Building Homes for Heroes: Honoring Sacrifices, Rebuilding Lives, and Transforming Legacies

Jerry D. Lund: 0:15

Welcome to today's episode of Enduring the Badge Podcast. I'm host Jerry Dean Lund and if you haven't already done so, please take out your phone and hit that subscribe button. I don't want you to miss an upcoming episode. And, hey, while your phone's out, please give us a rating and review. On whichever platform you listen to this podcast on, such as iTunes, apple Podcasts and Spotify. It helps this podcast grow and the reason why, when this gets positive ratings and reviews, those platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify show this to other people that never listened to this podcast before, and that allows our podcast to grow and make a more of an impact on other people's lives. So if you would do that, I would appreciate that from the bottom of my heart. My two very special guests today have incredible stories from working at Ground Zero and they're going to tell a little bit about those stories. But the real story we want to tell today is about Andy creating a non-profit called Building Homes for Heroes, and how Duane Sun, who received a Purple Heart, is going to receive one of those homes. It's an incredible story and you're not going to want to miss a second of this episode, so let's jump right into it.

Andy: 1:27

I was involved in Search and Rescue in 9-11, and it's 22 years ago, so it's a little difficult to remember for some, but not for many of us. But all around the country, Each and every one of us holds 9-11, 2001,. Close to our hearts, kind of like Pearl Harbor during that generation. And I sat there in the rubble one night. I think I was switching over from the bucket brigade to pushing the canisters to steal down the block with debris, and as I looked around me I saw fires burning everywhere and smoke everywhere. And I sat down one night just to rest for a few minutes. Pushing those steel canisters was brutal and I was pushing them by myself and there were many others pushing them as well, by themselves. And I sat in the rubble one night and said a prayer. In the middle of the prayer I looked around me at all the firefighters and police officers, EMS workers, and I realized for the first time in my life I was seeing true heroes at work. I was amazed by them and they were so resilient and so determined and never stopped, never stopped, and they had soot all over them from head to toe, and I knew at that point I did too. I said, my God, I must be over there than I normally am, but I, and then I broke down in tears and I said a prayer and I asked God for forgiveness and I asked him to stay with me and to do something to serve, to give me the opportunity to serve my country in a way that was meaningful. And I actually wanted to join the military, but I was already too old and I didn't know that at the moment. But that was my goal. And then I realized I had to find another way. So I helped other charities for a number of years, went to a lot of funerals first and then helped other charities, but they could never tell me where the money was going. They could never tell me in a way that really meant something to me and meant something to everyone there at that moment in time. And so I decided to start building homes for heroes, and I didn't know if it would be successful, but I knew that we would work our tails off, continue to work our tails off, to do the very best we could, to be the very best we could, and that was the beginning of building homes for heroes.

Jerry D. Lund: 4:37

Wow that's. I couldn't imagine being down there at ground zero during that time. I was there about three weeks after that and it was still very much a work in progress going on down there and it took me for a loss of words. It was a privilege to meet so many New York firefighters and police officers and other people helping down there at ground zero.

Andy: 5:11

Yeah, absolutely, I certainly understand and they really are. They will wear that badge of honor for the rest of my life, for the rest of our lives, for the rest of many, many, many, many lives. And that's what we need to get back to in this country get everything right and remember that they are heroes and there's many of them that conduct themselves as heroes to this day and do the best they can and to be the best they can. And we've got to get back to that basic respect and basic honor, because I know that's in their hearts, that's who they want to be, and we'll figure that out. We'll figure that out. I want to get into it more than that. Just you know, yeah, one day they'll do a movie about it and all the heroes will be the firefighters and police officers and EMS workers.

Duane Marcy: 6:18

EMS workers too, Amazing.

Jerry D. Lund: 6:21

EMS workers, dispatchers, a lot of people behind the scenes on those major events that, to your right, they tend to get forgotten or not spoken about. But yeah, thank you for reminding me of that.

Duane Marcy: 6:34

I was working on the 11th. I was lieutenant in an engine company up in Harlem Engine 80, and we were working that night in the next day. So basically we sort of unfold before our eyes, but we were hearing it through the telecoms, through the speakers, through the firehouse because of the multiple alarms, how it just kept rising and rising, but also watching it unfold on the news in the TV room with the guys. And later that afternoon we were sent down there to relieve another engine company and then we spent another 24 hours down there operating in line. Basically, just, you know, we weren't aggressively advancing, we were just trying to put out these pockets of fires that were deeply smoldering, you know, below a lot of the debris. And then from then on we're down there every day. If you weren't working, if you weren't on the chart down there volunteering to work the pile, and if you weren't doing that, I was at a funeral. You know. There were just never ending funerals going on. So basically you lived and breathed 24-7 in the fire department and about 10 years later, on the 10th anniversary, a bunch of us decided that we didn't want to be around the city. We didn't want to be around any of this hope. That was, you know, taking over the radio waves. So we decided that we were going to do a bike ride. And we were going to do a bike ride. That's 343 miles, so it was going to be a mile for every man that died that day. And what we were going to do is, in order for us to even ride, we wanted to make it where it's a fundraiser. We were going to raise money to participate in the ride and all that money would go to vets, wounded vets. So we started that on the 10th anniversary, just as a small group of a bunch of firemen and probably about 40 guys and that's grown to almost 100 guys. We've raised over a million dollars in the course of doing that. All of this time. What was happening is we were given the money directly to vets, so we were buying tracked vehicles and then they were taking over by corporate people that sort of buying the tracked vehicles. So we were buying hand crank cycles for vets and trailers, everything we could do to give the money directly to a vet. But we were running out of vets to give it to, in a sense. Not that there weren't enough vets that were hurt, but we couldn't reach them or find out who they were to give them the funds. So then we started looking at every year we want to go back to zero and give all the money away. So how can we do that? And we found Homes for Hero that gives almost 100% of their money to vets and that's what we were looking for, the only way that we could team up with, give up this money so that we know it's going to go directly to the veterans and not be absorbed in administratively and just not get to the end recipient that we wanted. So we started doing that throughout the course of our riding and over the last few years we're becoming very acclimated with the Homes for Heroes and their organization and what great things they were doing for these vet veterans. And then a special part that came up now was that for this year they were coming up to the 343rd home and my son also is a wounded vet. He's a Purple Heart recipient. He had lost his leg in Afghanistan and in a firefight and he's a recipient of this year's 343rd home. So there's a special significance of that number of homes that this great organization is given. But also they made the announcement in a firehouse that I was a fireman at that. My son used to play for the Christmas parties and go on the rigs and just be a part of as he was growing up, and it was because of 9-11 that he joined the service. So it all became full circle for me and for our organizations to kind of bring this all about, and that's how I became personally involved in this, in addition to the guys that I ride with.

Jerry D. Lund: 10:50

That's a pretty incredible story and thank you both for your service and thank you for your son's service. It's very important to, like you said, to remember these men and women that are serving our country. So the 433rd home, 343.

Duane Marcy: 11:09

343. 343.

Jerry D. Lund: 11:12

Yeah, so your son's home went to your son.

Duane Marcy: 11:16

Well, it's going to him on Saturday.

Jerry D. Lund: 11:18

On Saturday? Very nice. Where's that going to be? East Haven, connecticut. East Haven, connecticut, awesome. So have you built homes all around the country?

Andy: 11:29

Oh yeah. We've built homes and we're now in 33 states all over the country. For the first five, six years, we were building one home a year in 2011, 2012. We did our ninth home and it was a veteran who was so severely injured he was considered the most severely injured veteran from Iraq at the time and it aired all over television and the charity took off and I was recovering from cancer from 9-11 at the same time and so I was pretty weak during the interviews and I'm not a TV guy like you. I kind of stumbled and followed my way through. But, lo and behold, I get to the podium. I have five generals there that's how big this veteran was and this event was and some big names and I rattle them off to you and you'd go wow. But the all of a sudden I looked up from the podium and there was at least 1500 people there. They were spread out to the houses next door, all of the backs against the wall, I was like, and I'll tell you, one of them was General Abrams. And he gets up and he gets the podium and the first thing he does is look, because he's in the front row looking at me, and he turns around and goes. Oh wow, I said I know what you mean. They just kept coming and the organization took off after that. And so you know again, from a prayer on the rubble on 9-11 to smoke that burned all around us and ash all around for a hundred days, and to our 343rd home. You know, I believe in my heart of hearts it's. You know, there's so many people to thank, but it's all a miracle. I mean, how this really happened is beyond words, beyond me, and I know that just upon in this, that you know the heroes of the firefighters, the first responders, ems and our veterans. they're all the heroes to this country and we can never, ever stop thanking them for being there when we need them most and being there when we need them most always.

Jerry D. Lund: 14:04

Right and then, especially after they get injured, you know, finding a place where they can live a life with accessibility, especially after sustaining, you know, these type of injuries.

Andy: 14:14

Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. I mean, you know you think that maybe you're building homes and that's unbelievable, that's beautiful, that's amazing, but it's so much more than that. We're rebuilding lives. We're building better and brighter lives. We're literally making dreams come true and then we don't ever leave them. We kind of have the same military mentality. We refuse to leave them and we stay with them. And we've helped veterans compete in the Invictus Games and all kinds of competition around the globe. We've helped them a veteran who was blind, who had over 120 surgeries, get his college degree. We've helped veterans start their own business. We're helping now thousands of veterans and first responders with physical wellness and mental well-being. So we are building better and brighter lives and making dreams come true, and we're pretty, pretty darn proud of that. You know I made that promise. I've never taken a single penny in 18 years. So you know this is we're people that truly walk the walk and don't spend all their time talking the talk. And I say that with humility. I don't want to look at anyone else in the other way. Just, you know, we start this organization with humility and honor and we'll continue to run it that way.

Jerry D. Lund: 15:54

I mean, that's, that's the way those, these type of businesses, should be run right. This is you're. You're involved in so many areas of these veterans lives and people's from you know. Competing in the Invictus Games that's pretty cool. I just watched the Netflix series on that and, wow, that's very powerful. Those games are amazing. I'd encourage people to to watch that. But you're not only building homes, you're supporting in all these areas of life, like let's like. This had to take a toll in the beginning on both of you working. You know the ground zero I mean mental health wise and obviously took some, you know, of your own personal health. How'd you get through those times?

Duane Marcy: 16:44

I mean it was hard. I've been told that was never the same. After that it took a mental toll on myself, physically and mentally. You don't ever hear about first responders talking about PTSD or anything like that, but yet when you look at or read anything about it, you find that we all basically suffer some forms of it, some more severe than others, and it's hard to acknowledge that we actually need help, that what's between our ears? There can be something going wrong there. We're always the ones that showed up to help everybody and then here we need help. It wasn't an easy task. I mean, I've gotten divorced years after that. Kids struggled. It's not just the person that died that day. It's an ongoing battle that we all go through when we suffer. When we were working down there, we were told one thing and then shown another, and what I'm referring to is like the air quality. Today there's over 330 first responders just in a fight apartment alone, not even counting the police or EMS or people that worked down around there volunteering that have been diagnosed with breathing elements and cancers. That was a hazmat situation. That was a hazmat scene. We had the head of the DEP coming out with a daily news article telling us that the air was fine to breathe and it wasn't treated as a hazmat situation. So we became the guinea pigs and we're still paying for that today. So, hearing about friends even Andy mentioned he had gotten cancer I know a bunch of guys that either had got cancer, they have cancer or they've passed away and it's attributed to 9-11 diseases. So it's not something that was one and done for us. It's something that I live with and we all live with. When I say we all, I'm talking about the family of first responders. We live with them just constantly. We go out and we do these things, and what Andy does with his organization is such a great thing because what we're dealt with was for a very limited period of time that six months or eight months, until they finally opened it up the pile in lower Manhattan. But these soldiers are out there still fighting on those front lines a decade later, still getting injured, still getting banged up. We're suffering after effects from one incident. These guys, it's ongoing. So to be involved with these organizations that are helping and giving back these guys that have our back, that are keeping us safe, we look back now and say it's so many years, what is it 12?, 21 years that we haven't been attacked. It's because of these men and women that are out there helping us and protecting us.

Jerry D. Lund: 19:34

Yeah, definitely. I'm sorry you guys that have stained health conditions from. I mean I don't know what you could have done differently down there. I mean, I'm sure you're there to serve and it's hard to look back and to put words into it, but weeks after, and as like the breathing of the air back then was still wasn't good Like you could like dust and everything on your teeth and on your shirts. And weeks later, let alone being right down in there for so long, your son that was injured in Afghanistan lost his leg. How did you hear about that?

Duane Marcy: 20:18

So what happened was that I had come home for lunch that day and just so happened that my ex at the time she was working nights, so she was sleeping and I get a phone call, the house phone Back then you still use those and not like today and with the cell phones but it was just commanding officer and he was telling me that my son was severely injured in Afghanistan in a firefight. And I mean just basically, it was like the wind, just you know, I was like ready to collapse, you know. You, just everything comes out of you and pull myself together just to stand there and listen. And basically they were asking if I had a passport and how soon I could be ready, myself and my ex, because they wanted to send us to Germany, basically to say goodbye, because they didn't think you would make it across the ocean and he had gotten through a few surgeries at that point, and that was all within the same day. And again, they tried to get these soldiers packaged up and bring them stateside as quickly as possible, but they can't. They're not always successful, you know, and they want to try to make sure that they're going to be able to survive the plane right across, even though it's a medical facility plane, you know it's like a hospital, you know, in the air. So they were preparing us to go there and with that followed a lot more phone calls from the military and them calling us and preparing us to make arrangements to. We had young kids who could watch them and but then it turned that they were able to bring him home. So within a couple of days he was at Walter Reed and we were able to be there and receive him. That, you know.

Jerry D. Lund: 22:09

That evening when he came in, I couldn't imagine being so far away from such a loved one sustaining an injury and hearing that, and I'd be feeling helpless at that point, not knowing what to do for them, and I can imagine that was a very trying time. But I'm super glad that they got him to Walter Reed as fast as they could. So with staining this I mean this injury. How long was he in the hospital for?

Duane Marcy: 22:39

When he was in Walter Reed for about a year. So it starts. You know you're in intensive care and one of the things I would like to you know there's so many good stories that come out of what these soldiers endure. You know they've gone through so much for us. But then there's an outpouring throughout the country that people want to help these vets while they're in Walter Reed. One of them was a story of the guy that the very next morning he's walking around in the hospital with a lab coat on and he's pushing a cart and he's got these little McFlurries and milkshakes and he's going around giving them to these vets that just got in the night before. Now you can picture. I mean, these guys were, you know, hardened soldiers that were in battle days before and now they're in a hospital, they're waking up maybe for the first time, you know, in the critical care unit at Walter Reed, and then here's somebody just trying to, you know, welcome him home with something as simple as an ice cream. But it's such a warm, kind gesture. And this guy was a Vietnam vet and he volunteers down there every day. He does this out of his own time, his own money, and I just want to make them feel at home. You know, and that was just one small example of the gratitude of people exhibiting towards our vets that were there. You know, and we got to see this firsthand from being there, then being in this maxi center with the other amputees, you know, and as they were progressing through their injuries, and just the love and support of the staff, the physical therapists that were there, and it's like a family, you know, and you got to, unfortunately, be a part of it, but also to see how much good there is down there. You know, at Walter Reed used to hear horror stories of it but we didn't experience anything like that. We just experienced a lot of love and care for these vets.

Jerry D. Lund: 24:35

I'm glad. I'm glad to hear that. So your son's name is Evan. Is that correct?

Duane Marcy: 24:40

Yes, Evan Marcy.

Jerry D. Lund: 24:40

Yes, so Evan, how is he like? So this happened how many years ago.

Duane Marcy: 24:47

So this is actually 2009 that happened.

Jerry D. Lund: 24:51

Yeah, so go ahead.

Duane Marcy: 24:52

He got out of no 2010. And then our first ride was 2011 that he did with us. He actually did this. I was referring to the 343rd ride on a hand crank bicycle. So he made the 343 miles cranking a bicycle with his hands and his determination I mean we, you know hills and mileage and you know it was just unbelievable because at times we were just telling, like, get in the car, you know it's all right, you know you could take a break and he wouldn't. He wouldn't stop and he became an inspiration for all of us to just keep pushing on. You know it was. It was really humbling to see him work so hard, because we don't, you don't realize how easy it is when you have two legs and push a bicycle, compared to trying to crank with your shoulders, especially going up a hill.

Jerry D. Lund: 25:42

Yeah, I could even imagine that's the amount of strength and endurance to do that. Those muscles are a lot smaller than your leg muscles, so the probably the calorie burn and effort is extremely hard.

Duane Marcy: 25:55

Correct. Yes, and he's an above the knee amputation, so it's it's even harder, like you know, to be able to walk, or to you couldn't use a regular bicycle because it's an above the knee, you know, and he really he was an inspiration. He still is Inspiration to us, you know. Just to push on, yeah.

Jerry D. Lund: 26:13

So how is this like? How has he been living now? And how's this new home? How's that going to be different for him?

Duane Marcy: 26:21

Well, now he's been renting, he's been down in New Orleans, so he's going to relocate up to Connecticut and before New Orleans he was in New York, so he's been, you know, bouncing around a little bit and I mean, this is just, this is an incredibly, you know, satisfying, overwhelming generosity with a group and being able to have knowing that he's secure, knowing that he's going to have a place of his own, you know, a house and you know it's really, it's truly overwhelming. You know it's a great feeling and an honor, you know, an honor that to show that you know all that sacrifice that he's given, that it's also, you know he's a recipient of it, but very humbled, you know about it, but that he's going to be able to have this opportunity.

Jerry D. Lund: 27:07

Yeah, that's amazing. So the house is designed especially for him, with, you know, being above the lake, or knee amputee, is that correct?

Duane Marcy: 27:17

So Andy's going to have to take over, because I haven't seen the house yet.

Andy: 27:21

Oh, it's a surprise, it's a surprise.

Duane Marcy: 27:23

Oh, yes, awesome, so any of it.

Andy: 27:26

So it's actually a beautiful house, not only inside but outside. I mean even the landscaping, you know it's just beautiful walkways and you know, you know, even the garage we fixed up and polished up and the floors or the whole thing is beautiful. The landscaping outside, we just have beautiful trees, giant green evergreens all over I'm sorry, I'm sorry everbites and just a blend of beautiful pear trees and, you know, these deep red burning bushes that blend with the green trees. It makes it kind of like Christmas year round or the holiday season year round. So a lot of effort went into all that. But inside everything is made. You know the whole entire upstairs. We didn't want it to be adaptable but we made the showers, the bathrooms, you know, the hallways. We made it open. I took some walls down. In the end, even though they went up, I took them down because I said no, no, no, no, no, no. One wall. I took down another half wall I took down and made like a window, just so it makes everything more open. But you know, in the end you know it's going to meet all of his needs. Currently it's a little more than he wanted. You know, he still has that kind of fight in him that we all do, it seems, but especially the military, because they're just amazing. And you know, I think it's going to be everything he asked for and more. And then it's going to be kind of the community has already come around, and the chief of the fire department, the chief of the police department, the mayor, they'll all be there, not for political reasons, just to greet him and make him one of the family, and it's close to home, much closer to home than New Orleans now, and you know, and then we're probably now his newest family because we will give him financial advisors. I'll be a financial advisor for him. It's amazing how much time I spend doing this, but you know I want to help him learn how to save money, make money and save it over the years, and whether he wants it or to donate to someone else. You know I'll make sure certain that he has it or will make certain that he has it. But he'll get financial advisors for two to four years and you know, if he wants to launch into other careers, you know he knows some of the top people the chief of the fire department, chief of the police department. We're already having conversations about where he goes next and what he does next, but, most importantly, that he has a new family.

Jerry D. Lund: 30:20

It's like a full package deal that he's like getting it's not just a home, it's like it's more than just a home. I mean obviously building it with very I think there's a lot. I guess a lot I could just say a lot of love, like who's been taken care of. That, like when I, when you describe that house, it's like it's sounds very peaceful, like a very peaceful place for him.

Andy: 30:45

It's going to be very peaceful for him. I mean, we put it on a beautiful cul-de-sac, it's just, it's embraced by beautiful landscape and you know like I said before, rebuilding lives, building better and brighter lives and making dreams come true. But I think you said it best when you said love. That's what it is. It's love, it's love and it's part of you know we didn't address it earlier, but I suffered greatly from 9-11, ptsd for many years and part of my healing was this work. Now, and you know, I lost a family member, a police officer. I was down there at 9-11 with him and he ended up with cancer from 9-11. And so did I. At the same time and actually sure I did two terms I was in worse condition and everyone was worried. The family was worried that I wasn't going to make it. And I did, thank God. And then all of a sudden he took a turn for the worse and we lost him forever more. And his last words to me were to you know that he has no regrets. And I couldn't believe that he had no regrets and he said just keep pressing on, keep doing what you're doing, keep doing what we're doing. And I promised him I would. And you know it's with a love for God and country. We do what we do from the heart and you know, for so many reasons, for the sake of our first responders, the sake of our beautiful, amazing veterans, you know, for all the promises and hope that we all had at one time, for everyone involved in this country and for this country ahead.

Jerry D. Lund: 32:47

Yeah, I can tell you got a lot of love in your heart and a lot of great service you've done because of that love and that's, I don't know what can drive you more, you know, in life, you know, than loving, helping someone, loving, giving back like the you know, just service right for your fellow, your fellow man, what gets you up in the morning? It seems like.

Duane Marcy: 33:13

Yeah, yeah, come here lips to God's ears.

Jerry D. Lund: 33:19

How do people get involved with these, these projects, like you know? What can they do to help support you?

Andy: 33:27

Well, you know, I would love it, if, if, everyone would go to visit our website first, and you know, I'd love to get this podcast up on the website as soon as possible. And we have some other great stuff, especially the 343rd home. But please come to visit the website, join us. There's an email access. But know that you know, as I mentioned I think I mentioned earlier I've never taken a single penny doing this. Now for 18 years we're building homes for heroes, 20 years volunteering, and you know we have a 93% program rating for the last 12 consecutive years. Only 3% of the organizations in the entire country, I'm told, have received that honor and we've had a nearly a 96% for the last two years. So we're not. We're getting better and we're getting more efficient. And it was doing it just for all the right reasons. So please learn more about that, find out about it and join us. And you know what? We're never going to run millions and millions of dollars in commercials. We're way too humble for that. But let's do it from a grassroots way and from the heart. Give them the website. Give them the website. Oh, wwwbuildinghomesforheroesorg, not homes for heroes building homes for heroes. How'd I do that was good.

Jerry D. Lund: 34:59

That was good. Make sure we get all this information in the show notes too. I mean, what's the future look like for these type of projects?

Andy: 35:12

Well, believe it or not, this is the 343rd home. The most homes we've ever done in a single year is 43. That was last year and that's nearly one a week. We went from one every 11 days to almost one a week and our commitment is to do our 400th home by Christmas 2024. That's next year. That's 57 more homes. But that's the tip of the iceberg. We're helping with athletics, academics, financial guidance and resources. We're helping health and wellness physical health and wellness. We hope to help thousands of veterans and first responders this year with that area alone. And we're working with a great group of Navy SEALs and seminars all over the country. But we're also working with the University of Texas and the Brain Institute and other organizations to do more and more work that will really have a meaningful effect, to continue the effort to build better and brighter lives.

Jerry D. Lund: 36:23

How are you getting involved in the health and wellness areas?

Andy: 36:30

Well, the areas I mentioned. We'll be working with the Brain Institute. We'll be working with Hyperbaric Chambers. Now we're setting up all contracts with both organizations. We've partnered with a group called O2X, which is a bunch of Navy SEALs that originated and started that organization. They do seminars on physical wellness and mental well-being and how to go, where to go next, and these are three and four-day seminars. So we'll have just recently had one with 32 veterans and their family members join. So it was a three-day seminar and it was just enlightening. It was so educational and they're a great group to partner with. They'll be at the home ceremony 3.43. I just think the future is very bright ahead. It may start to evolve a little bit more. It's hard to do If we reach 57 homes in the next 14 months. I'm not sure how we're going to do it, but we're certainly going to give it a try. We'll give it our best shot.

Jerry D. Lund: 37:35

Yeah, I mean, how big is your organization? Because that is a lot of homes to be built.

Andy: 37:42

Well, I mean, we're doing far more. We're far less than other organizations, and all you have to do is go to our website, really look at it closely, follow it, look at the financials. I mean we probably brought in 12 million last year, which was beautiful, we're very happy with, but we're spending 12 million and not a lot of it. Not much of it is on salaries or anything else. So we're doing everything we can. We're doing everything we can to grow this organization and we're getting a lot of donations, even in like, from contractors. You know they'll build a home for us. That's a half a million dollar home that they charge us, you know, $250,000 for. So we still have to raise a lot of money for that. But it allows us to now go into other areas like physical wellness and mental well-being, and that's what we're doing and we're not going to give up, and either we're going to one day not survive or one day millions will join us and will thrive, but either way, we're going to do it the right way.

Jerry D. Lund: 38:57

Yeah, go ahead. No, jerry, I was going to say, if you think about what Ed was just saying, though.

Duane Marcy: 39:04

It's very few organizations and that's why one of the reasons we teamed up with them that you're almost at 100%. You're not you can't be at 100, because you do have people to help support in the background, but you're in a high 90s. That means like over 90 cents out of every dollar is going directly to a vet. That's unheard of in these industries. You know, usually the vets are exploited and you know so much money is being absorbed within the organization. You know a CEO that's making a half a million dollars or a million dollars a year and he hasn't taken a dime. You know and this is truly remarkable in the sense of an organization that can give away so much out of the money that comes in directly. So you know you helping this group, you know your money is going to help another individual. It's not going to be absorbed internally and you know he has a lot of volunteers that also help him. It's, you know, scrappy. You know small group of people here that hold the fort down, and then a lot of volunteers.

Jerry D. Lund: 40:02

Yeah, I mean I mean you're right, there's a lot of organizations out there that pay these extraordinary salaries to the people that are working within the charities, and then that takes up a ton of money that could be used for good. I mean I don't know how you do it, like the 18 years, without taking any money. I mean that's awesome, like that's impressive in itself to you know to do that and then to branch out into these other areas. I mean I've got to know, like what made you go beyond homes.

Andy: 40:40

You know what? I've probably now been told more than 50 times from a veteran or their spouse that you saved his or her life. Almost each and every time it's been the words before a flood of tears. It is truly heartfelt, it is truly, truly coming from within the soul and I realize that we are. And you know there's a famous saying to save one life is to save the world and tire. It was written in the inscription the ring, the movie Schindler's List, and that's a true story. And there's also written a book, the Tow Mood. It's a biblical term and I know that we've saved many, many lives already. And I realized there were so many veterans and Wayne and I were talking about before that some have physical injuries, some don't, but their brains were so shattered that their PTSD and TBI could sneak up on you in many, many ways. And I was seeing it because we also run organs, a team building function with a four day event, and you have 200 veterans and family members, 250 veterans and family members there and you can see those who are still struggling after four days and you realize there's a lot more that needs to be done. And then I just realized that it was time to evolve for many reasons, but for the most part to help save more lives.

Jerry D. Lund: 42:40

And that's a huge ripple effect. Right, saving one life or changing one person's life is just a massive ripple effect out from them, to their family, to the community. It just keeps going and going.

Andy: 42:54

It's a beautiful, righteous thing to do. I mean, it's like you can't. You can't. You can climb Mount Everest, like Kirstie Ennis, who we supported to climb Mount Everest, and you know she's a miracle in herself. But to save a life, that's like climbing Everest and then some yeah.

Jerry D. Lund: 43:18

Yeah, I'll say.

Andy: 43:20

Yeah.

Jerry D. Lund: 43:22

Duane, how do you vision you? You're supporting this project, you know, as years ago. How are you going to get behind in that and continue to keep evolving?

Duane Marcy: 43:35

That's a good question, jerry. I was thinking about that earlier, like how can I help them? You know? when I say them, I'm at the Homes for Heroes in a greater capacity myself, and I guess that's something that I'll have to talk more with Andy, you know, or some of his staff, that you know being able to step up to the plate more. I would like to get involved more and I don't know what they need help in, but I'll, you know, be having that conversation, going forward and see, you know, where I can help them in any capacity that I can, you know.

Andy: 44:06

Yeah, I have to do a lot.

Jerry D. Lund: 44:09

Yeah, I was going to say I am sure they will figure out some ways for you to continue to help serve in some capacity in their organization or support them.

Duane Marcy: 44:21

Yeah, sure. You know, Jerry, if you want to right. You know, jerry, it's easy. In a firehouse you just look over in the kitchen sink you see it's full. You jump in. Yeah, but in here there's a lot more that goes behind the scenes that is not visible to the naked eye. You know we're seeing and being recipients of the end result, but there's a lot that's gone into this for months and maybe years before, you know. So I'll have that conversation. You know be going forward.

Jerry D. Lund: 44:46

You know, as we go forward, yeah, well it's, you guys are doing something. You know part of something, I think is just like I'm a loss for words, because you know the impact is not just the homes that you're building. I think that's just where a lot of us maybe get, when we see what you're doing, kind of get fixated on you know the homes because that's you know right, we can see that, but you know the other areas that you're touching lives. I think that's super impressive to do that right, to have that whole package for the person, like we're not just handing you you know a home, but we're, you know, like supporting you how to learn finances, how to maybe start a business, how to do these other things. Like that's incredible because you know they deserve those opportunities.

Duane Marcy: 45:35

Thank you Absolutely, absolutely. And you're right, you know the home is going to be the new chapter, the secure, you know. So now you have a foundation, but there's still so much more that has to be done and this, you know, is the first step of obviously, you know we're both hearing firsthand from Andy that this is the first step of many that they, you know, institute to help the person the person being the vet and you know that is injured go further in their life and be able to live a normal life. You know, because they've given so much If you think about the sacrifice that they've given to us, you know to have our freedoms, you know it's quite, quite noble.

Jerry D. Lund: 46:12

Yeah, I think freedom is something that is taken for granted too much.

Andy: 46:21

Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely Again, from your lips to God's ears.

Jerry D. Lund: 46:27

I mean we need to do better, as in a country to you know, to remember these sacrifices. I mean a lot of these sacrifices are go unseen, right In the news and media. You know they don't hear about how these soldiers' lives are getting changed and they just kind of, once again, they just things happen and they unfortunately tend to get forgotten.

Duane Marcy: 46:53

Oh, that's so true, absolutely.

Andy: 46:54

So true. It's said yeah and so wrong.

Duane Marcy: 46:58

I'm sorry, no, no it's just saying, it said it and it is wrong. You know, the feel good stories don't make the news. You know that's the issue that they have with that. But organizations like this, you know, one person at a time, that's what counts. You know, we just have to keep doing that, putting one foot front of the other, helping one vet at a time, helping one family at a time.

Andy: 47:20

Yeah, terry, I may have this wrong, but along those lines I think we've had over one million of our military. Brothers and sisters have given their lives for this country. You know how could that not be shared in the media all the time and taught, because everything that we do, everything you know who we are, what we've accomplished as a nation is, you know, they are still part of, they were part of then and they're still part of today, far more than anything any one of us is doing or far more than anything that many of their parents or grandparents may have done, not to diminish it, just that what they've done is the ultimate honor. And how could we not live and breathe that every day? How do we let that get lost? And I wish, I hope, I can only hope and pray that this country starts, you know, kind of regroup and remember how important that is to all of us. And you know to not let one bad story in the news twist everything upside down. You know five ways from Sunday and it's just. You know, just remember that. You know 99% of the military and first responders are all great, great, great, great great people and we're here. We're here. If not, if not because of them, we're here with them.

Jerry D. Lund: 49:14

Yeah, I think you said it well the ultimate honor. I think what you're both doing and being involved in things like this is the ultimate honor. You know that we can pay them back.

Andy: 49:26

Yeah absolutely.

Jerry D. Lund: 49:28

Yeah, thank you so much for being on today, and we will encourage everybody to visit your website, visit your social media and, hopefully, get involved in this project. I mean, if you want to put out some money for charity and have nearly every cent of it go to something good, this is the one to do it for.

Andy: 49:53

Yeah, and building homes for heroes, not homes for heroes. Building homes for heroesorg.

Jerry D. Lund: 50:01

All right, we'll get that in there. Thank you so much for being on today. I really appreciate the conversation and thank you for what you're doing and your service as well.

Andy: 50:11

Thank you, Jerry. Thank you, Jerry. It was an honor and a joy to speak with you.

Jerry: 50:15

Yeah, thank you both Thanks again for listening. Don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you access your podcast. If you know someone that would be great on the show, please get ahold of our host, jerry Dean Lund, through the Instagram handles at Jerry Fire and Fuel or at EnduringTheBadgePodcast, also by visiting the show's website, enduringthebadgepodcastcom, for additional methods of contact and up-to-date information regarding the show. Remember, the views and opinions expressed during the show solely represent those of our host and the current episode's guest. Thank you,