The 4th of July has passed and it is always a great day for family and friends to get together for celebrating our independence. My house is always the hangout on that day due to the close vicinity to the local fireworks and having a ton of room for parking. We gather for great food, a large cooler of your favorite adult beverages and maybe some cornhole competitions.
With me being an Army veteran, I always reflect on the soldiers fighting overseas and how they are away from their families protecting our freedom and way of life. Why we are celebrating and having fun, they are risking their lives everyday to keep us from harm.
About a month ago, I was looking for some new people to help us build badass cars and a young man named Brian Wilson applied for the job. He had a background in metal fabrication and mechanical work but didn’t have a large portfolio of experience. Sitting down with him, I learned that he was a Marine veteran recently discharged from the Corp. and was looking for work. During our interview he told me his story and I would like to share it with you.
Brian Wilson volunteered for the Marine Corp. in 1998. He was sent to Paris Island for his basic training and then sent to Infantry Training School at Camp Legeune, North Carolina. Once he was finished with his training he was sent to the 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Marine Division. He was quickly shipped off overseas and did 1 tour in Yemen, 1 tour in Iraq and 2 more in Afghanistan. His tour ended after being injured in a dramatic incident.
Brian was a part of a unit that had a very high mortality rate. Their main mission was to clean and sweep buildings of insurgents that were trying to occupy local villages and cities. Brian and his platoon had just finished sweeping a building and were setting up a perimeter in the streets. They were immediately ambushed by small arms fire and he was struck in the wrist. When unable to grasp his machine gun to protect himself, he turned to pull out his 9mm pistol, this was the last moment he remembers. Brian was hit by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) which had knocked him unconscious, detached both his retinas, blew out both of his ear drums, and detached both his pectoral muscle and bicep from his body. When he was assessed by the doctors, he was told that he would never have the use of his left arm again.
Obviously hearing that would make anyone disheartened and depressed. Not Brian. They proceeded with the surgery to repair his upper body and with hard work and determination, Brian has full use of his arm, eyes and hearing. He was honorably discharged and during his time earned 2 Bronze Stars, Purple Heart, Silver Star and 2 letters of Navy/Corp Letters of Accomodation.
This man intrigued me. He had been thru so much and yet seemed to be able to move forward with life and pursue his dreams of working on high end Hot Rods. I decided to give him a chance and he is working for me now.
A few weeks had gone by and I started talking to my wife Patricia about Brian. I told her that there are probably many soldiers coming back from the war that have the same story as Brian. I started researching different organizations that I could get involved with and the first one I looked at was the Wounded Warrior Organization. This organization helps soldiers in many ways. From education, mental and emotional support and even helping them find jobs. I immediately registered Blad Boys into this program. I think that there are a large number of veterans that not only need a job but also have a passion for cars. Building high end cars can be a great step in the healing process for some of these guys. The time, effort, and discipline it takes to build them has all the traits of a finely tuned soldier.
I plan on getting more involved with the wounded warrior program and hope that others will follow. I have great respect for these soldiers and want to do my part in supporting them. Even if you don’t believe in what we are doing overseas , we still need to support those that fight for our freedom. I would love to hear any feedback that you might have. Being in the United States Cavalry, I would like to leave with our saying for good bye. Til next time, “Scouts Out”. Nick