Veterans In Humvees Spilling Coffee

Hey Vets. Hey there. It's Veterans Day. That means barbecues, connecting with family, reconnecting with fellow veterans. This is Veterans and Humvees Spillin' Coffee. Let's go. Alright. On my way to pick up Eric Horton, the transition hacker, the retired United States Army soldier. Works for among other things, the state of Tennessee. Advocating for veterans issues. Door just flew open. So I gotta take care of that. Alright, that was unexpected, but it shouldn't be unexpected. Because in a Humvee, these things happen sometimes. Door flies open randomly. It weighs like 500 pounds. It's fine. Alright, there he is. Awesome. Eric! Good to see you, my friend. Hey, I got you some coffee earlier. Oh! The door flew open again. Yeah, I got you some coffee. Thank you. Oh man, perfect. Alright, well let's try not to spill it too much. And let's get on the road. Alright, Eric. Thanks for joining me, man. Hey, thanks for having me. I appreciate it. How long has it been since you've been in a Humvee? Wow, a Humvee has probably been since about 2010, 2011. It's hot in here, though, isn't it? Oh man, it just brings back good memories. Yeah, it smells authentic, for sure. So here we are in Tennessee. How long have you been out of the military? Yeah, I retired in 2016 from Fort Campbell. So tell me a little bit about what you did in the military, how long you spent in the military, and what brought you to Tennessee. Yeah, well, I retired after 26 years in the military. I was a logistician. G4 is the pinnacle of my career. And probably after about 24 years, I was medically retired after I hit my 26-year mark. I retired at Fort Campbell. 26? 26. 26 years, 7 months, 29 days, to be exact. 20 years, 1 month, and 9 days for me. Your last duty station was here at Fort Campbell? Yeah, my last duty station was 2nd Brigade at Fort Campbell. Yeah. Watch out. You good? Yep. A little ditch there. Alright. Pop quiz, hot shot. Alright. You were in NCO for how long? Oh man, I made NCO in 2000. Do you remember any part of the NCO creed? No one is more professional than I. That's it? I am a non-commissioned officer. A leader of soldiers. As a non-commissioned officer, I will obey the orders of those appointed over me. Yeah, that's about it. Alright, Eric, we're about to pull onto the main highway. I forgot how limited the field of vision in this thing is, so you got right, and I'll take care of left. Clear on the right. Clear left. Clear right. Alright. This video is about Veterans Day, and specifically the perspective that when you're a veteran, it seems to be that Veterans Day means something different, right? I know it did for me. When you're in active duty, you kind of look at Veterans Day as, oh, it's another day off. Maybe a four-day weekend if you're lucky. What does Veterans Day mean to you now that you've been retired and that you're working in the veteran space? That's actually a deep question. Before I retired, like you said, it was just a day off, right? The more seasoned you become and the more that I've been out, the more that I really kind of look back and unpack it. When I joined the military, it was just literally to be a part of something bigger than myself and a way out of poverty for the most part. But what it became afterwards is so much more now after I'm out that what does it mean? It means you're part of a family that a service of something greater than yourself. So for me, it just means so much more than just a four-day weekend off. Do you think that civilians understand what Veterans Day is? People who've never been connected to the military. Do you think they have a good idea about why Veterans Day is important? No, and that's a good question. I don't think non-veterans really understand it. So I think Veterans Day to them is a respectable holiday, but I don't think they quite have the depth of what that sacrifice means other than just a holiday. How do you talk to your kids about Veterans Day? I know you have two daughters, right? Yeah, I do. I have an 11-year-old and a 7-year-old. Actually, it's a good thing that you asked that question, because this year is the first year that we actually took them to the Veterans Memorial Cemetery and I taught them about leaving coins on tombstones as a way of remembrance. Because if you don't start talking to the younger generation about the sacrifices that people give and they don't understand that, they'll forget that. And if they forget that, we'll be back in a worse situation later on. So for me, I've made it a big part every year to walk them through what does it mean to sacrifice to mean you are alive right now to be here. And the best thing we can do is honor the memories of people that couldn't be here. So I make sure they see that. Well said. Partners like Black Rifle Coffee and Veteran Life, we're trying to do what we can to support the veteran mission. I'm just glad that we got to catch up, dude. Yeah, absolutely. I wonder how the brakes work on this thing. Oh, I don't know. Hold on. They work. They work. Love it. They really work compared to how heavy this is. Eric, thanks for your time. Thanks for your service and wanted to give you a little something as a token of our appreciation. But first, gas, gas, gas. You know what to do. That's it? Yeah, that's it, that's it. Also, as a token of our appreciation from Veteran Life and Black Rifle Coffee, I wanted to give you this gift. An appreciation of you joining us on this joyride. Wow. A couple bags of coffee, some grounds, some beans. There you go. And I got a shirt and some other good stuff. Oh, man. Yeah, absolutely. Alright, cool, man. Thanks, brother. Appreciate it.