There are those among us who quietly go about the business of doing good—who don’t look for praise or recognition, but whose steady presence and giving spirit make all the difference. The mission of the Wounded Warriors in Action Foundation is built upon the shoulders of such Patriots—men and women, families and businesses—who choose to stand in the gap for our combat-wounded Veterans. They offer not only their resources, but their hearts, their homes, and their hands. And because of them, healing happens.

On this episode of the WWIA Podcast, Founder and CEO John McDaniel introduces us to one of those quiet giants—a man whose life and legacy have become deeply intertwined with the WWIA story. We’re honored to welcome Mr. Joe DePriest, President and CEO of Western States Fire Protection.

For over 28 years, Joe has poured himself into a career marked by excellence and integrity, leading a company known for its strong values and outstanding people. But if you really want to know Joe, you have to look beyond the boardroom. You’ll find him out in the fields of Northwest Missouri, tending to his farm and animals with his beautiful wife, Kim. You’ll find him relaxing in nature, something he’s loved since childhood, as well as hunting and fishing, and sharing those experience with some of the Heroes he welcomes to his property each fall.

Nearly a decade ago, Joe and Kim opened up their farm—and their hearts—to the WWIA family. What began as a gesture of support has grown into a powerful partnership, one that has brought countless Purple Heart Heroes into their care and into the healing embrace of nature. They don’t do it for credit. They do it because it’s their way of giving back and saying thanks to our Heroes for their service and sacrifice.

So today, we invite you to listen in as John sits down with Joe for a heartfelt conversation about service, stewardship, and the incredible impact one family—and one company—can make. This is what it looks like when gratitude meets action, and it's the heart and spirit of WWIA.

Takeaways:

• The Wounded Warriors in Action foundation aims to honor, connect, and heal combat wounded veterans through various initiatives.
• Joe DePriest, president of Western States Fire Protection, exemplifies philanthropy by supporting veterans and their families through outdoor experiences.
• The partnership between Joe and his wife, Kim, with WWIA has provided therapeutic hunting experiences for numerous Purple Heart recipients.
• Engaging with veterans in nature fosters healing and connection, allowing them to share their stories and bond over shared experiences.
• The emotional impact of connecting with veterans and providing them support can lead to lasting friendships and positive memories.
• The foundation's work highlights the importance of gratitude and giving back to those who have served our nation.

Foreign.

Hello, and welcome to the WWIA Podcast. We're honored to have you join us in our mission to bring honor, connection and healing to America's combat wounded Purple Heart heroes.

If this is your first time listening to this podcast, we welcome you. If you're a returning listener, thanks for coming back.

Please be sure to tell others about our podcast and leave us a review if you're enjoying what you're hearing.

There are those among us who quietly go about the business of doing good, who don't look for praise or recognition, but whose steady presence and giving spirit make all the difference.

The mission of the Wounded warriors in Action foundation is built upon the shoulders of such patriots, men and women, families and businesses who choose to stand in the gap for our combat wounded veterans. They offer not only their resources, but their hearts, their homes and their hands. And because of them, healing happens.

On this episode of the WWIA podcast, founder and CEO John McDaniel introduces us to one of those quiet giants, a man whose life and legacy have become deeply intertwined with the WWIA story. We're honored to welcome Mr. Joe DePriest, President and CEO of Western States Fire Protection.

For over 28 years, Joe has poured himself into a career marked by excellence and integrity, leading a company known for its strong values and outstanding people. But if you really want to know Joe, you have to look beyond the boardroom.

You'll find him out in the fields of Northwest Missouri, tending to his farm and animals with his beautiful wife, Kim.

You'll find him relaxing in nature, something he's loved since childhood, as well as hunting and fishing and sharing those experiences with some of the heroes he welcomes to his property each fall. Nearly a decade ago, Joe and Kim opened up their farm and their hearts to the WWIA family.

What began as a gesture of support has grown into a powerful partnership, one that's brought countless Purple Heart heroes into their care and into the healing embrace of nature. They don't do it for credit. They do it because it's their way of giving back and saying thanks to our heroes for their service and sacrifice.

So today we invite you to listen in as John sits down with Joe for a heartfelt conversation about service, stewardship, and the incredible impact one family and one company can make. This is what it looks like when gratitude meets action, and it's the heart and spirit that of WWIA. Let's join the conversation now.

Hi, I'm John McDaniel, founder and CEO of the Wounded warriors in Action foundation, and this is our podcast, Honor Connect and heal.

So today I have with us on the program a gentleman by the name of Joe DePriest, who happens to be the president and CEO of Western States Fire Protection. Welcome to the program, Joe.

Thank you, John. Glad to be here.

Yeah. So, yeah, let's get right into it.

That's a very large sum of money and you've helped so many heroes with that. I just wanted to say thank you.

Oh, thank you, John. We're glad to be a part of the program and you know, thank you, you know, for founding the program.

It's an amazing, it's an amazing program and it's, you know, a lot of, there's a lot of other programs out there and the WWIA is different to me and it's, you know, donating money is, is a very important cause and reason, but the, the differentiator here is, I mean, these guys and gals getting to come and experience the outdoors.

Yeah, yeah. And, and do so. And, and, and what, you know, arguably or not arguably is one of our top events.

If not, you know, we always, you know, joke inside baseball about, you know, mokan being the 800 pound gorilla. Well, it is, you know, I mean, there's, there's no other mission like, like MO-KAN. You can't really compare it to anything.

And there are events that maybe have similar components. But, but MO-KAN has been a leading entity, an event for the Foundation ever since its, its inception.

As a matter of fact, Brian and his, you know, and his inside circle on that very first year when we did the very first mission, you know, about, I don't know, a day or so into it, they're like, met us in a parking lot, you know, and the heroes were staying in a hotel and Jake and I, Jake Whipkey and I were in the, in the parking lot and Brian's like, yeah, hey, come on over here. You know, and I said go over back by, you know, back of his truck or something. And he hands me this bag, it's bulging bank bag.

And I, I unzipped it and I looked inside and I zipped it back up and I handed it back to him because it's full of money. And I said, I don't know what this is, but what you had in mind here, but I don't know, you know, this. He goes, that's for you. You keep it.

I go, it's for me. He goes, yeah, yeah, just keep doing what you're doing. You're doing good stuff. You know, we raised this for you. Hummel. Hummel. You know, and.

And so that was the very first event that ever produced any resource in support of our mission, and I'll never forget it. And to this day, you guys just continue to knock it out of the park. And we're very humbled by that. And the heroes all love your mission.

It's really great. But I understand you're also a hunter. I mean, obviously, I assume that. That you are. But did the heroes actually.

Are they hunting as part of the program? Are they on your personal property? What's going on there?

Yeah. So on the MO-KAN chapter, we usually. Each year. Oh, usually about 11 Heroes come in.

Yeah.

And as you know, you know, they. They can deer hunt, they can trap, and they can duck hunt.

And so there's a big group of volunteers, great guys that volunteer, and we split those hunters up and take them, you know, whatever they want to hunt for the day. And a lot of the.

A lot of the guys, both the duck hunters and the in the deer hunters, will, you know, take them to their personal property and, you know, may have blinds set up or whatever, and take them out for the day.

And they're huge deer, too. I mean, like, the success rate. Guys kill, like, usually, like, over 100 ducks.

Every time you're out there with these guys, almost everybody gets a buck. And if they don't get a buck, you know, it's because they were being picky, you know.

And then the trap line, which is actually run by the department of natural resources, you know, it's heavy on predators and problem species, but they run this amazing trap line. So guys that are interested in learning how to trap and the finer art of the truck associated with it, you know, they're.

They're out there with the department of natural resources running a trap line. It's just so cool. And.

Yeah, and like you say, people giving up of their personal property, I mean, oftentimes they wouldn't let their brother hunt on their land, but they're letting these heroes that they've never met before go out there and kill this trophy buck that they've been eyeballing for two years. You know, that, to me, Is, is an expression of gratitude that, you know, it's hard to get your head around.

I mean, if you're a non hunter, that probably doesn't mean a lot to you, but if you're a hunter and you know what it means, letting somebody on your property is like letting them into your living room, you know, literally.

I mean, that to me is a, you know, that, you know, you don't get access to my property unless you're invited and much less, you know, get a chance to sit in one of my tree stands and take an animal that we've been groomed, you know, that we've.

Maybe we've seen it, maybe we have it, but just to take a large whitetail or any, you know, large game animal off of my property is, is, is a big thing. Of course, I let them do it all the time.

But not only the heroes, you know, I've never had, I can't think of a, a time where I had a friend even, and most of my friends be like, nah, I don't want to do that.

You know, they don't want to take a buck off of the property that may maybe would have gone to a hero, you know, so it's pretty neat what you guys got going on there.

No, it is. And you know, it's on the deer hunting, it's into me anymore. It's. I enjoy taking, you know, those heroes more than I desire going myself.

You know, it's kind of like taking a youth or a kid hunting. You know, it's just so much more enjoyable and, and you know, some of these, some of these folks have never hunted before, deer hunted before.

You know, some deer hunt a lot and, but it's, it's good to have the variety and, and be able to experience some of these, these good times like we have.

And so tell us a little bit, Joe, about Western states fire protection, how you got involved in MO-KAN and how in the heck have you raised so much money? Along with awareness, of course. But you know, tell us about that, you know, connection with MO-KAN and your company. I'd love to hear that story.

Sure. So Western Sstates Fire Protection, we're a life safety company.

We install and maintain and inspect life safety systems like fire alarm and fire sprinkler. And we're a part of the API group as our parent company.

And that year, I guess Brian had mentioned something to Sean that they had lost their sponsor for the MO-KAN dinner that we used to do at that event. And Sean come to me and kind of asked me. He's like, hey, would this be something that, you know, Western states would be interested in?

And he kind of got me all the details and. And I was looking at it, and in our parent company, and our company's always been big on supporting veterans.

You know, we hire from helmets to hard hats and. And hire a lot of vets and. And do a lot of things. Some other things, too. But, you know, when Sean brought this to me, I'm like, you know, this is a.

This is a great. A great deal. You know, we should get involved in this. And so I did. I got the company involved that year by sponsoring the dinner at the. At the event.

And then I also. That's when I got involved on a personal level and got involved with taking. Taking some of these folks hunting. So it's.

It's been a good, good run here.

Awesome. And are you. Are you like. Did you grow up in Missouri? I mean, is this your. Like your, you know, where you've spent most of your. Most of your life?

Yes, I live pretty close to where I.

Where I grew up, actually, so kind of stayed around, went through school, all the way through school in the same area, and so got a lot of friends from that, and. And we're just making a lot of new friends through the wwia.

Yeah. Do you.

I'm just curious, are you still in contact with any of the heroes that you've served or, you know, like Facebook or, you know, you got them on a text or phone call or anything like that, so.

Yeah, that's kind of. Kind of neat that you ask. And that's one thing about this program is, you know, making.

Making those friends, and a lot of them you stay in touch with. And I'm sure, you know, Steve woke.

And, oh, yeah, great American.

Yep. Maybe Bob Hill. And so, yeah, we. We stay in touch with them through text and different things, off and on.

And, you know, a year later, I'll get a text from, you know, a hunter that I took the year before and saying, you know, good luck this. This season and that kind of thing. And that's. Yeah, that's what really makes this even better is because that.

Well, you know, I always say, you know, for me, anyway, when I'm on a mission and I'm. I'm working, you know, I mean, I. Like, we have a Camp up in northern Wisconsin we call Camp Hackett.

And, and when the Heroes are in and on mission, you know, you're, you're giving it your best, right?

I mean, you're President and CEO, you know, and you're, you know, I'm sure every day, you know, when you go work, you're giving it your best because you're the senior leader in the organization and that's what people expect. And that's part, you know, it's your job, right?

You're going to give it your best every single day because people are looking at you, they're going to want to know what's he thinking, what's he saying, what's he doing, you know, why is this important to him or her?

You know, and so I feel like when I've got the heroes at my camp, I, I feel like, heck, I feel like I did back when I was in a Ranger regiment, you know, it was like, you better bring it every single day and give it 110% and that this, this thing you're doing, you know, has got to be successful.

You got to anticipate, you know, and then now you're, you have to get to know them, you know, genuinely want to spend some time and get to know them and be on for every one of those conversations.

And, you know, community members are coming up to you at the end of the day when it all over and they're gone and they've disbanded and they're going back home. I always refer to it as like the post event coma, you know, because it just hits you like, whoa.

I mean, you just don't realize how invested you are, at least for me anyway.

You know, I mean, I feel like I'm, you know, like it's kind of emotionally draining to be on like that for three or four days and there's a lot of intense things happening. You know, it's not like, it's not like intense like, you know, hey, we're, we're, you know, getting ready to go into combat intense.

But there's a lot of emotions there.

There, there's a lot of things happening, a lot of layers to this space and it can be emotionally and physically taxing when it's all said and done, you know, you did something right.

Yeah, it's, it is a lot of work and you're right just, you know, having to be on all the time and, and, but, and I don't do near. I mean, you look at Brian and, and Kyle and Brad and Sean and, and what those guys do, you Know, through that week, it's just. It's amazing.

And I, you know, I'm sure that by the end of that, you know, they're beat. And I appreciate all they do because it is. It's. It's a lot of work, but it's definitely rewarding and it's worth it.

Yeah. Yeah, it is. And I don't know, you look back on it and it's nice to be able to give, I guess, is the best thing. It's like that, you know, you could.

What are you given? You know, well, you're opening up something that's sacred, you know, your land, your home, your friendship, you know, your resource.

You're just saying to them in an indirect way that what you did for this country, you know, while you were wearing a uniform is valued. And this is our way of saying thanks, right?

Absolutely. You know, we live in the greatest country in the world, and, you know, a lot of sacrifices, you know, have been made over time. The reason for that.

And, you know, it's easy to. It's easy to get complacent and take things for granted. And.

But, you know, this program, it's these amazing individuals, you know, and it's a way to give back. And, you know, I often sit back and think, you know, I should do more, but it's a way of giving thanks and it's worth it.

And, you know, you know, you see across to the spouse's involvement, you know, in this program, even though, you know, the spouse may not be out hunting or whatever, but just the support from the spouses and the other things that they do. I mean, you know, when we used to do the banquet, I know Carrie Evans, I mean, she just worked her tail off putting those things together.

And, and, you know, my wife enjoys being involved and supporting me and helping, you know, helping do it every year.

And yeah, many hands make for light work. But you're. You're right. The. The spouses, I mean, what they've gone through and been through, you know, after their husband or.

Or maybe in some cases their. Their wife gets hurt and wounded in combat, they've got all that to deal with, you know, the uncertainty of, you know, is he going to be the same?

You know, is he going to be okay?

And that whole recovery thing is a process and part of that process, and we got to thank them for, I don't want to say allowing them to go, but to supporting them while they're seeking, actively seeking to get better. And what does it really mean to get better? Right. I mean, the guys all say to me, I've heard this so many times, I can't count.

Like, hey, sir, I don't need any more stitches. I don't need any more pills. You know, two weekends ago, I was on the water fishing. It wasn't a sanctioned WWIA event.

I suppose it was because I was on it. I know I was the one that created it, I guess.

But I have a good friend of mine who is a Vietnam veteran and, you know, they're, God bless them, but they're. We're all getting older. Something you can't stop. But, you know, this might be, you know, one of his last trips.

You know, I mean, he's pretty banged up and, you know, he's got. He's had over a hundred surgeries. He told me this is true story. He says to me, I've met him at the marina.

We're going to go offshore fishing over near Pompano Beach. Delray Pompano. And that. That part of Florida on. Down on the. What is the East Coast.

And so we're, you know, we're not going to go far offshore because the Gulf Stream is. Is. Comes pretty close to the shoreline there.

You don't have to, you know, go out for an, you know, an hour to get into the fishing, you know, but the waves were. The wind was pretty stiff that day, and it was calling for inclement weather in the afternoon. And so we. He can. And he's.

Kid's got a hard time, you know, ambulating, and he's big man, and so we got to get him from the dock down into the boat now, you know, we're out there and the sea state's starting to get rough, and we're just getting our teeth rattled out of our heads, you know, and. And I'm like, geez. I said, but, you know, we don't have to do this. He's like, ah, well, I'm fine, I'm good. But a couple guys on the boat weren't.

Aren't good, you know, they're turning green and. But this particular gentleman that I was with, you know, told me, he's like, yeah, I just kind of got to be a little careful.

He says, I just, you know, just two days ago I had my hundredth surgery. I was like, you had surgery two days ago? He's like, yeah, I didn't want to tell you, you know, and. And so he's got, you know, they.

They cut into his back for Lord knows how many times, you know, but it was his hundreds he was celebrating his hundredth surgery and didn't want anybody to, you know, to know that, you know, he'd been recently cut on. But he was concerned that his stitches weren't going to get opened up, you know, and he goes, my wife wouldn't be real happy with me if that happens.

Well, we're out there now, it starts raining, okay? And this storm comes now it's raining sideways.

We got, you know, four foot rollers out there and a Vietnam veteran who two days ago had his hundredth surgery, you know, And I'm just sitting there thinking to myself, you know, you can't make it up, but I mean, it's gotta be one of the toughest guys I've ever met in my life.

And the captain, afterwards, we dropped him off and we did terminate the trip a little bit early just cause of the foul weather, you know, but, you know, we helped him up out of that boat and on the dock and then into his car, you know, he was being driven by his friends. So, you know, we got him in there and then we got back on the boat and all this. And the captain's just like shaking his head.

He's like, I think that's gotta be the toughest guy I've ever met in my life. And I go, yeah, I think you're right. I'm right there with you, buddy.

You know, and that's, you gotta think about that like we're, you know, the spouses, right?

Here's a guy that's got all this going on, but you know, what's that, what's that journey been like for his wife, you know, God bless her, and all of them that are out there supporting their, you know, you know, their spouses to do things like this, but it's important work and, and, and they have to feel alive. I'm sure that, that, that Bob did this to feel, to spend some time with me again on the water, did this partially to feel alive, you know.

Absolutely.

And you know, I don't know, here's the guy, he's not going to complain, I can tell you that. I mean, you're not going to get a word of complaint out of that guy.

You know, you got four foot rollers and it's raining sideways and he just had surgery and then half the crew's getting sick and he's just like, is this all you got? Right? You just got to love it. You got to love it. Now that's, that's, that's, that's testament to the human spirit right there.

If you ask me amazing individuals and, and you know, I love them that come in. They're just, they're so appreciative and thankful, you know, for what we're doing and it's, you know, they just can't believe it.

And I'm like, you know, it's nothing compared to what, what you've done, so.

Yeah, I feel the same thing. I do too. I. Absolutely, I do. Yeah. So do you have any, any, any very, any particular.

Some guys do, some guys don't, you know, any particular special memories that you want to share with us about your experience and support to our nation's combat wounded?

Oh, I've got, I've got a ton of them. I mean, every year there's something, you know, that, that sticks in your brain, that, that, you know, it's like you'll never forget.

But you know, one of the, one of the times I asked many years ago and I had one of the heroes, his first time ever deer hunting. And, and you know, these guys are coming in and they're using someone else's gun, you know, they're not familiar with.

And, and you know, it's kind of nerve wracking, I'm sure. But yeah, this. He came in and put him on some deer that morning and seen quite a few. And finally I eyed this buck and it was, it wasn't a huge buck.

It was a, it was a nice symmetrical eight point and, and he pulled down on that. I said, you know, there he is. I said, it's legal if you want it, you know, take the shot. And he pulled down on it and I mean, made a heck of a shot.

It was, I don't know, it was well over 200 yards and, and I mean, just, and knocked it down. And of course, you know, we waited for, for a good while and we went up there and we, we couldn't find it, couldn't find any blood.

And I knew right where it was standing and like, I know you hit it, you know, there's not a, not a drop of blood. So we get to looking around and that deer had went like maybe 20 yards just into the brush and, and there it was. But first deer, heck of a shot.

And he just, I mean, he had a grin from ear to ear and you know, and that was like, this is worth it. This is why, you know, I enjoyed doing, doing this and, and taking the time just for moments like that.

Yeah, but I'm guessing you hit him and you ran it right through the lungs or something on him.

Yeah, well, I Don't remember where he hit it, but yeah, it didn't go 20 yards, and it was just piled up right there and he found it. I went up the hill and he kind of went down the hill just a little bit, and there it was.

That's a great.

Fantastic. It was a good hunt.

And that's what. That's the other part about this that we don't talk a lot about. But you're creating memories.

You're creating very positive memories and those endorphin rushes that we get all humans do from something that's enjoyable or something that's satisfactory in some cases. You know, also you get that from, you know, other things as well. But those. Those are positive memories that you're creating or help create. And that.

They'll be that memory, I promise you, will be with that man for the rest of his life.

And, you know, and I think that what we're also doing is taking these positive memories and helping, you know, to fill that cup up, if you will, of positive memories post, you know, traumatic event. In other words, them being wounded in combat.

Some of them had wounded several times, you know, but the more that you can fill that cup up with positive memories and goodness, eventually that cup becomes a lot heavier than the other cup, which has got some maybe some not so nice and, you know, memories from their past in it. And I think there's something to that. I don't know how. What a clinical psychologist may say about that, but I just know that it's good.

I think that's a good thing that, you know, that what we're doing and getting them together, because they share a common bond, you know, not only do they fight for our country someplace, they were wounded while they were doing it, and they share that in common. And they also share the fact that they like the hunter fish in common or they wouldn't be there.

And I think also that because people like you and your great community are opening their homes and their properties and their access to waterways and this kind of thing to them. That's a great expression of kindness and. And the value, you know, you're. We're giving value to what the, you know, adding value to their lives.

And so. Yeah, that's all good stuff, Joe. Thanks for what you guys are doing.

Yeah, I got. Yeah, I got one more here for you, John, that I think after the fact, I understood it more than I did during the. During the time that it happened.

But I had one of the Heroes. We had been hunting and seen several deer, and he was just Maybe a little bit off, and something was kind of bothering him. Seemed like.

And finally, as we were sitting there.

And of course, if you in one of those enclosed blinds, it's really nice because you can actually visit a little bit while you're hunting and get to know one another. And so as the time went on and we kept seeing deer and he'd kind of pass or whatever, and I finally.

He finally admitted, and he's like, man, he said, I'm afraid. I'm afraid I'm going to miss. And I said, and I'm sure in the military, you know, you're. You're taught not to miss, right?

Yeah.

And, you know, maybe. Maybe scolded for it if you do.

And, and of course, like I said before, you know, using someone else's gun, never shooting it, you don't know what the. The recoil is. Like, you know, you just.

And you know, they just flew in on a plane and then said, you know, got in the truck and got in the blind, hand him the gun and say, here, you know, but figured out, you know, he was. He was afraid of missing. And I said, I told him, I said, in this situation, I said, not shooting is the same as missing.

So that's great.

I said, take the opportunity, and missing is no big deal. You know, we'll find another one if you miss one. So.

Wow. Yeah, that's. That's pretty powerful too, right? And see, but you just gave him permission to fail.

Yep.

You know, and that's. That's a huge thing, you know, it is. It's the same thing with kids. Right? It's the same thing with anybody. Employees too. You know, I mean, hey, we.

Nobody wants to fail, but oftentimes, if you're a forgiving person and you give somebody permission to fail and you. And you just put it in another way, like, hey, listen, you know, if you don't.

If you don't make the shot, it's all good, you know, I mean, like you said, if you don't take the shot, that's. That's the same thing as failing. You know, we just want you to try.

You know, I used to be a hockey coach, you know, and, and, and I, when I would teach and you know, edges and things like this on, you know, how to, how to skate faster and better.

You know, I said, you know, this idea of your edge work, inside, outside edges, you know, we'd run in these drills, I say, like, I expect you guys to fall down. If you don't fall down, it means you're not Trying hard enough, you know, you're never going to get better. You got to fall down.

You know, I want you to be on the edge. That's why they call it on the edge. You know, I want you to be pushing that.

And I think if you have a kind of a culture in your organization or in your family where failure is expected and oftentimes encouraged, you go, that just sounds so weird. You go, well, it's true. It's true. I mean, I expect you to. Here's the rub. I want you to learn from that experience and get stronger and get better.

And if you're not going to get punished or admonished in any way, shape or form, I just gave you permission. You know, that's powerful, right? To me, that's like leadership. That's the position you want to be in now.

You got people in your company or people in your family or organization or whatever that know, you know, I'm not going to get crushed. He's not going to go, dude, you suck. You know, that's just not going to happen, you know. Oh, and think about that, right?

What does that do to somebody? That's a great. That's. I appreciate you sharing that one with us, Joe.

No, absolutely. Yeah.

You know, after the fact, I thought about it, you know, just like you did, and I'm like, you know, these heroes are in the military for, you know, a lot of them for a long time and, you know, wounded and then back into the civilian war world. And, you know, they're. They're kind of caught between two worlds. And it's trying to say, you know, it's okay, you know, civilian world.

Not everything applies, you know, in your. In your military world. And getting people to kind of being able to make that transition has got to be very tough.

Well, you bring up another very good point. It is tough, but you know that. And it doesn't happen overnight.

Right.

At all. And that's the thing.

I'm glad you mentioned it, because I will tell you one of the things that I don't talk a lot about and want to hear now because it's the, you know, you've just spurred, you know, a memory or a thought that I've had for years and years that I don't rarely have.

I may not have ever expressed it, but that's why what you're doing as the leader of a very successful organization, Western States Fire Protection is important as you're the President and the CEO and you're a successful man. And to have these Heroes who are trying to transition and that transition. People go, well, transitions can happen like that, okay?

But most transitions don't happen like that. You know, this transition from the, from the world of the military, you know, combat operations, to being back in a.

In a life of normalcy, if that's even possible. You know, they, they.

Many of them don't know what that looks like, you know, and they don't even hear, here you are, you know, as a model, okay, as somebody who they can look at and go, wow. And they probably didn't even know that you're the president, CEO. And it doesn't, you know, it doesn't matter.

But if they did know and did find that out, they would probably be. Be like, wow, you know, this guy, this guy just gave. Let me go out and hunt on his land. And, and there. But they're looking at.

There's modeling happening, you know, and you go, how would they else. How in the world else would they ever get the chance to be with a person? Like, you think about that. Where are they going to get that opportunity?

Where's that going to happen? You know, now they're back from. From combat, they've gone on this event, and the next thing you know, they're hunting with you on your property.

And you just told them it's. It's okay to, you know, it's okay if you miss, you know, but that's. They need a lot of that. That transition, you know, to normalcy is a journey.

It's not something that happens like, you know, the butterfly that comes out of the cocoon and is now flying. That's a transition, you know, but that transition happened real quick. Like, this transition oftentimes takes years.

And, you know, being exposed to people like you successful people, is super important, especially when they find out that you're a normal and wonderful kind person. That, to me, is. That's the good stuff. That's the best there is.

Well, you know, John, you're right. You know, it doesn't matter what you do or what your title is. I mean, we're all human beings. And it's just.

It's good to spend time with them, try to help them along any way that you can. And they say, my wife, Kim, I mean, we'll bring in. She'll make cookies or we'll bring him in and have lunch and, you know, just.

Just be a normal person to. And it's. It feels good.

Yeah. We used to say if it looks good and feels good, it is good.

Yep, absolutely.

And that's. That. That's that's, that's, that's where this is. Well, God bless you, Joe. I really want to thank you and everybody.

Your wife, your family, your friends, your community, of course, Brian Roderick and the MO-KAN team. Everybody who's part of that thing.

I mean, it's the 800 pound gorilla, you know, and granted the gorilla might, you know, you might think of gorilla as something that's imposing and sometimes gorillas can be. But if you look at that silver gray back gorilla.

I just watched something on a, on a, on a, an outdoor, you know, nature channel thing I was watching the other night. I've always been fascinated by gorilla little sidebar.

But you know, the silver gray back male gorilla, the one that's in charge of the troop, the tribe, whatever they call it. You know, that guy is like 99.9% of the time he's just being Fonzie. He's just cool. He does not doing anything besides being himself.

He's just all this glory and there, there he is, you know, he's just, he's, you know, they got a, got a little chimpanzee or a little baby gorilla pulling on his ear and poking him in the eye. He doesn't do anything. He just, just sits there, you know, but everybody knows he's in charge.

You know, it's just this monster glorious thing that if he decided to rip your arm off you, you know, he'd do that so quick and make your head spin and then go about beat you, beating you over the head and the neck with it, you know, I mean, not even, not even think twice about it. Right?

But that, that's MO-KAN, you know, and I mean, I mean it, you know, very affectionately because it's filled with tremendous people and, and I'm really proud of you and everybody that's on that team and I thank you for all that you've done and it's an honor to have spent some more time here with you today, getting to know you and, and I always like to give my guests the last whack at the pinata, if you will. And is there anything else that you'd like to, to share with us, Joe, before we, before we say goodbye?

Well, John, I just, I'd like to thank you for your service and you know, WWIA and your team, for all that you do to make all this happen and along with the, you know, the MO-KAN team, it's, it's spectacular all these, all these folks involved and it's something special that that's been created here. And I'm just. I'm happy to be a part of it.

I call it the mocan magic. I gotta say that. I gotta say that for Brian, but that. That's what it is. People want to touch the magic, right?

You know, and you guys are creating it, and you're at the point now where it's been referred to as irreversible momentum, you know, and that's just a great feeling, you know, when you know that you've got a team that's going to perform. You know, I'll put that team on the field any day of the week, any place, anytime, anywhere, and just marvel at what you accomplish.

And that's a great, great feeling.

And I feel more than anything, I feel blessed because I know the lives that you've changed in the past and the ones that you're changing in the present and the ones that you're going to change in the future as well. For all that you guys do again, I. I'm honored and I really appreciate what you've done and I wish you and yours the best moving forward.

And I'm always here for you if you ever need anything. I don't know what that would be, but I promise you I'd give you my best.

I appreciate it, John. And thanks for having me on today. I appreciate that. Also spend time with you.

Absolutely. Okay, we're signing off. Thanks for all you do, Joe. We'll talk to you soon.

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