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Rebecca Mann: One veteran and her story · Cultural Wars | America Out Loud News

• 0:04
  In this political coliseum, we slay the rising beast with the fateful sword of truth that transcends hypocrisy and censorship.
• 0:16
  It's time to unleash yourself from the tyrants of media propaganda on the America Out Loud Talk Radio Network.
• 0:26
  This is Unleashed the Political News Hour.
• 0:32
  Welcome to Unleashed the Political News Hour.
• 0:37
  I'm Mayor Deb, your host.
• 0:40
  To honor veterans throughout our country today, I really wanted to take a moment to highlight one of the premier organizations in the United States that really truly supports our veterans after they are through with their service to our country.
• 1:04
  And as you know, we here in the United States observe Veterans Day annually on November 11th.
• 1:12
  And it's really a time where we can honor and thank our US military veterans for both their service and their dedication to our country.
• 1:25
  And currently here in the United States, there are approximately 15.8 million veterans.
• 1:35
  And that number was as of 2023, roughly 6.1% of the adult population.
• 1:44
  And my show today is going to be two-fold.
• 1:48
  I first want to bring in to the conversation, the director of marketing and community engagement at homes for our troops, Kathleen DeVito.
• 2:02
  So that's going to be my first segment.
• 2:04
  And then I'm going to move into interview with a military veteran, Rebecca Mann.
• 2:12
  And she served the country for 11 years and is now, you know, retired from that service.
• 2:21
  But Kathleen, you're here.
• 2:23
  So thanks for joining me today.
• 2:27
  Good morning.
• 2:28
  Well, thanks for having us, Deb.
• 2:29
  We really appreciate it.
• 2:31
  Yeah.
• 2:31
  And I, you know, we've uh I've had you on the show before because I really I mean, I truly mean this.
• 2:37
  You know, folks can go ahead and take a look at your website.
• 2:41
  You um, you and your organization just do an incredible job of supporting our men and women uh who have served so bravely in the military.
• 2:52
  And uh the mission of homes for our troops, let's start there.
• 2:57
  What is it that you guys do?
• 3:00
  Sure.
• 3:01
  So um our mission is to build and donate specially adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured post-9-11 veterans, really in the spirit of enabling them to rebuild their lives.
• 3:14
  So uh homes for our troops has been um in existence for the last um 21 years.
• 3:21
  Um we're super excited um as our um, you know, mission continues to spread across the United States.
• 3:30
  We just delivered our 424th home over those last 21 years, and we're currently in 45 states, um, and we'll be kicking off a new state.
• 3:41
  Um, so we'll be in 46 states um as we enter into the new year 2026 26.
• 3:47
  Wow, and tell us what is the new state.
• 3:51
  It's gonna be Wyoming.
• 3:53
  So first time building in Wyoming, right?
• 3:56
  Correct.
• 3:57
  Wow, that's exciting.
• 3:59
  Um, you know, when I first read about your organization, I was really impressed with um how well the you spend the money there.
• 4:10
  Um you hear so many times about charities, people donating and the money not necessarily going to those who are um you think you're donating to.
• 4:21
  And uh homes for our troops, 90 cents of every dollar spent has gone directly to your programs to serve the veterans.
• 4:31
  Um tell us a little bit about the organization and the leadership that really steers it uh to be so successful that way.
• 4:42
  Sure.
• 4:43
  So um a couple of points to share with you.
• 4:46
  The 90 cents on every dollar.
• 4:47
  Um, I've been at Homes for Our Troops for um almost six years now, and and that is core to how we operate in a daily fashion.
• 4:55
  Um, you know, as the leader of the of the marketing team and the community engagement team, um, our budgets for these areas are not broader deep.
• 5:05
  Um, we don't spend a lot of money on advertising.
• 5:08
  I think we really pride ourselves on being more of what I would call a grassroots type of organization.
• 5:15
  Um, so you know, making sure that that 90 cents that's coming in from our donors, um, we take donor-dollar donations at all different levels, you know, extremely seriously.
• 5:27
  And it's very important that, you know, we spend those um dollars in a very fiscally responsible way.
• 5:34
  Um, so oftentimes, you know, I like to share with folks, you don't necessarily see us on a lot of the big networks doing very lengthy um TV commercials or what have you.
• 5:45
  Um, if you do happen to see us, that's usually um uh a pro bono type of opportunity that's been afforded to us um in some capacity, which we certainly greatly appreciate from various, you know, media outlets.
• 5:59
  Um, the other thing is we also work very, very hard.
• 6:03
  Um, we have a public service announcement.
• 6:05
  Well, actually, we have two of them.
• 6:07
  We have a general public service announcement um that runs across various TV and radio outlets, and we work with an outside firm that helps us track that so we can quantify the impact of that and what it's delivering.
• 6:21
  And then the second, you know, kind of quasi PSA that I always mention too is we have a rebuilding lives PSA.
• 6:28
  And this is that really speaks to how has an HVOT, as we call your forever home, how is that impacted and help you, the veteran, the family, the children, the caregivers, rebuild your lives.
• 6:42
  Um, because at the end of the day, Deb, the house is is critically important.
• 6:47
  You know, our homes have over 40 special adaptations that are specifically suited to each veteran's injury.
• 6:55
  But where we get excited is what what these veterans do after they, you know, take ownership of these homes.
• 7:03
  Um I know you're gonna be speaking with one of our veterans, Rebecca Mann later this morning.
• 7:07
  And when you hear some of the outstanding things she's done in her community at an athletic level, going back to college, what have you.
• 7:17
  I mean, it's just these homes afford our veterans and their families, you know, to really just focus on being, you know, a mom, a dad, a grandparent, um, a spouse, um, a brother or sister.
• 7:32
  So, you know, um, that's the part that I think, you know, really separates homes for our troops.
• 7:40
  We stay with our veterans um forever.
• 7:43
  Um, oftentimes, you know, just because they've been afforded or gifted a mortgage-free home doesn't necessarily mean their injuries, both visual and non-visual, go away.
• 7:54
  Um, you know, we oftentimes will say these veterans are are rehabbing their entire life, um, whether it's through surgeries or other types of treatment or what have you.
• 8:04
  Um, these homes don't necessarily take away their injuries, but they do provide them, we hope, um, with a place of respite, um, that they can start to regain their independence back and feel like a valued contributor in their home.
• 8:20
  Yeah, and I want to just um share if if folks go over to Homes for Our Troops website, you have a lot of great statistics on there.
• 8:28
  And the one that really um stands out to me is volunteering.
• 8:33
  Uh your vets are paying it forward, right?
• 8:36
  We we talk about that a lot, pay it forward, you know, in life, but uh their volunteering increased from 21% to 82% once they received a home from Homes for Our Troops.
• 8:50
  And uh, I know I'm gonna be talking with Rebecca.
• 8:52
  I know she is uh big into volunteering.
• 8:55
  And I think, you know, how important is that to you, knowing that you work for an organization that you're not only helping a vet get a home.
• 9:04
  You're up to 400 and some homes now, but that is actually like, you know, throwing a pebble into a pond and this great ripple effect because they are then taking that home that they received, and they are truly paying it forward by reaching out into their communities and volunteering.
• 9:23
  How does that feel for you?
• 9:25
  Oh, it's absolutely super rewarding for us that work here, um, whether you're at a leadership level or or just you know, a staff member at the company.
• 9:34
  Um, you know, our veterans, one of the things that's a little bit different about our program is we afford our veterans to choose where they want to live.
• 9:42
  Um, we typically require about an acre at a minimum for um our homes.
• 9:48
  Our homes are roughly four bedrooms, about 2800 square feet.
• 9:53
  So we need that amount of land to build a quality home.
• 9:56
  But we work with the veteran with our land team and our construction.
• 10:00
  Team and we identify, you know, where do they want to live?
• 10:04
  And one of the things we hear a lot, Deb, is, you know, they choose certain communities because it might be where they grew up.
• 10:11
  It might be where their spouse is from.
• 10:13
  It might be where some of the best, you know, VA health care is.
• 10:17
  It might be if they've got children, it might be good school systems.
• 10:22
  So, you know, we like I said, we afford them to choose that location.
• 10:26
  We then purchase the land.
• 10:28
  Um, we hire a local GC and pay that local GC to build this, you know, specially adapted home from the ground up.
• 10:37
  So, you know, when you take a look at where our veterans choose to build, they've got such great um ties to the communities that they're choosing for whatever those reasons might be.
• 10:49
  So, like you said, I mean, folks um prior to moving into their HVOT home, like you said, it was 21% of them being able to get involved in their community and volunteer.
• 11:00
  You know, we we conduct a biannual survey of all of our veterans in their homes.
• 11:05
  And as you, as you stated, you know, that jumps all the way to 82% in the communities where our veterans are building.
• 11:13
  And we hear a lot in the survey, but also in our day-to-day conversations.
• 11:17
  It's really important for our veteran base to give back to these communities that have really, you know, come out to support them.
• 11:25
  And it might have been, you know, the support started when we kicked off their build, right?
• 11:30
  Um, all sorts of local folks came.
• 11:32
  They identified maybe a church organization or a faith-based organization, a school system.
• 11:38
  So our veterans really like to pay it forward.
• 11:43
  Um, you know, the other thing we hear sometimes from our veterans is I'm not deserving of this home.
• 11:50
  And we're like, what do you mean you're not deserving of this home?
• 11:54
  You, you know, raised your right hand, you went to war, and you know, you got severely severely injured.
• 12:01
  Um, of course, this is our obligation as you know, patriotic Americans um to really um, you know, pay this forward to our veterans.
• 12:10
  And they in turn turn around and pay it forward to their communities.
• 12:14
  All right.
• 12:14
  Well, um, just uh fabulous organization.
• 12:18
  Uh tell the listeners real quick where they can find homes for our troops.
• 12:23
  Sure.
• 12:24
  So um our website is H F O T USA.org.
• 12:28
  We've got our breadth of information there, whether you're looking, you know, to identify ways to get involved and support us, whether you're looking to see where we build.
• 12:38
  Um we also spotlight every single veteran that's in um, you know, in our family.
• 12:43
  So you can take a look, you can watch their, you know, two to four minute video to learn a little bit more about them.
• 12:49
  Um, but again, that that website is hfotusa.org.
• 12:55
  All right.
• 12:56
  Well, okay, we're uh coming up next is uh chief warrant officer to Rebecca Mann, uh decorated army veteran.
• 13:06
  Stay tuned after this short break.
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• 16:08
  Welcome back.
• 16:10
  Joining me now is a decorated Army veteran who has served our country bravely for 11 years.
• 16:20
  Chief Warrant Officer to Rebecca Mann.
• 16:24
  Thank you so much for being on the show today.
• 16:28
  Thank you for having me.
• 16:30
  Welcome.
• 16:31
  Well, I just uh finished up talking to Kathleen DeVito, uh, who I know you know very well at Homes for Our Troops.
• 16:39
  And uh before we get into your story, I guess um just you know, tell me how you got connected with homes for our troops.
• 16:51
  So yeah, I was actually at a fundraising event for a different organization, and I met Bill Ivey, the executive director of uh Homes for our troops in that event.
• 17:01
  Um, and we had a conversation, and at that time I was a single amputee and I I didn't really um have the needs that I do now that I'm a double amputee, but um we made a connection there and then um basically he uh passed along my information um to um another folk person in Homes to our troops who continued to keep in contact with me as the years went on and um and basically uh it kept asking me where my application was and um and eventually wore me down and and then I applied.
• 17:37
  And today you have a home from Homes for Our Troops.
• 17:41
  Uh, I believe it's in Matapoissit, Massachusetts.
• 17:45
  I do, I do.
• 17:47
  It's um it's a 2800 square foot home um with um over 40 adaptations, I believe.
• 17:55
  Um uh all ADA, um, no threshold, so I can roll around in my chair with no issues.
• 18:02
  Um it's it's truly been a life-changing event for me.
• 18:07
  All right.
• 18:07
  Um now I want to just kind of start at the beginning um how you got connected into homes for our troops today.
• 18:14
  Obviously, there were several events in your life story that took place, but I'd like to just start at the beginning where you were first the first time you thought about joining the military.
• 18:28
  Take us back to that moment and what was it that prompted you to make that decision?
• 18:35
  Where were you in life?
• 18:38
  So I I'd spent um a couple years in college and um I was really kind of floundering with finding a direction, um, as many college students do.
• 18:49
  And I I think I changed my major with the seasons.
• 18:53
  Um, so I had several majors in my time there, and I really kind of was um just really struggling to find my footing and um uh a friend of mine had uh recently graduated and was getting ready to join the army.
• 19:08
  And um, as I was helping her um get ready for a physical fitness test, um I really started to have more conversations about, you know, the army and and why she was joining, and then it really kind of um lit a fire in me to um to to join myself and maybe this could give me a direction and a higher purpose than um than I was currently living as I was kind of trying to find my my place in the world.
• 19:37
  Yeah, you know, that's that's such a common theme.
• 19:40
  I I think for everyone who goes to college.
• 19:43
  There's so uh so few of us that really kind of know what we want to do when we get there because we're we're still so young and um, you know, and that's uh that's very common, I think.
• 19:55
  Now, when you made that decision, did you?
• 20:00
  Discuss it at all with your parents and what were their reactions to that.
• 20:07
  Um truthfully, my parents thought I had lost my mind.
• 20:10
  Um I mean, we're we're talking, it's oh five, it's the the height of we, I mean, we had troops in Iraq, we had troops in Afghanistan.
• 20:19
  I think there was a lot of questions of have I ever looked at the news before.
• 20:23
  Um there was definitely some serious questions about um did I know what I was getting myself into?
• 20:31
  Um and and I think um to be honest at the time, um I I think it was a real shock for my family to to take that direction.
• 20:41
  Um, but I know that um even now talks with um both of my parents, they they both say that it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me.
• 20:52
  Wow.
• 20:53
  Yeah, I I can imagine, I mean, as a parent myself, um, if uh my daughter comes to me someday and says she's she's thinking about joining the military, I can imagine I'd I'd have a lot of probably similar thoughts to what your parents had.
• 21:07
  Um, because uh it is uh, you know, it's just uh the world that we live in, right?
• 21:13
  There's a lot of uncertainty, and um, I think for those who join the military, they really uh put a lot at stake.
• 21:22
  Yeah, um, I I think yes, I think it was just obviously a lot of fear on my parents' behalf, and and you know, this is the first real adult decision that um anyone makes um when it comes to being a you know, you're you're over 18, so you know your parents can't really do anything about it, but at the same time they can still worry for you because they're still your parents.
• 21:44
  So and chances are they're always going to worry for you.
• 21:49
  Correct.
• 21:51
  Um it sounds like you were stationed then in El Paso, Texas.
• 21:57
  So was that the first time that you had been away from home?
• 22:02
  Um for any like real distance, yes.
• 22:05
  So yeah, I mean, I had um I had actually gone to boarding school for high school, so I had been away from home before, but I was only two hours away from home, so it wasn't that far.
• 22:14
  Um, and then um when you're looking at going from two hours away from home to when I went to college, I was around five hours to all the way across the country.
• 22:24
  It's a huge difference.
• 22:26
  Um so and then I was only in El Paso for about six months before my whole unit got moved to Japan.
• 22:32
  So we went from um all the way across the country to all the way across the world very quickly.
• 22:39
  And how and how long were you in Japan for?
• 22:41
  I was in Japan for two years.
• 22:43
  Okay, two years.
• 22:44
  And then from Japan, you were deployed over to Afghanistan.
• 22:51
  Correct.
• 22:51
  Um I was um uh transferred to Fort Hood, Texas, where I deployed out of there um to Afghanistan for 12 months.
• 23:00
  Okay.
• 23:01
  And so now take us back to your deployed over in Afghanistan um in March of 2014.
• 23:10
  What happened to you that um really was a life-changing event?
• 23:15
  So yeah, I had an injury to my right foot, um, non-combat injury.
• 23:20
  Um, I didn't think it was that bad.
• 23:22
  I kind of fought through it through the rest of my deployment.
• 23:25
  Um, and then um it kind of progressively got worse over the months um that uh followed.
• 23:32
  And when um I finally uh got seen by a surgeon, it needed to be um I had to have a uh total foot reconstruction.
• 23:42
  Um and that kind of kicked off a series of events of um surgery after surgery after surgery.
• 23:49
  Um the first one didn't go well, and neither did the second or the third, um, which eventually led to my medical retirement in 2016.
• 23:58
  Um after that, I um I I moved and started my life as a civilian and um, but still was living with a foot that um was giving me extreme pain and um basically um was pretty useless.
• 24:13
  And so eventually ended up with um the the only choice of amputation in 2017.
• 24:20
  Okay.
• 24:21
  And then um after that uh amputation, you had um an issue with the other foot, correct?
• 24:31
  Yes.
• 24:31
  Um unfortunately um I tell people I'm that zero zero zero one percent um of the fine print at the bottom of the document you sign when you have a surgery.
• 24:43
  And um, so the out of nowhere I got this vascular condition that um spread from my right leg to my left leg, that was perfectly fine.
• 24:53
  Um so in um January of 2020, I ended up having to get um my left leg amputated as well.
• 25:02
  And so after going through that, um you were living by yourself independently.
• 25:10
  What what is what are some of the challenges that you're now faced with as a double amputee?
• 25:18
  So yeah, um my my home, my previous home was um three stories.
• 25:23
  It had stairs going from the garage to the main level, from the front door to the main level.
• 25:30
  Um there were stairs going upstairs and downstairs.
• 25:33
  Um I couldn't um my wheelchair could not fit in the door of the bathroom.
• 25:39
  Um so I really was quite limited on um everything I I did in that home.
• 25:46
  Um, I mean, something as simple as um getting a package to the front door, I'd have to crawl out of the wheelchair onto the front deck to throw the package in the house and then reverse it.
• 25:58
  And um, so it really became clear that um it wasn't sustainable and it wasn't a home that I was going to be able to safely stay in long term.
• 26:08
  Um, and again, you know, I since I had I was already being um I I guess pestered would be the right the right term by homes for our troops to apply.
• 26:18
  I I slowly realized that like this was um, you know, really what I needed in order to continue to live independently, which was really important to me and still is.
• 26:30
  And when you were in uh the three-story home, how long were you uh living there until uh now that you're in your HFOT home?
• 26:40
  So I moved into that house in 2017, and so I lived there maybe six months before I had my first amputation, and then um I moved into my home store troops home in May of 2023.
• 26:54
  So I I did um kind of, I guess for lack of a better term, struggle um in that home with my um being a double amputee for about three years before my home shore troops home was ready for me.
• 27:08
  Um and I can tell you it was such a game changer to move into a home that was designed for my needs.
• 27:15
  And when you uh when you came back from being deployed and you had these this injury, uh what was the conversation like with your family um after uh you returned back?
• 27:32
  Um I think I think the conversation was it was it was mostly regarding like a recovery effort at this point.
• 27:40
  So like the initial surgery was obviously supposed to fix everything.
• 27:46
  Um and it it didn't.
• 27:48
  And then um I had two more subsequent um attempts to fix the foot at that point.
• 27:54
  Um and then after that, it was really just a conversation of support of um they were incredibly supportive when I got medically retired um to help me transition to um civilian life.
• 28:09
  Yeah, and you know, one of the things that you said uh in an interview um when you talked about uh being discharged, uh you you said you end up in with these comrades, um, this brotherhood that the army gives you, and then you leave and you're left with a giant void that you don't have anymore.
• 28:30
  So establishing what your new normal is and your new life and new community is really hard.
• 28:37
  Um and I and I can imagine because all of a sudden you you come from the states, and first you're deployed to Japan, and then from there you're going to Afghanistan.
• 28:49
  And I'm gonna guess that that was your first time in both of those countries, correct?
• 28:53
  Yes.
• 28:54
  Okay.
• 28:55
  So there's obviously there's a culture, uh, a culture differences um than what you were accustomed to.
• 29:02
  And all of a sudden now you're on a team, uh, a military team, and that really becomes your support net and your extended family because you're on foreign soil, correct?
• 29:17
  Correct.
• 29:18
  And I think that um truthfully it it extends um not just for when you're deployed, but every duty station I ever had.
• 29:26
  I had um I had my army family.
• 29:29
  Um and so um you know that when you move from place to place, you know, basically you you always have that family.
• 29:37
  You're never gonna be alone in a ha on a holiday.
• 29:39
  You're never gonna um feel lonely because you always have a place to go.
• 29:43
  You always have people to hang out with, you always have that support system.
• 29:47
  And I think when you move from that environment that I was in for 11 years to um the civilian life and and away from all of that, um you really um you just you don't have
• 30:00
  That that sports system that's been there for basically my adult life at that point.
• 30:06
  Yeah.
• 30:06
  And you know, one of the reasons I really wanted to do a show to talk about Veterans Day is because, you know, there are there's there's so many veterans out there.
• 30:17
  And I often feel that in civilian life, um, we don't maybe necessarily know or feel comfortable on how to reach out to a veteran, right?
• 30:29
  How to support them.
• 30:30
  We don't want to offend anyone.
• 30:33
  Uh, we want to be politically correct, you know, all sorts of reasons.
• 30:38
  And I guess I just want to ask you when you came back and you're living in this three-story home with obviously some, you know, impairments.
• 30:51
  What do you feel as though the surrounding immediate uh community around you saw that and was supportive of that?
• 31:01
  And I'm outside of your family, the the community around you.
• 31:06
  Yes, I was really, really lucky.
• 31:08
  Um, even though my home was not um appropriate for me at that time, um, I had I was in one of the best communities.
• 31:17
  Um I it was uh a small neighborhood.
• 31:20
  Um, and I I honestly can say that if I needed anything from taking my trash barrels out, um to like I whatever the case may be.
• 31:31
  Um I know I had I actually fell once and one of my neighbors was a nurse, and I panic called them and they were over in two seconds.
• 31:38
  So, you know, I I think that um the everyday life support it was absolutely amazing.
• 31:46
  And it was one of the big hurdles mentally that I had to get over with moving from that house that didn't that didn't fit me anymore.
• 31:55
  Um the house wasn't appropriate, but I loved my neighbors and they were so supportive of me.
• 32:01
  So that was one of the biggest hurdles for me as well.
• 32:03
  I I didn't want to leave that support system that I finally found.
• 32:07
  Um, you know, so um I was very lucky to have found um an equally supportive neighborhood um of really, really wonderful folks who um again, if I need absolutely anything, I have a list of numbers of people who I can call.
• 32:24
  Um, and just having that kind of support around means the world.
• 32:28
  Wow.
• 32:29
  Yeah, you're you're really very lucky, I I think, and I'm so happy to hear that that has been the case for you.
• 32:36
  And that was one of the things that uh Kathleen and I talked about earlier is um homes for our troops is an organization that really stays and keeps in touch with all the veterans.
• 32:47
  And I want to just talk about that for a moment because um what has that meant to you as a recipient of one of the homes.
• 32:58
  Well, so I think Homestore Our Troops always talks about um the Homestower Troops family.
• 33:03
  And as soon as you're accepted in the program, they say, you know, welcome to the Homes for our Troops family, and they really mean it.
• 33:10
  And they're really are they, you know, they're there from the beginning until the end, and they keep being supportive.
• 33:18
  Um, I mean, even most recently we had um a nor'easter that hit us, and we had you know quite a few inches of rain, and um I was fine, but you know, the next day I got a call from Home Store Troops, just making sure that everything was was all set and I didn't have any issues and um and you know it's it's that kind of follow-up of you know, just making sure that you know their veterans are doing well.
• 33:43
  Um, that is huge.
• 33:46
  Um, in addition to, you know, all of the close friends I've made within the organization that um, you know, I think that will, you know, again, we we consider each other family.
• 33:57
  And um, I've had um my mission moment partner, Kathleen DeVito and her family over for dinner.
• 34:03
  And um, you know, I've gone back to homes for our troops just to have lunch with them.
• 34:08
  So, you know, I mean, I'm obviously I'm I'm a little different because I'm a local veteran.
• 34:12
  Um, but I know that that support and that sense of family is really um provided to every veteran that has ever gotten a house or is waiting for a house from them.
• 34:24
  Yeah, and I um I have learned so much about homes for our troops um since I first connected with the organization.
• 34:31
  And uh, you know, I think that that's really what um puts them above the bar when it comes to uh veterans supporting, you know, there's many of veteran organizations out there, and oftentimes it's uh kind of a transactional uh relationship.
• 34:51
  But um it goes, you know, homes for our troops is really beyond the transaction of the relationship and truly committed to building a family network of veterans, and uh that's something really special.
• 35:06
  Yes, um, I have to say that I I've never heard of or um spoken with any other veteran that um can say anything negative about home store troops as far as their their commitment to providing these specially adaptive homes, but then also um the follow-up and the lifelong commitment to each of their veterans.
• 35:26
  It's definitely unmatched by any organization I've ever heard of.
• 35:31
  And you mentioned that Kathleen has been partnered with you as your mission partner and just uh to to clarify that everyone who is a member of homes for our troops, everyone is partnered with someone.
• 35:44
  Yes, I think that is such a cool part of Homestore Troops and what they do.
• 35:50
  Obviously, there are um construction manager managers and folks that are um intimately involved in the build of every home, but then there's all the other support staff that don't necessarily get to see um a home build from start to finish.
• 36:06
  And so, in order to allow each um employee to be able to experience that, um, they pair each employee like over a course of their employment with a um uh with a veteran.
• 36:21
  And that so Kathleen is my mission moment partner.
• 36:24
  I was her first, and so we um yeah, we connected and she followed me through every event and um every part of the process.
• 36:34
  Anytime I had a question, she was there.
• 36:36
  So um it's it's a really special bond that we have, and I think um it's a really cool part of what they do for their employees to make sure the employees understand how important their impact is on all of these veterans as well.
• 36:51
  Yeah, just just really amazing.
• 36:54
  Um, we are uh going to take a break, and I encourage everyone to stay tuned.
• 37:00
  Uh, want to get in talking to Army veteran Rebecca Mann a little bit more about where she is today, uh, what she's doing, what she's involved with.
• 37:11
  I know she's a woman who has definitely not let her injuries slow her down, stay tuned more to come.
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• 39:14
  Welcome back, everyone.
• 39:16
  Still joining me today is Chief Warren Officer to Rebecca Mann.
• 39:22
  And uh Rebecca, uh, I know that uh, you know, obviously we're here on a podcast and the listeners can't see um what I can see, but I have a picture of your two pups in the background, uh, yellow lab and a beagle.
• 39:39
  And I just I want to use that as a jumping off point because I know that you are very involved with a service dog organization.
• 39:50
  And um, can you tell the listeners a little bit about that?
• 39:54
  Um yeah.
• 39:55
  So one of my very, very good friends, um, Christy Gardner.
• 40:00
  Started an organization in 2020 called Mission Working Dogs.
• 40:03
  And she um she is actually the reason that I got Sully, my service dog.
• 40:10
  Um, and so when she asked me to come on board and be the VP for mission working dogs, I I jumped at the chance and um and so I would I I served with mission working dogs for five years as their VP and I'm still um a part of them when it comes to their IT support.
• 40:29
  Um I still help out in that regard.
• 40:31
  So great organization that serves veterans and um the community in Maine.
• 40:37
  Okay.
• 40:38
  And um, so Sally uh is your yellow lab, and you also have a beagle there in the background.
• 40:44
  Um what's uh what's your Beagle's name?
• 40:47
  Uh my Beagle's name is Maddie.
• 40:49
  Um, and I joke with people that she is my disservice dog.
• 40:54
  Um so she is she does not do any functions at all that are helpful.
• 41:00
  So um, but she's cute and lovable, and I and she's about uh 11 and a half years old.
• 41:07
  Well, both both uh adorable.
• 41:09
  I wish it wasn't just an audio podcast.
• 41:12
  Uh I wish we had visual too, because then everyone can see um see the two.
• 41:17
  Okay, so the service dog organization, mission working dogs, uh, what do they do?
• 41:23
  Do they pair up um members uh military members with dogs?
• 41:28
  How do they work?
• 41:29
  So yes, they help veterans and civilians.
• 41:32
  Um they also have a therapy dog program and a facility dog program.
• 41:37
  So they have um they pair veterans with dogs.
• 41:40
  Um, they have a prison training program where they train dogs in prison to match them with um candidates who are in need of service dogs.
• 41:48
  Um, and they also train their therapy dogs in in the prison program as well.
• 41:53
  Okay.
• 41:54
  Do they happen to have an online presence um that listeners can take a look at?
• 41:59
  They do.
• 42:00
  Um, you can hop online at um missionworking dogs.org.
• 42:04
  Okay, perfect.
• 42:06
  Um, all right.
• 42:07
  So you uh served as the vice president of this organization.
• 42:11
  You're still active as a volunteer.
• 42:14
  Um you're also very active when it comes to adaptive sports.
• 42:21
  So I want to talk a little bit about that.
• 42:24
  Um, what is your involvement and how um how you got involved with it?
• 42:31
  So yeah, um, I my first my first adaptive sport was hockey.
• 42:36
  Um I had really not I didn't know anything about adaptive sports, and I had a couple friends who thought I'd really like hockey.
• 42:46
  Um, and so eventually I told them that I would try it if they would never ask me to do it ever again.
• 42:54
  Um so under duress, I went to a tri-sled hockey event um with Spaulding Adaptive Sports Center out of Boston, and I was instantly hooked, and um within I I think a month I was on their team.
• 43:11
  Um, and then I made the um women's national para hockey team in um 2021.
• 43:17
  Okay, and that women's paranational hockey team went uh out of the states and did something really fantastic.
• 43:27
  So tell the listeners about that.
• 43:29
  So yeah, most recently um in August, um we went to Slovakia for the first ever women's world championships.
• 43:38
  Um it's a big step for us on the road to the Paralympics, and we won gold.
• 43:44
  Wow.
• 43:46
  Um are you uh still regularly active playing hockey?
• 43:52
  Uh is it something that you just do a few times a year?
• 43:55
  Do you coach?
• 43:57
  So no, currently I play for the Gay Lord Wolfpack out of Connecticut.
• 44:02
  That's my local club team.
• 44:04
  Um and so I practice with them and I play with them.
• 44:07
  We just um got off of a weekend playing in Pennsylvania.
• 44:11
  Um so we play a few times a year, um, and then we practice every week.
• 44:16
  Um, and then I still am on the national team and um we uh we connect and have camps throughout the year as well.
• 44:23
  Okay, and you have camps, I'm guessing with youth players.
• 44:29
  So no, the camps are actually with um, they call them camps, but the it's it's with the women's national team.
• 44:35
  Oh, okay, great.
• 44:36
  Wow.
• 44:37
  Um, do you feel as though you're getting into adaptive sports has kind of recreated this um network, this extended family that you had maybe while you were with the military, um, because we talked about that a little earlier when you left, how it seemed as though there was a hole there, uh, you know, uh that was no longer, you know, part of your life.
• 45:03
  So do you um have you recreated that through this adaptive sports?
• 45:07
  100%.
• 45:09
  And I think what is really cool is that a lot of the folks that I know from from hockey uh overlap into other adaptive sports um that I do, such as skiing and mountain biking.
• 45:21
  So you'll randomly see someone from hockey or see someone from skiing at a biking trip, and um it's a real small community, but um there, you know, it's really it is exactly what you're talking about that it it it kind of gave me uh a new purpose um and a new community to um to kind of move forward with.
• 45:43
  Okay.
• 45:43
  And then I want to um I want to get back to Sully for a little bit.
• 45:47
  Uh he is your service dog.
• 45:50
  Uh when you say that, explain to us when you use that term service dog, what exactly does he help you with on any given day?
• 46:01
  So Sully is from an organization called Needs out of um Princeton, Massachusetts, and he was also trained in a prison program.
• 46:09
  Um and he is uh trained for mobility assistance as well as trauma assistants.
• 46:17
  So he um he helps me in a daily basis um with a lot of task work um on the mobility front with um from picking up items that I drop on the floor um to opening doors, opening drawers.
• 46:31
  Um, you know, I I even though I have a specially adaptive home, I still live by myself.
• 46:36
  So he is also trained to find my cell phone in the event of emergency so that I could call somebody.
• 46:42
  Um so that's one of I think one of the most important things he does for me.
• 46:45
  Um and then when we're both when we're at home and out in the community, he helps me um navigate the um, you know, the everyday life when it comes to um both mobility and um handling PTSD.
• 47:01
  Do you feel that when you're out um in the community with Solly, what is the response from the general population around you?
• 47:11
  Um you know, is it receptive?
• 47:14
  Uh and maybe to like what end, or it just is it just dependent upon the area that you're in.
• 47:21
  Um, for example, like if you go into a restaurant, do you take Sully with you?
• 47:26
  And what is what are people's reactions around you?
• 47:30
  So Sully's been with me since um 2019, and he literally goes absolutely everywhere with me.
• 47:37
  He's he does hospital stays with me, he goes to the restaurants with me, he went to Solakia with me.
• 47:42
  Um he we're never really apart.
• 47:46
  Um, and the usual response is that how well he's behaved.
• 47:51
  And I I believe that is you usually because there are a lot of um fake service dogs out there.
• 47:57
  So when someone sees one that's as well behaved as him, um it's a good opportunity to educate about how you know real service dogs are important and what they do for for someone like me.
• 48:10
  Um I also think a lot of um the attention that he gets when we go out, because he's he's a handsome guy, um, is um it's a great deflector for me that people aren't normally actually staring at my prosthetics or if I'm in a wheelchair and I'm I'm on my crutches, they're they're always the comments are about him, um, which I think is it's a good diversion for me um to not feel like you know I'm getting those looks because I'm different.
• 48:38
  Um most of the time they just are staring at my beautiful dog that's next to me.
• 48:43
  Uh well, uh, do you find the people are respectful of him as a service dog?
• 48:50
  Um so you know, are they when they come up to you?
• 48:54
  Uh I don't know if you have one of those vests on it.
• 48:57
  Sometimes I've seen, you know, working, please do not pet um type of do you do you wear, does he wear that?
• 49:04
  Is that something that um you are open to?
• 49:08
  So he does he wears a he wears a vest and it does say do not pet.
• 49:13
  Um the majority of people are um respectful of that.
• 49:17
  Um I'm actually finding that kids these days are being educated and are educating their parents on what a service dog is and that they're not allowed to pet them.
• 49:29
  So if you get school age children, a lot of times um they're being very respectful and they'll come up and ask if they can pet him because they're being taught in school what a service dog is, which I think is a really kind of cool transition I've had over the last few years.
• 49:44
  Um so and and a lot of times um if a child will come up and ask respectfully, because I know that they're educated, I'll I will let them pet um pet him.
• 49:54
  But um, it just depends on the scenario.
• 49:57
  Um, but uh for the most part I'm finding.
• 50:00
  That children, uh school age children seem to know more about service dogs than their parents.
• 50:05
  Wow.
• 50:05
  Well, you know what?
• 50:06
  That's that's really good to hear, though.
• 50:08
  I'm I'm glad that uh that is happening in the schools and you know, that it's being taught openly.
• 50:15
  Um, you know, I can remember back when I was in school, I I would have had no idea what a service dog was.
• 50:21
  Um it was just not something that we talked about.
• 50:24
  And maybe is it maybe it wasn't commonplace back then though.
• 50:28
  Do you see um, let me ask you, do you see an increase in the use of service dogs?
• 50:34
  Yes, I mean, I think that it's been very clearly um proven that service dogs have um a benefit for their handlers and and that they're they are a legitimate medical device when they're properly trained.
• 50:48
  Um so I think and I think that's where a lot of schools have facility dogs now.
• 50:53
  And so that's where these kids are getting educated about facility dogs and service dogs and the difference.
• 50:59
  And um, and you're absolutely right.
• 51:01
  I don't remember seeing many service dogs growing up.
• 51:04
  Um, but um their impact to um you know their handler is huge.
• 51:11
  And what advice then, since we're talking about young people, uh, is there any advice that you might give to uh a young person who maybe is in the same situation you were, uh maybe they're in college or at a trade school and it's just not connecting for them.
• 51:30
  Uh they're uncertain about their future, they're looking at uh talking with a recruiter.
• 51:37
  You know, what what advice would you give to that young person?
• 51:42
  I I think that you know, it it's a very personal decision whether or not you join the military.
• 51:47
  And it's not right for everybody.
• 51:49
  Um, but I will say that if you're in a position where you're um, you know, you don't have a direction.
• 51:57
  Um the joining the army or any military branch could give you um that time to find a direction.
• 52:06
  Um and and it might just be, you know, you serve four years and you find your direction and then you go off and live your life as a civilian, or like me, you you realize that this is really a true calling and you stay in for as long as you're able.
• 52:19
  So um, so yeah, I it's definitely an an avenue that's worth looking at.
• 52:25
  Um, I talk to my parents all the time, and even now with all the medical complications, I don't regret for one day any of the things I did in the military.
• 52:34
  Wow.
• 52:35
  All right.
• 52:36
  And uh do you um do you think that uh, you know, you might have a uh future with ever talking to young people, or do you maybe do you go to schools at all and and talk about your experience and share that openly?
• 52:57
  Um I haven't gone to schools um recently, but um I am giving a talk to um on Veterans Day to at the local town um in uh on Cape Cod.
• 53:08
  So I do get um several speaking engagements here and there to talk about my experiences and and I've been kind of optimizing on those as I can.
• 53:18
  Okay.
• 53:19
  And I wanted you to tell listeners, um, what can be something or a way that they interact when they see a veteran out.
• 53:29
  Uh what are some ways in which strangers have interacted with you or maybe you can recall something that a stranger said to you when you were out that was really impactful.
• 53:42
  Um give us a give us your thoughts on that.
• 53:45
  Um I think, you know, uh a simple thank you for your service is this, you know, a wonderful way to just, you know, a stranger to tell a stranger, you know, they they see that I'm a veteran, they thank me for my service.
• 53:58
  Um, I think that's probably the easiest um way to just kind of reach out and be friendly.
• 54:04
  Um, I think again, any um friendly interaction is is welcomed.
• 54:10
  Um and not um, you know, staring probably not the best way of handling interactions.
• 54:19
  So um, so yeah, just be friendly and um just say hi.
• 54:23
  And that that's that's all you need to do.
• 54:27
  All right.
• 54:27
  Well, I want to end with uh I've I heard somewhere that uh, and here we are, we're in, you know, mid-November.
• 54:36
  Uh Christmas is uh, you know, about a month away.
• 54:40
  And I had heard that you may just have uh a strong liking for the Christmas season.
• 54:48
  Uh is it would you call that a true statement or a false statement?
• 54:53
  Um I I an understatement.
• 54:55
  Um understatement.
• 54:58
  I have a I have a Christmas problem, as as many might say, but I absolutely love Christmas.
• 55:04
  It's one of my favorite seasons of the year.
• 55:07
  My three trees go up the day after Thanksgiving and they stay up until New Year's Eve.
• 55:12
  So that's my um that's my joy of the year, I think for sure, is just all the lights and the music and there's really nothing about Christmas that I don't like.
• 55:23
  So um yeah, I love the season.
• 55:26
  Yeah, you know what?
• 55:26
  I'm right there with you.
• 55:28
  And I thought, you know, if uh the big box stores are already uh, you know, advertising for Christmas, um, I'm not too early talking about it on the show because it is such a wonderful season.
• 55:41
  And uh I think just having it celebrated for a day is uh too short.
• 55:46
  So I'm all about you know celebrating it for a couple months.
• 55:49
  Agreed.
• 55:50
  Yeah.
• 55:51
  Which I also think too about Veterans Day, you know, we we celebrate it on November 11th every year here in the United States.
• 56:01
  And, you know, I would almost propose, you know, changing it from a day to an entire month, maybe just taking the whole month of uh November and celebrating veterans.
• 56:16
  Yeah, I mean, I think there's a lot of veterans that um that are kind of missed, and I think that it's really important that um those folks get get reached.
• 56:27
  And and again, as some in any kind of way, um, if you know someone in your neighborhood that's a veteran, just reach out.
• 56:34
  Um, just be friendly.
• 56:36
  Um, I think uh, you know, a little bit of of neighborly friendship goes a long way.
• 56:42
  Yeah, definitely.
• 56:44
  And I want to just really end on that note right there.
• 56:47
  If you are listening and you know a veteran in your neighborhood, uh first and foremost, thank them for their service and reach out, offer a hand.
• 56:56
  There's probably uh something that they would take you up on, uh, even if it's uh running to the grocery store for some essential items, but um reach out to them first and foremost.
• 57:07
  Uh Rebecca, I want to thank you so much for joining me today.
• 57:12
  And uh, you know, just you've been um great in just sharing your story with the listeners and I hope that uh people who are listening today have learned something.
• 57:23
  Thank you so much for having me.
• 57:25
  All right, until next time, everyone, God bless.