American Hero - Chris Kyle

Today we honor an American Hero - Chris Kyle.  He tragically died this past weekend.

Chris Kyle was born and raised in Texas.  Following his days in school he became a professional bronco rodeo rider.  But that career ended when he seriously injured his arm.

Thereafter Chris pursued the US Marine Corps.  But in the process of doing so he met a US Navy recruiter, which led him to learned about the Navy SEALs.  He went on to BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL school) and joined the US Navy in 1999.

Chris served on SEAL Team 3 and saw four tours of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom (the second Iraq war).  He is knows to have become the most lethal sniper in American military history with 160 confirmed kills, out of 255 claimed kills.

He left the US Navy in 2009.  He went on to write a biography, American Sniper, about his time in the US Navy.  He then ran a company which provides private security and security training.  In addition, he worked with a non-profit organization that helps Veterans with a variety of disabilities.

As Chris and a friend were helping a former Marine in his recovery from PTSD, that former Marine allegedly turned a gun on them.  As a result, Chris and his friend died on February 2, 2013.

We have honored many US Military Members.  The history of our US Military is filled with American Heroes.  Chris Kyle was, is and always will be an American Hero.

Today we remember, honor and thank Chris Kyle, and every US Military Member, for your brave service.

Habitat For Heroes

If you've been following us for awhile, you know how much we appreciate American Heroes... people like Brad Snyder (US Navy), Randy Regan (NYFD), Kevin Killian (SoCal Police), Melissa Stockwell (US Army), Rob Jones (US Marines) and many more!!

US Military Veterans are American Heroes who make tremendous sacrifices and take on extraordinary risks for the benefit of the American public.  It only makes sense that when their service is complete, these Military Veterans should have a place to call home.

And apparently, the SCV Habitat For Heroes agrees!

Habitat For Heroes is a non-profit organization in the city of Santa Clarita (in north Los Angeles County).  Their goal is to "address the needs of those heroes who have served our nation, and all of us, with courage and honor."  The Habitat For Heroes does this specifically in the area of housing.

According to the Habitat For Heroes, roughly 80,000 US Military Veterans who served after 9/11 are spending more than 50% of their income on housing.  This situation, along with a challenging economy, has created financial hardship for many veterans, especially in the city of Santa Clarita.  Per capita, Santa Clarita has one of highest concentrations of Military Veterans.  Of the city's 250,000 residents, over 10,000 are war veterans.

So Habitat For Heroes recently announced an exciting project, in coordination with the California Department of Veteran Affairs (CalVet).

CalVet will provide $21 million for Habitat For Heroes to develop and build 87 new homes in a village dedicated to veterans.  Local veterans will then be able to apply to purchase one of these affordable homes!

This is a terrific program.  And ought to be a model for other communities to follow!

Veterans Day is coming up... on Nov 11th.  For the independence and freedom we all enjoy, our US Military Veterans deserve to be remembered and honored!!

Check out this AWESOME video about the program...

Warrior Games

Once on the battlefield, now on the playing field!

This is the motto of the Warrior Games, and the motto goes on to say...

Celebrate the achievement and abilities of wounded, ill and injured service members through athletic competition.

This event is put on annually by the US Department of Defense and all branches of the US military: US Army, US Marine Corps, US Navy, US Air Force, National Guard and US Coast Guard.  The event includes seven sports and 200+ athletes.

This is another exciting athletic competition where Public Safety personnel exhibit their athletic skills!  In this case the athletes are American Warriors who have been wounded, injured or fallen ill as a result of their public service.

In the past we have also talked about other athletic events where Public Safety personnel excel, such as the 2012 London Olympics, 2012 London Paralympics, Police & Fire Games and Hero Rush!

We tip our hats and thank the competitors at the Warrior Games for their service, perseverance and endurance!!  They deserve our respect and their status as American Warriors!!

Check out this video of US Air Force Warriors training for the Games...