Garrett Johnson’s Post

Transcript

As a U.S. Army soldier. That transition from me. To civilian life was a little different. 3 1/2 years after being severely wounded in combat. Purple Heart recipient with experience took me back. Took me back from when I was in. And actually, I interface with some of the individuals that was in the hospital with me, had a chance to remind myself that path we've crossed. Through these years. Treatment. The path we crossed these years are giving back. And I felt like. We're on the same path, the singing journey, and we're doing this for the same reason. The last 24 hours just been mind blowing. Being around like minded veteran service organizations as well as veteran and their family made me feel at home. I just felt proud today to be there with the Bronco experience. As the Fighting Irish of the military Army side of the house always look at it saying with the tougher than tough but. That Bronco. Ernesto Hernandez that are known as EE I served the United States Air Force. I'm here representing wounded Paw project. I'm March 26, 2008, myself an army soldier. And to internalize those that creed of the military, we were getting indirect fire from both rockers and missiles into the Green Zone, Baghdad. And we made the ultimate sacrifice that use our bodies to protect others in a bunker. So he went on the South end, I went in the North End and used our bodies so others may live. So came back with the invisible and physical wounds. Traditionally when we go to events, it is about remembering the following or honoring the following. There's grief, there's crying. There's some good times there as well. But today was more of. Enjoying ourselves, each one of us got the opportunity to sit behind a Great American Icon vehicle and just just be childish again, you know, go back to you feeling back to that when you first enlisted. Especially for myself when I was 17 years old, when I joined the military, it was that feeling again, you know, being useful. But today just allowed us not to forget it, but to really honor their sacrifices to a great company such as Ford Motor Company. September 11th hit and. My husband knew that he needed to get back in to and so he did. I really wanted to watch them experience this because for me. I get to see them enjoying the same same things that their dad enjoyed and that just really meant a lot for me and that is part of keeping his spirit alive. My husband had a Ford Bronco that he worked on and that we worked on a lot. That we ended up having to give up when when the sun was born and so but anyway, so when taps called, I thought what a crazy awesome thing to get to go do, to take my daughters to go do something that their dad which would love to do and did and so. I mean, what other choice was there except, except for you guys, huh. This one who just got her drivers license, my license two weeks ago and then I went straight into off roading. So it was a really good experience. And this one drives fire trucks. Just remember that life is life is fun because sometimes they don't feel that way. Miley husband was Cooper Aiken. He was an Army Special Forces officer and he died last year of a military service connected cancer. And we used to go off roading during the pandemic. We go out into the backwoods every weekend. I've been Washington state. And when he saw they were releasing the Bronco, he wanted one but didn't get there in time. But so getting out there today. It was really quite special. Ford's proud to honor Bronco Off Rodeo is really, really for doing its part to support military families like mine, Gold Star families like mine. We were a veteran family before we became a Gold Star. You're really stepping up and it's meant so much to me and my family and my friends and just helped me kind of find a little piece of myself again.