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Operation Healing Heroes S04E10
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00:03Welcome to Operation Healing Heroes. Join us today as we honor the memory of Chief
00:09Warrant Officer Stephen Dwyer. These are the faces of heroes, many still bearing the invisible
00:20wounds of war, PTSD, and trauma. I left Vietnam, but Vietnam never left me. That's how I'm living.
00:31Why did I come back? Why are they gone and I'm not? You know, what have I done to deserve
00:40to be here?
00:40Our mission is listening and hearing, helping and healing for those who sacrificed and those who
00:51continue to sacrifice. The mission today and every day is Operation Healing Heroes. Brought to you by
01:02great clips. Manasota Key Beach in Inglewood, Florida is recognized as the shark-toothed capital
01:14of the world. The sun and the surf have been a welcome getaway for families for generations.
01:22For Gold Star wife, Allie Dwyer, a getaway from the pain that they've endured is much needed.
01:29Hey, Allie, thank you so much for coming to sunny Florida. We're looking forward to meeting you,
01:34learning more about you and the boys, and absolutely excited about preserving Steve's
01:38legacy and talking about his heroism. And I can't say thank you enough for taking the time to come
01:43down here and meet with us. Thanks for having us. We're super excited. The boys are pumped.
01:48Yeah? Love it. They love adventure. They're ready to do some fishing, some swimming.
01:51Yeah, all the things. They'll do anything. They're boys, aren't they? Wild, wild boys. Yes.
01:57Well, we want to make sure that you're comfortable throughout this whole process. We want to
02:01make sure that you only share with us what you want to share as far as Steve's story and your
02:06life and your personal life. But it's important. You and I had a nice conversation yesterday on the
02:10way from the airport. And we talked about family and friends and the importance of all that stuff.
02:16Yeah, that was, Steve was huge on family. Didn't get a ton of time at home, busy with work a
02:23lot.
02:24But every moment he did have at home, family was the most important all the time. So we built a
02:29really good friends away from family and just made it such a top priority. So I hope to keep that
02:36up
02:36for the boys. Steve grew up military, born into the military. All he knew was army life. So for me,
02:44it was adapting to his normal and coming into that military life. It was a lot to learn.
02:51It's a whole different world. It's a world I don't think you realize what it is until you live in
02:55it.
02:55Yeah. So how often did you guys have to move while Steve was in the military or did you not
03:00have to?
03:01We were at four different duty stations. Fort Campbell was our longest one. We were there for seven and a
03:09half years. But typically every two to three years you would move. Was it hard to make friends?
03:14Um, I, I thought it was a little harder to make friends than Steve. He could make friends with a
03:20tree. Everything was his friend. Um, he just grew up moving every two or three years. So
03:25making friends just came natural to him. And he just had a way of bringing people in and making
03:30them feel like they were his best friend. And they truly were. Um, everyone he met was so important
03:35to him. And so just kind of feeding off of him, I met so many people through him and then
03:40had to be,
03:41you know, very outgoing when you move so much, you make friends really quick. Um, that's something that
03:47the military teaches you. You don't have a lot of time to waste on small talk with people. You just
03:52really get to know someone really fast. So I've made some of my best friends that I'll have for my
03:56whole life just through being in this military world. My friends, um, you know, with family being
04:02far away when you're in the military, you're not always close by. Um, your friends become your family
04:07and mine have definitely kept me standing, um, over the last year and a half, but I would be lost
04:14without all my friends. Well, we know that this is going to be a difficult time sharing all this
04:18personal information and stories with us. So we wanted to make sure that you felt comfortable. And so
04:23we actually invited one of your friends to be here with you, if that's okay. Really? Yeah. Is that okay?
04:28Who? Yeah. You turn around.
04:31Hi, Julie!
04:32You okay?
04:34You too! I was going to text you and I was like, oh, maybe she'll be around in a bit
04:38or something.
04:39You're on A! Oh my gosh, thanks for coming!
04:42We thought it was appropriate.
04:43Random friends! I love it!
04:46I'm excited. I did. Yes, I might play for you guys later.
04:50Oh my gosh, awesome.
04:51Yeah, but I'm happy to be here to support you, you know, whatever you need, I'm here for, so.
04:55Oh, how cool. You're sneaky.
04:58I'm sneaky.
04:59So, I met Allie at the Ryman and she shared with me what happened to her husband, Steve. Um, and
05:06I was just
05:07so moved by the story, just as a human and then also as a songwriter. I went home that night
05:13and just
05:14felt the inspiration to try to write a song about their love story and, you know, her trying to
05:21navigate life without him.
05:23Steve grew up an Army kid.
05:26Both of his parents graduated from West Point. All he ever knew was the military. I mean, he wanted to
05:32go to West Point since he was in second grade.
05:35Steve was an Army Ranger.
05:36Yeah, I thought he was like a park ranger or something. I had no idea. Um, I didn't even know
05:42what West Point was. Um, he told me he went there and I was like, that's cool. I went to
05:47A&M and he was like, okay.
05:49So I had no idea what it was. Um, my family asked where I went to school and I was
05:52like, I don't know, someplace called West Point. And they were like, oh my gosh.
05:55So, I just was very naive, I think, going into everything. Yeah, Steve loved that I had no clue what
06:04he did. Um, I think he loved that I loved him for him. And I wasn't about whatever badge he
06:10wore on his uniform.
06:12He's a total beast in the gym. The strongest guy I've ever seen or known. I mean, he could throw
06:17up weight like you want to believe. Um, but super strong and was just the best husband and the best
06:25dad to our boys.
06:26So where did Steve get that toughness from?
06:28Um, well, probably from his mom. Well, and his dad too. But, um, his mom is super tough. She wrote
06:35a book called Tough as Nails and it's about her time at West Point.
06:39And he just grew up knowing nothing, but you have to be tough if you want to make it.
06:46So we have a mutual friend, Becky, who was at the Ryman that night that I met you. Um, and
06:51she said you guys had a wonderful love story. Um, how long did you and Steve date before you got
06:56engaged?
06:57So we met June of 2013 and he proposed over Thanksgiving. So five months.
07:03Quick.
07:04Yeah, really quick. It was one of those love at first sight things. Um, when you know, you know.
07:09And then we got married the next August in Mexico Beach, Florida, which is where his parents live. And it
07:15was like Steve's favorite place ever.
07:17Steve lived every day full throttle. Every day was truly his best day. Um, that was just how he lived
07:24his life. He didn't let anything get him down.
07:26If something got him down, it didn't last long. He was going to turn it around to be something better.
07:31And I think he brought that out in me and our kids too.
07:37Operation Healing Heroes is brought to you by Great Clips, Beach Walk by Minnesota Key, and by Suzuki Marine.
07:53Operation Healing Heroes is a non-profit organization dedicated to documenting the lives of our U.S. military veterans.
08:00In addition, we also provide financial support and treatment for post-traumatic stress.
08:05Your donation will help heal our heroes.
08:16Oh, it's a big one. Keep going.
08:18A trip to Florida just isn't complete without a little fishing.
08:22Keep going.
08:23Look, Brody.
08:26Nice job, buddy.
08:28Dude, that's a big one.
08:30Look, hold your string.
08:31Can I kiss it?
08:32And after the fishing, a quick trip to the beach.
08:45Steve Dwyer was a West Point graduate and an Army Ranger, and Allie lived with the dangers that Steve faced
08:53every day.
08:54I didn't really register until he deployed to Afghanistan.
08:57I was at home with our two-year-old and our newborn that I thought, oh, my gosh, this is
09:03serious.
09:04Like, this is scary, and they willingly go on that deployment when they're called on.
09:12And being a spouse, you essentially willingly support them from home.
09:19But Steve had a dream to fly.
09:21After graduating first in his class in flight school, Steve chose to fly Blackhawks.
09:28I would say I was probably the most against him flying.
09:32I just didn't love the idea of it.
09:34It was very scary to me.
09:36But the 160th was his ultimate goal, so he had made it, and he was so glad.
09:42And I was proud of him.
09:43His family was proud of him.
09:45It was just, you know, it's good to see him, like, reach the goal that he wanted.
09:48But with that comes a lot more worry, a lot more time away from home.
09:56Hey, buddy.
09:57I hope you guys are having a good day today.
10:00Daddy loves you and misses you so much.
10:03This is for Landon, Duke, and Brody.
10:06I really, really, really miss you guys.
10:09I love you guys so much.
10:10Give your mom a big kiss for me.
10:13I love you.
10:14Deployments are super long.
10:16The days feel really long.
10:18For me, I personally didn't sleep, like, at all.
10:22I would, he would tell me when they were going to take off, about how long they would fly.
10:26And if I fell asleep, it was very lightly, and I would jolt back up at the time he should
10:30be done.
10:31My body just worked like clockwork.
10:34I'd either stay awake or wake up when he should be done flying to check my phone to see if
10:39they had landed.
10:40So that might have been what made the days feel so long.
10:43When you're in a high-stress thought process, it, you know, it's very long.
10:51And so that flight that comes home when you know, like, today's the day is such a relief.
10:57And I'll never forget seeing him come off of the plane from Afghanistan.
11:01And I was holding Landon and Duke.
11:04And you just feel all the feels when they come off of that flight.
11:07Like, as soon as I saw him, my heart, like, raced, I was so excited.
11:12Like, he was back on American soil, and I could see him walking.
11:16He was fine.
11:19And then there's also, like, so much, like, heartbreak behind it, too.
11:23Like, we've missed out on so much together.
11:25Like, our kids are so big, and they keep you separated, which is really cruel and all that.
11:30You can't run straight to him on the airfield.
11:32You have to wait.
11:33So he walks by.
11:34The kids want to see him.
11:36And they go, and then they have to go on and be in formation.
11:39Then you have to wait in the bleachers for them to get out of formation.
11:43So, I mean, your heart is just like, I just want to go give him a hug.
11:47But they make you wait.
11:48And getting that hug and kiss is like, there's nothing like it.
11:53Just the best feeling in the world, knowing that he was home safe.
11:58And just, like, the relief that you feel.
12:02Like, all that tension in your body that you carry for nine months just relaxes.
12:07And you feel like you can breathe again.
12:08And you feel like you can sleep again.
12:10Everything just falls back in.
12:13And you get a chance to feel normal for a second.
12:17Normal can be difficult when your life is the military.
12:21We had a couple weeks together.
12:22And in that time is when we got to go see George Strait in Atlanta.
12:26And it ended up being our last day.
12:32Steve got a call that he was going to leave in a week.
12:36And my heart, like, immediately sank.
12:40I was terrified.
12:42I had just panic come all over me.
12:45And in my closet, like, on the floor, having a full-blown panic attack, which I don't usually have.
12:53And he just held me and assured me he would be okay.
12:58And it felt scary to me.
12:59I don't know if it was his first deployment with the 160th.
13:03We were going to have Thanksgiving and Christmas and all of that at home.
13:06And it went from, I'm leaving in a week and I'm not going to be back for two months.
13:10But he told Landon, I'll be back before your birthday.
13:13I'll be back January 6th.
13:16So I took him up to the compound.
13:18And I just had such a bad feeling about this one.
13:28He hugged me and squeezed me so tight.
13:31And I, like, came up to his chest.
13:34And his chest was just full of tears.
13:37And I just told him, I feel like this is going to be the last time I'll ever hug and
13:41kiss you.
13:42And I can't shake that feeling.
13:44Like, I don't know.
13:45This one just doesn't feel right.
13:49And he assured me he would be okay.
13:52And I just couldn't think that way.
13:53He's like, you can't think that way.
13:54You've got to be positive.
13:56And I just couldn't shake it.
13:58This one felt so different than the last two.
14:01And he loaded up his stuff.
14:02And I watched him walk away.
14:05And I actually took a picture of him walking away.
14:08Because I thought that was going to be the last time I would ever see him.
14:11Like, I just had such a bad, bad feeling.
14:17Operation Healing Heroes is brought to you by Great Clips, Blue Water Boat Club, and by St. Croix Rocks.
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14:52channel.
14:54If you'd like to learn more and go deeper into the subject of healing, tune in to the all-new
14:59Operation Healing Heroes podcast, Feel the Heal.
15:02Hear from veterans, first responders, doctors, nonprofit leaders, and Gold Star families as they share powerful stories of hope, healing,
15:10and resiliency.
15:11Tune in and feel the heel.
15:18The last time I ever saw him was November 6th.
15:22And so on the 10th, he called me on and off.
15:30I didn't even know where he was.
15:32You don't get to know that information.
15:34And so he called me and was, our last conversation, he told me it was a bad night to fly.
15:41And I was like, why are y'all flying if it's a bad night to fly?
15:45And he said, there's like zero lume in the sky.
15:48There's not a star out.
15:50And it's like, it's so dark.
15:52But dark in the middle of the ocean is different than dark on land.
15:57He also told me, this is how we're trained to fly.
16:00And it'll be OK.
16:01I'll call or text you when we're done.
16:03The call or text from Steve would never come.
16:07It gets to eight hours, and I still don't hear anything.
16:10So I texted him, are you OK?
16:13And the message was green.
16:16And the message is never green.
16:21Barely slept that night.
16:22Wasn't hearing anything.
16:24I didn't get any message back.
16:26And I just knew at that moment, like, something was wrong.
16:30A few hours later, Allie's worst fears were confirmed.
16:35And I heard a knock at the door.
16:37And no one knocks on our door.
16:38All the kids ring the doorbell.
16:40But I heard a really heavy knock at the door.
16:43And my heart absolutely stopped.
16:48I didn't even have to open the door to know who was there.
16:51But I looked around the corner, and there were two uniformed soldiers standing on my front porch.
17:03And I took off through the house, screaming out my back door.
17:08Didn't even open the door.
17:11And just screaming on the back porch, like, no, no, no, no, no.
17:16And then Duke opened the door.
17:18And so I went back in, and he's standing in front of these two soldiers, just, he's five, looking up
17:28at them.
17:28And I hear him say, did my daddy die?
17:32And it was the absolute worst thing that I could have ever imagined seeing.
17:38It was awful.
17:39And so I slammed the door in their face, and I was like, Duke, stay inside.
17:43Don't go outside.
17:45Something's wrong, but don't go outside.
17:47They don't leave.
17:48They have to stay.
17:50And so I opened the door, and I ran past them, and I jumped off the steps of our front
17:54porch and ran into the middle of our cul-de-sac.
17:57And it was one of those things that I couldn't see anything going on around me.
18:03Like, the world around me was black.
18:05I couldn't see anything.
18:06I don't even know if my screams were making a sound.
18:12And they kind of followed me around, and they eventually held my shoulders to, like, hold me still and told
18:20me they were so sorry.
18:22And I was like, no.
18:25Like, all I could say was no.
18:28And they just kept staring at me, and I was like, are you here to tell me what I think
18:32you're about to tell me?
18:34And they both nodded their head, and, I mean, my world as I knew was over.
18:41The casualty assistance officers told Allie that Steve was missing after his Blackhawk helicopter crashed into the Mediterranean Sea.
18:51I knew our life would never be the same.
18:54Our love, our protection, our happiness.
18:57Like, Steve embodied all of that, and he was our world, and we were his.
19:07And so they told me that they had been looking for 24 hours, and they couldn't find him.
19:14At that point, they call the search and tell you, you know, we believe he's deceased.
19:21And I'll never forget, like, hearing that word, like, that and Steve don't go together.
19:28Like, Steve is full of life, and everything good, and deceased was not Steve.
19:36I don't know where Duke ended up, and I think Brody was going to the bathroom, and Landon was actually
19:41upstairs and could hear me screaming in the street.
19:44And he opened his window and heard me screaming and saw the soldiers there, and, um, so he found out
19:53from the window by himself.
19:55And I later found out, like, when he realized he just laid on the floor and cried in the room
20:02by himself.
20:02Like, no gentle way to tell him.
20:06And, you know, there's no easy way to break your kid's heart.
20:11All of it was just so chaotic, and, um, if I could take their pain away, I would take it
20:18away in a heartbeat.
20:19It got dark eventually outside.
20:21I didn't feel like I could go back inside.
20:23Um, and I just stayed in the street, and Landon, who's such a daddy's boy, um, went in and got
20:31his flannel blanket and came back out.
20:33And he covered me up with the blanket, and we both covered up all the way over underneath the blanket
20:39and laid down in the middle of the street.
20:41And it was November, so it was kind of cold out.
20:44And I just told him, I was like, if we stay here long enough, they'll go away, and this won't
20:49be true.
20:50Like, this cannot be true.
20:52So we stayed under that blanket.
20:54I don't know how long it felt like forever.
20:57Landon's so sweet.
20:57He was seven, and he just wiped my tears and told me, it's okay, Mommy, we're going to find him.
21:03It's okay.
21:03They don't know where to look.
21:05And I was like, you're right, they don't know where to look.
21:07They're looking in all the wrong places.
21:10And he was like, you know, Daddy is the strongest.
21:13If anyone's going to make it out, it's Daddy.
21:16Like, I know it, and you have to believe it.
21:18And he was like, God, God will protect him.
21:21Like, I know it.
21:21And I was like, okay, I'm going to believe what you believe.
21:25And so my seven-year-old, like, consoling me in the street under a blanket, like, no seven-year-old
21:31should ever have to live that moment in their life.
21:42The mission of the Dwyer Fire Gold Star Foundation is to provide unwavering support to Gold Star children
21:49and help them discover the life-changing power of sports and fitness.
21:58Operation Healing Heroes is brought to you by Battle Born Batteries, Beachwalk, by Manasota Key, and by SKB Cases.
22:13Landon is so compassionate, always has been, always has been the caretaker of his brothers, just naturally.
22:22And before Steve would leave, he'd say, you're the man of the house.
22:28And Landon takes every bit of that to heart.
22:33He feels like he has to protect me and his brothers, and he helps out any way that he can.
22:40And he truly does mean that, you know, he's going to try to be the man of the house.
22:46And I just wanted to be a kid as much as possible, just be a kid.
22:50But by nature, he's so protective and so caring for others.
22:55The oldest of three brothers, seven-year-old Landon laid under a blanket with his mother in the middle of
23:02their cul-de-sac, trying to console her.
23:06Just has such a big heart.
23:07Like, I know it gets that from Steve.
23:09Such a huge heart to go outside and make sure I was okay.
23:12And I couldn't even think past, like, to wonder where the kids were.
23:15I had no idea.
23:16But he wanted to check on me and make sure I was okay.
23:20And just the most tender heart.
23:22And he has taken that full role as my protector since that day.
23:29But it was just awful.
23:32There's, like, there's nothing that can prepare you for that knock on your door or even the phone call that
23:39you may get.
23:40Like, I called Steve's parents to let them know.
23:44And the hardest phone call I've ever made.
23:47I don't even know if they could understand me.
23:49I think someone else got on the phone to talk to them.
23:51And so it was Steve and four others were on that helicopter.
23:57And the whole crew didn't make it home.
24:00With Steve still missing, Allie and the boys continued to hope.
24:05He was missing.
24:07They hadn't brought any remains home for 39 days.
24:11So for 39 days, we lived wondering if maybe he survived the crash and they just couldn't find him.
24:18Um, I knew it was unlikely, but I, the boys were so hopeful for that.
24:24And I had to hold the hope of that, too.
24:27It was the only way to survive that.
24:30Um, in the time that Steve was missing, the boys wanted to call him.
24:36He'll answer, just keep calling.
24:39And so for 39 days, they kept calling.
24:42And it would go straight to voicemail.
24:45And it's heartbreaking, like, listening to your kids leave a message, knowing that that phone call is never going to
24:53be returned.
24:55And they were just so hopeful.
24:57And, you know, so then we had to go when they told us, like, remains were recovered.
25:06Um, and I had to fly out to Dover.
25:10And so I was like, I can't get on a plane.
25:13Like, I'm not going to fly anywhere without my kids.
25:16So I was like, I'm not getting on anything.
25:17And I'm going to bring Steve's dog.
25:19And they were like, you can't bring his dog.
25:20And I was like, I don't know if that's, like, really going to be him.
25:24But I know his dog will know.
25:25And he found Lottie in the field at Fort Hood back before I had even met him.
25:30And Lottie and Steve were, like, the same personality.
25:33Like, if Steve was a dog, this was him as a dog.
25:35He's a black lab, and he's just the best.
25:38But so I canceled the flights, and my in-laws were so sweet.
25:42And they were like, we'll drive with you.
25:44Like, you can't drive by yourself.
25:45Um, we went out to Dover.
25:48And two guys were recovered at the time of the accident.
25:52And they were brought home immediately.
25:55And then the other three went down with the helicopter.
25:58So it was Steve and the other pilot, and then another crew chief member went down.
26:02So all three of their remains came back at the same time.
26:07After 39 days, Steve and Dwyer came home.
26:13And that's, like, I think something, like, people don't understand.
26:16Like, you get your heart broken once, and then 39 days later,
26:21you hit a reset button, and you break it again.
26:24And there's all these different steps and ceremonies that happen in the military.
26:29So it's not like a normal death.
26:34It's over and over.
26:35Like, you have to do these things over and over.
26:38But I remember standing on that airfield,
26:43and I just thought, like, standing on the airfield when he landed and got home from Afghanistan,
26:49and I got to see him smile at us, and so relieved he was home.
26:54I stood there fully broken with his dog, and I was just shaking like a leaf.
27:04Like, I couldn't stop shaking, and I knew I wasn't going to get that hug.
27:10I would never see that smile again.
27:13And it just wrecked me, just crushed my soul.
27:18But they unloaded them one at a time, and Steve was unloaded first.
27:23And I didn't know that at the time, but when his casket came off,
27:29Lottie, like, was so alert and tracked it the whole time all the way to the van.
27:34And then they unloaded the other two, but Lottie never took his eyes off
27:38while the other two guys were brought out.
27:43And the van went to pull away, and Lottie took off running down the airfield.
27:48And so I'm, like, trying to hold him back, but, like, he knew.
27:52He just knew that that was his dad.
27:55That was Steve.
27:56And from that moment on, like, he stood by my side and just protected me everywhere,
28:01whether I was going to the bathroom or crying on the floor in my closet
28:05or throwing up in the sink because I couldn't swallow any food.
28:11Lottie was right there.
28:13And I just think, like, he just kind of took on, like, his protection over us.
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28:41Early on in the beginning, I felt like Brody had amnesia, really, because he was three.
28:46And every day he would ask, is today the day that Daddy comes home?
28:50And so not only do you have to tell your kids once when they're little,
28:55you have to tell them every day.
28:58And it's so hard as a mom to tell them those things over and over again.
29:04And it's just a heartbreak every day.
29:09So he's starting to understand a little bit more, but it's on his mind all the time.
29:16Duke's kind of the sneaky one.
29:18He is goofy, just like Steve was.
29:22And it broke my heart that he was the one that had to answer the door to the notification officers.
29:28And he didn't really want to be around me for a little while.
29:31It was, I think, the way I freaked out scared him.
29:36And he was only five.
29:38And I think he thought for a little bit of time that some of it was his fault.
29:42And it wasn't his fault at all.
29:44He just ended up being the one at the door.
29:48He has Steve's smile and his dimples.
29:50And I look at him and I see so much of Steve.
29:54He just looks exactly like him.
29:56He just has white hair and blue eyes.
29:58But he is Steve.
30:01Mommy!
30:03Mommy!
30:05Oh, there's two.
30:10Oh, my gosh.
30:11He's coming right at us.
30:19The hat I'm wearing, the flag is part of Steve's flight suit.
30:24So every time I wear this hat, I have a little piece of him wherever I go.
30:28The boys all have one, too.
30:29So they wear it with pride and knowing that their dad is a hero.
30:34And they love having as much of him with them as they possibly can.
30:38After 39 days of pain, heartbreak, and mourning,
30:43Allie returned home from the dignified transfer on December 23rd.
30:49It was time for Allie to tell the boys.
30:53I had to tell him two days before Christmas with my kids sitting in the living room.
30:57Next to a tree filled with gifts that I didn't go shopping for,
31:01That everyone had generously just brought over,
31:03Because there's no way I was going to shop for Christmas.
31:07I had to tell him he was never coming home.
31:10Steve had written me a letter before he went to Afghanistan.
31:13And in that letter, it said,
31:17Something along the lines of our country wouldn't be free if people didn't do what I do.
31:23And it was like, you have to be proud of that sacrifice,
31:25Because you, too, are part of that sacrifice.
31:27So be proud of it and own it.
31:31And reading that letter back, where our life is now,
31:35It's so different than it did in 2018.
31:39And it's a sacrifice we never wanted to make.
31:44The boys got born into this Army life.
31:47It's a sacrifice that wasn't made by choice.
31:50So when people say, thank you for your sacrifice,
31:54Like, we didn't choose that.
31:56And if we could have it the other way, we absolutely would.
32:00But it was part of Steve's calling.
32:03And he followed his calling to serve our country.
32:08And his passion was flying helicopters.
32:12But me and the boys were his world.
32:16We were his everything, and he was ours.
32:19Athleticism continues to run deep in the Dwyer household.
32:24What do you say, buddy?
32:25Hold that pace. Hold that pace.
32:27Sports and fitness were so huge for Steve.
32:30So that's something we wanted to make sure we could keep going for the boys.
32:34Finish strong. Finish strong.
32:34So our family and friends came together and started
32:37What's now called the Dwyer Fire Gold Star Foundation.
32:42And it is to help Gold Star kids with sports and fitness.
32:46It's just made a huge impact.
32:48And we hope to keep Steve's legacy alive
32:50Through kids learning to love to be active, just like he did.
32:54That's amazing.
32:55I mean, it's so great that you can take such a horrible negative
33:00And turn it into a positive.
33:02And hopefully those kids that you're going to affect their lives forever, right?
33:06I mean, it's so important that we take care of our Gold Star families.
33:11And having spent a short amount of time with your boys,
33:14I can tell you that they are amazing.
33:16I get the luxury of being able to hang out with them,
33:20Take them fishing and do some stuff.
33:22And I mean, it's, I don't know, I just can't say thank you enough.
33:25And I want you to know that this is just the beginning.
33:28Operation Healing Heroes is going to be here for not only you,
33:30But for those boys forever.
33:32And I mean that.
33:34We're going to work with some other nonprofit organizations,
33:37But we're going to get their college taken care of.
33:39And I want you to know that I'm only a phone call away.
33:43If you ever need anything.
33:44And I mean that.
33:45I really do.
33:46I mean that.
33:47There's so much that we might be able to help you with the pain.
33:50And I always say make it tomorrow, making tomorrow better than today.
33:54But just know that you have a family in us now forever.
33:57And we're not leaving.
33:58Thank you so much.
33:59I appreciate it.
34:00I really do.
34:01I mean that.
34:01The boys will probably want to come live with you out here.
34:04I do think that Steve is watching over us right now.
34:10And proud of you.
34:11Proud of the boys.
34:12Thank you for letting us do this.
34:16Operation Healing Heroes is brought to you by Recon Boats.
34:22Power Pole.
34:24And by Mustang Survival.
34:32If you'd like to personally thank a veteran that you've seen in one of our episodes
34:35or nominate a veteran to be featured in a future episode,
34:38log on to our website, OperationHealingHeroes.org.
34:44Operation Healing Heroes is brought to you by Great Clips.
34:49Battle Born Batteries.
34:52And by SKB Cases.
34:58Our house was always very quiet when he was gone.
35:01And Steve was such a lover of music.
35:04He had music playing everywhere he went.
35:07There's a playlist for everything.
35:09He even made one for the boys, one for me.
35:11I didn't realize that he'd made a playlist for me.
35:14So when I got his iPad back, his phone didn't come back,
35:18but I got his iPad back and I was scrolling through all his music.
35:21All I wanted to hear was his music again.
35:23And I found a playlist for me.
35:25And it's interesting kind of what he put in the playlist.
35:30There's a lot of, there's, I just find a lot of like hidden messages
35:34in the stuff he selected.
35:36And I just hear songs differently now.
35:39Like he's able to tell me something without being here.
35:43But he loved music.
35:45Our life together is kind of like a soundtrack.
35:47And he was the DJ for it, but he loved music so much.
35:53Yeah, and when you shared some of that with me the night at the Ryman that we met,
35:58I mean, music is so powerful.
36:00And that was just so inspirational to me.
36:03And the fact that Steve loved music so much,
36:05I just wanted to go home and write a song based off the stories
36:09that you had shared with me that night.
36:10So this is called, You Left Me a Song.
36:21Hiding under the covers, I've never been weaker
36:27Than when they told me the news
36:34That I didn't really lose you
36:46I'll never feel your kiss again
36:51But you left me something heaven sent
36:56I feel it every time it plays through the speakers
37:06You left me a song
37:13You left me music
37:16Our love carries on
37:23Your heart beat is still beating strong
37:29Your heart beat is still beating strong
37:30When I hum the tune
37:32Tune of one woman
37:37You left a song
37:44The memory of your voice calling my name
37:51Will fade with time
37:53As the years roll on
37:58Fate mailed us both
38:01Fate mailed us both
38:02A dear John
38:10I'll dance to all of your favorite songs
38:15I swear I can hear you singing along
38:19As long as long as the melodies keep playing out
38:27I'll be fine
38:35The home that we built
38:39The life that we lived
38:41The life that we lived
38:42It's a song that I'd play
38:45With my windows down
38:49Shed a tear
38:51Shed a tear
38:52Wipe it away
38:53Wipe it away
38:55Turn up your memory
38:57All over this town
38:59You left me a song
39:04You left me music
39:09Our love carries on
39:14Your heartbeat is still beating strong
39:20When I hum the tune
39:23When I hum the tune
39:24Tune of one woman
39:27You left me a song
39:35You, you, you left me a song
39:48You're so good
39:50Thank you so much
39:51You are so welcome
39:52Do y'all like that?
39:53Yeah, you cry
39:54Yeah
39:54It makes me cry
39:56Did you guys have fun this trip?
39:58Yeah
39:58Yeah
39:59Yeah?
40:00How big was that fish you caught?
40:01That was a fish
40:02Let me see
40:04Show me
40:04How big
40:06Oh, it grew
40:08He's a true fisherman
40:09I love it
40:11Alright
40:11Well, I want to keep you guys fishing
40:14So, I got you guys a little something
40:16Oh, my gosh
40:20Alright
40:20Since
40:22Brody
40:22Caught the biggest fish
40:24Brody
40:25This is a fishing rod
40:25It's got all the branches of service on there
40:27And the American flag
40:28And our logo on there
40:30And then if you turn it around
40:31It has your name on it
40:32It says
40:33Brody
40:34Brody Dwyer
40:35Brody Dwyer
40:36What do you say?
40:38If you guys are going to be professional fishermen
40:40Then you need to look like professional fishermen
40:42So, guess what?
40:44Cool
40:45Does anyone know a kid named Brody here?
40:47Um
40:47I'm Brody
40:49Oh, you're Brody?
40:51Yeah, don't stab me with a fishing pole
40:52Aww
40:54Hey, you guys are always welcome to come back and go fishing with me
40:57You know that, right?
40:58Look at that
40:58This is so cool
40:59Thank you so much for the whole weekend
41:15If you'd like to personally thank a veteran that you've seen in one of our episodes
41:19Or nominate a veteran to be featured in a future episode
41:22Log on to our website
41:25OperationHealingHeroes.org
41:25And click on the nominate button
41:27Oh
41:29You
41:31That was great
41:31It was really wonderful
41:31The next week
41:31First week
41:31Thing
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