker 2:The least you can win is four times the amount you spent on that ticket. Yep, right, we're giving you a hundred plus your 25 back. Yeah so come on people 25 bucks, get you 17, change don't have you don't have to be there, you don't have to be present to win, but we encourage you to come down to the damn good party.
Speaker 1:Well, the big thing too is is like I've told, like last year when we were, when we were raffling off the bike and people would say stuff, I'm like you've spent money on dumber shit. And oh, by the way, if what? Because people would say, why never win anything, okay then don't. Don't do it because you might win something. Do it because you want to give 25 bucks to a veterans organization, because that's where the money's going.
Speaker 2:That's it and and we're paying.
Speaker 1:We're giving away 10 grand, regardless of we sell one ticket or 1000 tickets. We're forking out the money for the 10 grand. The money you're giving us is going to our charities. Yep, I mean, we're eating the 10 regardless, you know. So, give money to a charity. Oh, by the way, you're donating 25 bucks to a charity, but we're giving you a chance 17 chances to win some fucking money.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's. It's not even like it's selfless donation. There's opportunity there for you to benefit greatly from it. Yeah, yeah, and I think that's. I think that goes back to the the very first question why do we not Give to our communities without getting some type of benefit in return? And I don't know if it's always been that way, because that's not the environment that I grew up in, you know. So I, maybe I have this romanticized vision of previous generations Giving to their communities to make things better, or maybe I'm a hundred percent right, I don't know. I'm just saying that, growing up the way I grew up, in the way I was raised, and all that jazz, you didn't have to put on your Sunday best to be a contributing member to society.
Speaker 2:No, and and motorcyclists are some of the most giving People out there. Yeah, you know, I guess I you know I guess when we're out in our vests, people automatically assume we're an emcee.
Speaker 1:We're not but even then, even even the most Hardcore Motorcycle club, right, and and I'm not going to label them whatever, just what they claim to be, the hardcore motorcycle clubs they still give charity. Oh yeah, you know, I mean like, like you can see all of the gangland episodes you want to see, but those organizations still do charitable work. Yeah, and I think it goes back to what we say all the time when we're riding and we're looking at, we're like this is why we served. Yeah, when we're riding I think we get that same. We have that appreciation that when we're riding, the opportunity, the, the Paying 25 bucks to register for somebody's poker ride, for them to give Money to a charity, is the least we could pay to be able to ride what we ride.
Speaker 2:I've given a hundred Just by fucking up names. I would scratch them out, put their name on a right ticket and then buy those two. You know, yeah, but yeah, I mean, you know it's, and you know, like last year we tried to give away a lot of money last year and people gave it back Because that's what they do. Yeah, I mean, and that's, and that's why.
Speaker 1:There's still. They're still, like I said in the beginning, not everybody Fits the mold of what we've been negatively talking about. There is an Overwhelming majority of people that still believe in giving of their time, giving of their money, doing whatever, but like anything that that they don't get celebrated enough because we're so focused on the ones that are holding everybody back.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and, and you know we are fortunate enough to have you know, quote-unquote civilians. You know members of the community Around us who care enough about veterans to Let volunteer their time to help us, and we have members of our chapter who don't reciprocate that. That's, that's the frustrating part, that you know you have Civilians doing more to help veterans than you are.
Speaker 1:Well, that's the whole reason I drive. It's like an hour for me to drive from Chasaukton to Buffalo to get my patches put on my vest by Cheryl. Yeah, but Cheryl selling tickets every year and she's not even affiliated with the chapter, yeah. So If she's, if, out of the goodness of her heart she's trying to help us, help veterans it's the least I can do to. You know, patron her business and you know I appreciate what she does for well, sir, not only us, but veterans like us.
Speaker 2:Well sir, and she's down. She's down at the Buffalo V of W on a regular selling, selling articates. Yeah, she's doing good things for us. So we appreciate Cheryl and Tim Cox out there Always. I mean Tim Cox, you know, the highest Complement I can pay someone is call them a great American. I mean to me, right, they may not give a shit, but it's not a lip service, great American either.
Speaker 1:No, no, it's truly what the concept should be right, most certainly.
Speaker 2:Tim Cox is a great, great American and he's he is what got us involved out in Cumberland With with Brian Hartman Recipes. Brian Hartman yeah, I mean that that's what got that started took a phone call to you know, took a phone call and got us out there and you know us one out and Doing a ride for a airborne brother who had stage four cancer and was at all. You know he was battling and you know it was. It was a low point and so Tim said we need to do a ride for him and he reached out to Bobby and Bobby reached out to me and said, hey, he said we can do this most certainly. And we linked up and you know Bobby being Bobby and I say that to say If it's worse, if it's worth doing Bobby coolie or overdo that shit, and then Bobby coolie or overdo that shit in the best possible way, yeah he may be small in stature, but he is large in heart.
Speaker 2:She's Christ and he, you know. So you know what are the quints, what are the chances that Tim Cox Reaches out to Bobby coolie and says hey, you know, brian Hartman up here has stage four cancer. He was in the 82nd airborne and he was, he was a member of HHC division, artillery right. And Bobby coolie responds my daughter is down in the 82nd airborne. And Then later and later, when he, you know, calls his daughter and Pages, pages out in Germany right now what's up?
Speaker 2:page oh, capitone captain coolly, captain, coolly out in Germany. Anyways, you know, she hears the story, she tells her roommate. Her roommate is in HAC Division artillery. So he tells his captain, he tells his company commander, company commander writes you know a beautiful memo, you know beautiful letter and memo form, and sends it. So, page, being the daughter of Bobby, right, overdoing shit is in her genes as well.
Speaker 2:So she goes down to the museum, she gets a 82nd airborne throw and Puts the letter with the throw, brings it back. So when we, you know Bobby's like, hey, we should probably do a little chapter certificate. Yep, no problem, got it, ba ba bum. And so we go out there we present a plaque with our chapter Certificate of, certificate of, you know, staying in the fight. Like you don't fight alone. We are all brothers here. If you need us, we're here anytime you need us, you know. We then Read the letter from the company commander, which you know extended an invite to Bryant to come down to Fort Fort Bragg and Participate in you know airborne week, or you know what a great. And then the throw, and then we presented him with a CVMA coin. Oh, by the way, you guys, because I wasn't in- the chapter.
Speaker 1:No, yeah, no, I wouldn't in the chapter when this happened. Oh, by the way, you got to ride motorcycles that day. Yeah, like that's the best, like. That that in and of itself is the best part for us, mentally right, and and then spiritually. And let me tell you like we get to do that. Emotionally, we get to do that.
Speaker 2:Helping like we give money. You know we give money. We go to Go to Columbus and give you know. Last year I gave a twenty five thousand dollar check to honor flay Columbus and I think this is like eight hundred bucks to send one veteran.
Speaker 1:It's now a thousand. Oh, a thousand dollars, yeah.
Speaker 2:Beth just told us last Thursday. So Beth there, oh, thank you, and she means it. It's sincere, right. Seventy thousand dollars it takes to fly from Columbus to Washington back. So she means it, she did, but her sincerity cannot compare to Brian Hartman's right, right, what it? What we did for Brian Hartman Pails in comparison. We don't necessarily get to see the direct impact on the Right right. What it? What we did for Brian Hartman pales in comparison. We don't necessarily get to see the direct impact that our funds have on veterans, directly right because we're not.
Speaker 2:We're not there witnessing we're not seeing where our twenty five thousand dollars. Right so it. You know John Smith getting off of a plane in Columbus, you know John Glenn International Airport. I can't point to him and be like he's part of our twenty five thousand. I mean the these first twenty five people. That's us. We, we put no. You know what we did for Brian Hartman that day. Well, I'll say this when Brian passed, we went to his memorial and on the table at his memorial was a coin, was our plaque, was the throw, was the letter, and I mean yeah and that's, that's how you know.
Speaker 1:That's the direct yes.
Speaker 2:That's the receipt. Yes, yes, that's the receipt. You did, you did enact. How do, how do I know? How do I know this? My, my volunteerism helped.
Speaker 1:That's the POB. That's it. That's the pad on the back. That's it Because, when you showed up, not only was the stuff that you did important to him, it was important to his family and it was important to his community. That's it, because what we that? That, in the overall grand scheme of things, that minuscule act of of doing something for somebody, not because you were going to get any benefit out of it, but because it was the right thing to do, turned into the Cumberland community event on our flight night.
Speaker 2:And it was talked about so that you know Tim Cox, um, you know he gets with Brian and he's like, hey, you know, some people are calling coming out here. Uh, Brian's backyard is very spectacular. They have, he has a L shaped, uh garage. They deem the shack T a shack and uh, and it's his bar, it's his brick corner tavern right and uh, and that's where the community comes to fellowship. And and so he, he says, after we ride there, we're all prepared to leave. He's like, hey, you need to come over to the house. Um, we got some beer, can chicken over there. And you know, I'm like, well, I don't fucking pass up a meal. So we go over there. And you know, standing in his yard, under a tree were now a big ass garage sits and we have bands in there.
Speaker 2:Right, at least last year, when it was a torrential downpour, like under this tree, you know it was a, I want to do something. What? What can I do? And we're like, well, you know. And we're like, well, it's a, you know it's a COVID year. And he's like, well, I don't, I don't have any restrictions, can we have something here? We're like, yeah, and you know, again, I paid, I take the tongue and cheat, right.
Speaker 2:People say I want to do something, right. Well, again, when the people around me say they want to do something but they're not doing it, what makes this guy? Yeah, want to do it, and um, and then you know, a couple months later he's like, hey, we're going to play this thing, or what I'm like, oh, you're for real, yeah, and so 5,500, that you know. 5,500 that year, and then the next year, more than the next year, more. You know what I mean. This will be the fourth year. Um, and I will tell you. You know, last year, on a bottle of whiskey alone, we got 1500 bucks, uh, donation. We got a $1,500 donation for a bottle of whiskey. After I made a stipulation where, before we raffle this, before we raffle it, we will drink this bottle of whiskey. Here I got shot glasses. Everybody who wants a shot will take a shot, but we're going to consume this bottle of whiskey right here for Brian Hartman.
Speaker 1:And the significance of the bottle of whiskey was it was a airborne bottle.
Speaker 2:There you go Um from a bourbon 30 that. I purchased when we were down there Dorne Nationals and Louisville Um. I did not own distillery.
Speaker 1:Yep Veteran owned distillery.
Speaker 2:I did not. I did not purchase it for Brian, Right, I purchased for myself, for my collection, um, but it seemed fitting to me. Um, you know, a bourbon 30 donated a bottle when we were down there. Um, one of their, um, one of their retail bottles, right, which it? You buy it off shelves for like 30 bucks, um, they go to any of that Cool, um the bottle. I bought 125 bucks, right, a little more expensive, a little better whiskey in there, um, and all I did was trade the two bottles. Um, as the chapter, hey, you have a problem with that. Um, as the chapter, hey, you have a problem with me trading these two bottles. They said, no, we took that bottle out to. And then I'm like, let's take this bottle out to Cumberland and we'll auction it there.
Speaker 1:And because that bottle has a connection to that community.
Speaker 2:It does Right. Um and like I said before the bid, I said we will drink the bottle there. We did Um. They. You know they paid $1,500 for a bottle Um and uh started out with what three of them bidding?
Speaker 1:Yeah, three of them got together and we're like fuck it, let's do it this way yeah, Three young were yeah, and one of them was Brian's son, wasn't?
Speaker 2:it Brian's son, yeah, and uh, which was he? Was we, we, um, we consumed the bottle for up but one shot and we we put the last shot back into the bottle and that's where it stayed. Um, this year we have an 82nd airborne bottle, um, we're going to take down there. We're not going to auction it Um, we're just going to give it to Brian's wife and uh, um, you know, as as our thank you to her Um and just a reminder that we're still here, yeah, um, that you know, even though Brian is um, rest in eternal easy Um, that we're still here for and we're still a veteran community for her um, as a widow of a veteran Um, so we're going to give her the 82nd airborne bottle from boundary Oaks distillery.
Speaker 2:Um, that, um, but yeah, I mean it's. It's one of those things where um get it, get out there and and volunteer and uh, cause, when you do man it, it fills your heart and I think you know that's the other thing that gets me is we do all these things. That just fills me, fills my heart, and I'm like why can't people see this? Why can't people see the? You know the good we do, the. You know the when messages come down that a veteran needs, you know, some help on his house and you know, you put a post out and the amount of people that says, yep, I'm there, I'm ready, I'm. You know, um, we're going to give, um, we're going to give a scooter away to a veteran, um, we just have to work out the logistics of getting the. You know, a World War two veteran, past um and has a brand new scooter, hey, we're going to give that to someone who needs it, right? So, um, and you know things of that nature, so and that that right.
Speaker 1:there is what. What I think boils down to the simplest thing If, if you need some type of reward to volunteer, the, the reward that your heart and your soul get is irreplaceable. It's priceless. That's it, whether, whatever type of spiritual person you are. I'm a big believer in karma, not really into organized religion. I'm all about that cosmic justice. Um, so I try to put as much good karma out in the world as I can, you know, hoping that one day that'll come back and and help me in a time of my need. Um, so yeah, your heart and your spirit will thank you, and if you're one of those people that believe in the pearly gates, you might be at the top of the list if you're out there volunteering all the time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and uh, yeah, I mean, it's one of those. It's one of those things where you know, yes, the number one veteran in your life you should take care of is you. Yes, but for the last three, four years, if the only veteran you're taking care of is you, come around other people because you might not be doing the best job yourself and cause I was there and getting around other people, socializing, you know, helped spark where we are today.
Speaker 1:So no, by the way, helping. Sometimes helping other people helps you as well.
Speaker 2:Most certain that you know. That was, that was my point, so I think we put a bow on that. Hey, if you're going to volunteer, volunteer, I mean, you actually, you know, actually actually do something. Um, so we have, oh yeah, this year's or this year's, this week's installment of fuck that guy, we're going to go out to um.
Speaker 2:Paris Island, a senior drill instructor down in Paris Island while Sean pulls this up real quick and, uh, you know, we're all, we're all out here, you know, trying to do the best, and if that's your intention and shit goes south, then you know it is what it is. There's intentional accident, unintentional accident, um. So I mean, go ahead, sean, all right. So we got, we got staff sergeant.
Speaker 1:Steven Smiles and we got a lot of. We got staff sergeant Steven Smiley, drill sergeant, senior drill instructor in the United States Marine Corps, paris Island. He was in charge of a group of privates, uh platoon of privates, when I think it was June of 21,. One of his privates, private uh Dalton Beals, out of New Jersey. Uh passed away and, um, sergeant Smiley is being charged with uh. I'm trying to find the actual charges now.
Speaker 2:So there's a um, there's a thin line, right Thin line, between getting maximizing um, the effort your guys put out and endangering your guys. There's a thin line. It's, you know everybody, everybody has the eye quit in them. It's, it's a good leader will push their people through, through the walls that their bodies are hitting. But you, you have to, you have to take in account, um, you know, you have to look what your eyes are, not what you're feeling.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So uh Staff Sergeant Steven Smiley was referred to a general court martial on charges of negligent homicide, cruelty, oppression or maltreatment of subordinates and obstruction of justice. So reading through the articles it looks like um Private Beals was in the 11th week of his basic training. Uh, they were doing the crucible. It was 90 plus degrees in June. Uh, there in Paris Island, I guess it was a uh black flag weather, a temperature condition and um Staff Sergeant Smiley. From reports and accounts uh was a um, and I quote from uh Private Beals mother uh a self-righteous, egotistical man who wanted his platoon to be the best platoon. All platoon sergeants want their platoon to be the best platoon. Unfortunately, um drill instructor Smiley might have went a little too far.
Speaker 1:Uh Private Dalton Beals was uh in a Pugel event. When he got done he was falling down, hallucinating, couldn't breathe. Uh wandered off to get some water. An hour later they realized that the private was missing. He was found uh in the woods unresponsive. Uh they started CPR um, but to no avail. Uh the private passed Um. They did an autopsy. Sergeant Smiley was charged. His trial was supposed to start in April of this year. It was delayed um for an additional investigation and a second autopsy. The first autopsy said that uh, private Beals passed because of uh hypothermia. The second autopsy that was just done said it was a heart condition. So, um, yeah, the uh, the trial was supposed to start this month.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Um and and go from there but and. I did all that.
Speaker 2:I mean the, the I mean.
Speaker 1:I think the fuck that guy in this scenario is. We can relate that Staff Sergeant Smiley wants his platoon to be the best platoon Yep, but you have a responsibility to look after your guys, yeah.
Speaker 2:And and you know um, black flag, uh, I, I'm assuming you know it's category five, uh, heat index, that's that's what we called in the army, cat five. You get it through a wet bulb. Um, you have it at all your train. You know the wet bulb is at all your training events and and a trade off um assignment. I mean it's, it's mandatory. Um, you know it's. It's things like that are dictated down. You know what I mean and basically what, what the um, what the article reads is you know he took it upon himself to do a? Um, you know a pupil fight on this day, um, and I guess, and I guess, private Beals.
Speaker 1:You know he's a big guy, yep, you know silver, six feet, 200 and some pounds, um, they called him big deal Beals in the platoon Right and, uh, he had a lot of Pugel fights that day because, well, he was winning and he was whooping ass, yeah, um, king of the mountain, and unfortunately he, he pushed himself at the direction of the staff sergeant Because, let's face it, when you're in basic training, if you're a good private, there's one person that is God and that is your drill instructor. And so you know, he was, by all accounts, he was, he was a, he was a good marine, he was, you know, excelling well in training. He would have been a benefit to the Marine Corps, um, but his, his body gave out.
Speaker 2:And, above all, that, so you know where the fuck you fuck that guy comes in is. You're not supposed to be out there and you lose accountability of Joe for over an hour.
Speaker 1:Who's a? Physically, it's not like he's five foot tall. You know what I mean, right.
Speaker 2:I mean, but you lose accountability of Joe for over an hour.
Speaker 1:Um, you know, and you're not even the one that finds Joe, some other dude does Right.
Speaker 2:Who, who goes again, you know they. They said in the article that the buddy, the battle buddy, system was um not used, not used, uh, for whatever reason. So you know like.
Speaker 1:I guess at one point they yelled uh, private down or trainee down for a different individual Right, and one of the privates asked the drill instructor if Beals was okay. This was before they even found him, because those privates knew that their buddy was was some kind of fucked up and reports are that the drill instructor told the private to shut the fuck up. It wasn't his business to go back to what he was supposed to do.
Speaker 2:Well, fuck that guy. Yep. So I mean now, um, he may or may not be the murder rap that you know, that you know Bill's is dead. Yeah, ain't no bringing you know, ain't no bringing him back. Um, now your lawyer might do something to you know, um, get you out of that. Bill's was out there doing pukele sticks when it was 95 fucking degrees because you made him do it. Um, and that's where you know, in there, this is. You know, uh, treatment of subordinates, that's, that's, that's what it is.
Speaker 1:Because it's not a democracy. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean, but as a baton son and as a um stickler for training, um, and let me tell you, we get off mission and we would train in Iraq and people like, hey, why is everybody else in the fucking rack? Or they're playing PlayStation. We're out here doing this bullshit Cause winning or losing on PlayStation ain't gonna keep you alive and motherfucking combat, so um, but it was never, you know, it was never um a punishment type thing. It was like we and and I was right there with him and yeah, that's.
Speaker 1:That's. Another thing the article says is that while he's out there you know they're out there sweating their dicks off. He's sitting in an air conditioned vehicle. No, no, see by the front man. No, right, so um, yeah, so um with that um he may not be negligent in the homicide, but he's definitely negligent in his duties as an NCO.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, most certainly so fuck that guy. That's what we say. Thank you, Dana, and uh, that's what we got for this week. See you next week.