In honor of Veterans Day and the 248th Birthday of the Marine Corps, Congressman Porter sat down with Master Sergeant (ret.) John Rose to discuss his years of service in the Marines, his life-altering experience surviving an IED blast in Afghanistan, and his transition to advocacy on behalf of veterans and individuals with disabilities.
In honor of Veterans Day and the 248th Birthday of the Marine Corps, Congressman Porter sat down with Master Sergeant (ret.) John Rose to discuss his years of service in the Marines, his life-altering experience surviving an IED blast in Afghanistan, and his transition to advocacy on behalf of veterans and individuals with disabilities.
Zen, welcome to Politics Aside. Only thing I asked is today is that you sit back and relax and try to put Politics Aside. That's the purpose of this podcast to invite friends that have made a difference in the world. I have a conversation with those friends and to talk about what they see in the future based upon their experiences. And today I have a very special guest and a good friend of mine.
Speaker 1:Mr John Rose has two Meritorious Service Medals one Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, four Navy Achievement Medals, two Combat Action Ribbons, one Purple Heart and a Presidential Unit Citation. Today, on the Observe Day, a Veterans Day, I think it was appropriate to invite Mr Rose to join us. Also, it's not his birthday, but it's the Marine Corps' birthday, right 248 years. I know, john, you and I were not there, but we appreciate celebrating that as well. So Mr Rose enlisted in the Marines in 2001,. Combat training in 2002, served at Camp Lejeune, had tours in Iraq, afghanistan and injured very seriously with an IED as he was serving our great country, took two years of recovery to allow John to be one of the top leaders in the world of helping individual disability, especially those veterans. So enough of that, john Rose. I appreciate your service. I'm proud of you. I, more importantly, I appreciate your friendship. But what does this day mean to you? Today we're celebrating again the birthday of the US Marine Corps and it's the Observed Veterans Day. What does today mean to you, john?
Speaker 2:It's big for the Marine Corps because we're carrying on that legacy that started back in 1775. So I have my brothers and sisters across the entire country, across the entire world, celebrated. I've already got about 25 text messages, starting about three o'clock this morning. Happy birthday, marines. Happy birthday, happy birthday Like I'm trying to get some sleep I haven't slept three days, but it's and then Veterans Day is tomorrow.
Speaker 2:A lot of people they look at these holidays because they don't really see it that much 1% of 1% have ever served. So they oh, I get another, I get Friday off to Observed Veterans Day. So let's go barbecue or let's go do this to where you kind of listen to the and I think I mentioned this to you a few times, congressman Porter is that John Glenn speech? Not to be politics, but it was a great speech. He's the first astronaut to orbit the planet. He's the oldest astronaut to ever go back up in space. But also he served 23 years in the Marine Corps, did over 100 missions in two different conflicts and he started running for the United States Senate in 74, and he had a debate with the current Senator, howard Mezenbach.
Speaker 2:And Howard Mezenbach's like how are you gonna serve the people when you've never had a job a day in your life? And he's like hold on one second, and I'm paraphrasing here go out there and look at it, but come with me to this Veterans Hospital and see all these people with their mangled bodies. Come to NASA with me and see all the widows and orphans of these astronauts. It's not that I didn't have a day of work in my life, it wouldn't work. It was my life that was on the line. And people don't understand that. That yes, we get a paycheck the first and 15th of every month as active duty service member, but it's way more than just putting on the uniform and going to sing cadence or do anything like that. These people are forward in war. They're forward in places that we don't even know of, maybe members of Congress.
Speaker 2:They probably shouldn't know they're there, but maybe they don't know they're there but they're all over the place and you never know. So whenever you see somebody with that war to veteran on or Vietnam veteran, I just ask stop and say thank you, appreciate your service, because a lot of those veterans coming back don't have what we have today. They got spit on, they was looked at oh you're just killers, all that crazy stuff. So my biggest ass is just the easiest thing just say thank you for your service, thank you for what I did for our country.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, my father served in World War II in the US Army, was stationed in Illusion Islands and he really didn't want to talk about it a whole lot and I'm so proud of you, for certainly of my dad for his service, but I guess in that era some of our loved ones didn't really talk about their service. You have been such a champion for men and women in uniform, those that have served, those that may serve in the future, and you exemplify what it's all about. Your life was on the line and we almost lost you. Can we talk about that for a little bit, john? Your experiences and was it was in Afghanistan with the ID.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I got injured in May 15th 2010 on a recovery mission. Our typical convoys, which is our vehicle movements we're moving beans, bullets and band-aids from point A to point B, to point C to point D. It was a lot smaller convoy because when we got into Afghanistan, the current administration the President Obama administration decided to send 10,000 more service members into Afghanistan. So we got there with no real mission until everybody got there and we was moving all the foreign services out the British, the Gurkhas from Nepal, the French, all these foreign services out, moving Marines in. It was a little bit of a smaller convoy, so I let my assistant take the convoy and I took his position. We was going to recover some vehicles that got hit by some improvised explosion devices and my biggest rule in my platoon was we don't need to be city workers. I don't need five people with a shovel sitting around one pothole and one person working.
Speaker 1:So my biggest rule is If anybody if I may interrupt for a minute. So you retired as the master sergeant, correct? So you had a very solid leadership role throughout this process, so please continue. I just wanted to and I was very young then.
Speaker 2:I was only a sergeant then, so I was the only sergeant in my battalion that was leading Marines as a platoon sergeant, so it was. I was kind of hand-plucked to go lead this platoon with a brand new lieutenant trying to. I messed up my knee about six months prior so they moved me up to be the operation chief. Let me recover a little bit because they still wanted me to go on the deployment. But then we're on that convoy and my next junior person, my assistant platoon sergeant, he hasn't ran a convoy of this size yet so I'm like, hey, I'm still in the convoy, I'm gonna let you run it. If you have questions, here's our private frequency, you can call, ask any questions. You know stuff like that.
Speaker 2:Well, their last vehicle hit an IED so their people got out. They swept with metal detectors making sure there's no secondary or tertiary bombs out there. They said they gave us all clear. So I pulled up, hopped out, stood in the first hole which was only a 20 to 30 pound IED, so about 20, 30 pounds of explosive with rock and metal and all that crazy stuff. And as soon as I stepped into that hole, that's when I told my vehicle to push up onto the hill, to drive up on the hill to provide overwatch security with our machine gun. And as soon as that vehicle started to roll, the second IED went off, which was about 110 pounds.
Speaker 1:In the same hole. Was it this?
Speaker 2:No, it was an offset. So what they learned? They learn all of our tactics that we do. So they see that we hit an IED, so they see how far our search team moves out. So, okay, how far are the metal detectors? Are they walking out? And they'll sit there and they may not plant anything for five or six times of us going through. They just stand back with binoculars and watch us. So they learn our protocols that we have when something happens.
Speaker 2:So when I got out they knew my vehicle would be about 15 meters away or 10 meters away or whatever it was. So that's where they placed that secondary at, because the minesweepers only go out, say, seven meters, so they'll put it at 10 meters. So as soon as that moves, another one goes off. So the second one went off. It hit me. Luckily I was standing waist deep in the first IED hole, so it only hit me from the waist up, but it blew me out about 10 meters, broke my hip, shattered my right arm, cut me all the way through my face, lost vision in my eye, lost a bunch of teeth, burns up my left side. So all I really remember is boom and then waking up a few weeks later in the hospital.
Speaker 1:Well, and that was in 2010, correct?
Speaker 2:Yes, that was in 2010.
Speaker 1:Then survival credit to you for your inspiring other individuals, whether you're in the military or other professions. But again, kudos to you. You then stayed in the service for another 10, 11 years, correct?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm knocking on wood right now and I'm so lucky to be here because during those days in the 2009 to 2012 realm, what the Taliban was doing, or the insurgents, or whatever we're calling them these days what they would do is put things in there. So when they did blow you up, you would get an infection and die as of. They may put feces in the bomb, or they may put this chloride on rocks and put the rocks in the bomb. So when those go into you, you get an infection and you may have been able to live, but the infection is what kills you. But going through all of that, getting ready to go back, and I'm trying to decide do I want to stay in? Do I want to get out? And I made the ultimate decision.
Speaker 2:I've already served 10 years. I was a little over 10 years. I was like, hey, let's get after it. There's still more I can do. There's more I can. If I can't deploy anymore, I can at least teach the tactics that I know to those young Marines that are getting ready to deploy. I can mentor Liu Tenets company great officers. You know there's a lot of stuff I can still do and be at the forefront of the fight. Maybe not be in the fight, but be at the forefront of the fight.
Speaker 1:So, as you continued though you, as I can tell, and the more research I've done on you, my friend John Rose, I appreciated you but spent a little bit of time looking at all the lives that you've helped change and helped survive through difficult times. You've taken that strength and are now helping in the world of disabilities as well. So you first. You then went to work on Capitol Hill for a while, correct, yep. You talk about that experience and how that helped you evolve to where you are today, helping so many people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was, that was a. I never thought I was going to be able to get that opportunity because every time I applied they changed the criteria and then I wouldn't qualify. And that last year I'm like I'm just going to do it. They need to tell me no, I, you got to have this degree and then the next year it moves up, a more advanced degree and then the next year another advanced degree. I'm like I'm, I'm shooting performance over education, performance in, in, in, like actually being able to do stuff. Vice is just going to college to learn how to do something. Because I've met a lot of people, they've been to college for a lot of great things and now they're doing something completely different because they didn't like what they was doing. I'd loved what I was doing as a Marine.
Speaker 2:So when I got the opportunity to go up and be a congressional fellow for a member of Congress, it was, it was different. You know I'm now I was 35 years old, you know 34, 35. And I come into an office that people are 22, 23, 24, very young staff and I'm like, okay, I'm not in charge anymore, I'm a low man on the total poll, I'm listening to instructions by 21 year old because I don't know what I'm doing. I'm washing windows and, hey, I'm going down to Dunkin Donuts, but anybody like coffee, it's on me. And they're like, oh yes, because they're. They're, they're staff assistants, they're ledge assistants and they're I'm making way more money than them because I'm more. I'm still working in the DoD. I'm like you want some coffee? I'll go grab some. You know, it was hard to build that rapport because they look at them like oh, this individual's coming from the DoD, he's a spy, he's going, he's going to, he's going back or she's going back until the DOD.
Speaker 1:By the way, john, I never thought that you were a spy, so I'm glad you took me up on that one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so like building that relationship with the office and it was. It. Was I opening because I see what goes on on Fox, on MSNBC, on CNN, local news, abc, but to be there where the sausage is made, is I opening because you're like, oh, that's what really goes on. It's not the, the, the bill becomes a law, like back in the day we used to watch on Saturday mornings on on PBS Like I'm a bill.
Speaker 1:House mouse right Exactly. Well, can you just explain, because you know a lot of folks that are in the service will reach out and will ask me or my office or other members of Congress about the fellowship programs. Can you explain all that works, because there's a lot of people would like to do what you did and follow your lead. How did that work? I mean you, you the bar kept changing.
Speaker 2:You thought so every service had, you get as many fellows as the size of your service. So, like, the Marine Corps has the smallest amount of fellows and the army has the largest, the army brings and don't quote me on this like, say, 40 people to where the Marine Corps only brings 15 people up. And the Marine Corps tends to bring more enlisted because they're more, I wouldn't say more experienced. They've been in the Marine Corps a little bit longer and a lot of the officers we bring up may only have six to 12 years in to where the. The time in service requirement for enlisted is 16 years. So you can't come on the fellowship until you have 16 years of service. Where on the officer side it's more of a professional education program for them to learn how the process goes, because if they get promoted up to the ranks and they have to come testify on Congress or they're doing requests for information from members of Congress or they kind of understand the way it works. But for us it's, it's huge because we're going to be that the way I put it was out.
Speaker 2:I was the senior enlisted advisor to that member of Congress. I'd advise him on everything, do D and he was, he was the the, the chair of chairperson of the subcommittee of coast guards, so I'd learned a lot of coast guard stuff because he was on T and I. So it was interesting like every day, like I subscribed to so much news, I take the metro in and I get in to the Capitol my head's just like oh did you hear about that and I was like, yeah, we don't care about anything.
Speaker 2:That.
Speaker 1:Which, by the way, it's the first thing we did this morning before we started to interview was like so what's happened in the world today?
Speaker 2:Exactly. And then we're like, oh, is this one of his priorities? Cause I'm still young, and they're like, no, that's not one of his priorities. But you know, this is one thing. So trying to learn that member, it's just like in in the DOD, no matter what branch you're in, if you're that senior enlisted, you got to learn your new boss how your boss writes, how your boss speaks, how your boss does whatever, so you can say, hey, at that point in time that you may have to interject because enlisted don't make any decision. We're just advisors. The officers are the decision makers. We just help advise them as much as we can, Kind of like the staff in a congressional office. They don't make the decisions, but they advise the boss on a. These are the opportunities.
Speaker 2:These are, although sometimes they may think they're the they may think that's for another area and there may have been a few times. I tell my Marines hey, I'm going to tell the lieutenant this and that's what we're going to do. And then I go tell the lieutenant this and then she's like, nah, we're not doing that.
Speaker 1:I'm like, oh, just playing with you all, we're not doing that, you know so you were still employed by DOD at the time to become a fellow and you know it is a small world because as you and I have gotten to know each other, it's through your relations with a member of Congress. And can you talk about that a little bit, the memory you worked with and some of the team.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was like I said before, it was interesting being the oldest person almost on staff because, like we had a our legislative director or whatever. You know he has questions and it's like I'm back in the, I'm back in the in the fleet Marine force again, sitting kneecap to kneecap to a young Lance Corporal or a young Corporal that's getting ready to have a kid or getting ready to buy a house and walking them through things. Like we did a district trip and I was one of two people that was old enough to rent the car, you know. So trying to build through that and then, like, also be respectful to the office because they work with that member. They've worked for that member for a few years. You know I don't want to burn any bridges with the people because there may be a drug issue that comes up. Well, that's somebody else, that's in their portfolio. So trying to build that relationships with them.
Speaker 2:And now what helps me now is those staff members are moved. So you have to keep those relationships, just like we do in the DOD or in the service, you know, like I still talk to people I serve with 20 years ago, you know and to keep those relationships because those are, then Fox News really isn't going to tell you much. Cnn is not going to tell you much, but I can call some of my buddies that was on the hill. Hey, have you heard anything about this? Oh yeah, it's getting introduced, but nothing's going to happen of it. They're just introducing it to introduce it.
Speaker 2:You know, keeping those relationships and different members that come in to talk to your member be like hey, and then you see him in the hall hey, do you remember me? I worked for this person. And they're like oh, oh, yeah, I do remember you. Hey, we need to catch up. Let's stop by the office. Here's my card, you know. And so just building those relationships and keeping those relationships doesn't matter, politics aside, a person's a person. We all put our pants on the same way. You either start with your right or your left and then you put your shoes on. You got to build.
Speaker 1:John, we're going to come back to this part of the relationship building in a moment because I think it plays a major role where you and I are today in 2023. But your role then evolved with the Department of Defense. You were senior enlisted advisor and special assistant wounded warrior program, so tell us about that and some of the things that you're seeing happening in that part of the world of defense and helping individuals that are veterans.
Speaker 2:That was a very rewarding, interesting and a lot of work in that building because I reported directly to a four star equivalent, a Senate confirmed presidential appointee that served. He was the assistant secretary of Department of the Navy for manpower reserve affairs, so everything manpower and reserve affairs he ran. So that means, like the title you read, was special assistant, senior listed advisor, but that touched every portfolio of about 75 employees. So anything enlisted came across my desk and it was my responsibility to bounce that off the services because we're at the department level and it's weird that the Department of the Navy is the only department with two services. Now we have the Air Force and the Space Force, but at the time we only had Navy, marine Corps, navy.
Speaker 2:Marine Corps operate completely different One's more of a land based and one's more of a sea based. So trying to get them on the same and it's like dealing with Republicans and Democrats trying to get them on the same page it's hard. You got to compromise so we would do that. I talked to the Marine Corps. I talked to the Navy, like, hey, okay, I see you want this. How about we meet in the middle with this? I see, you see this meeting the middle here. But like transforming that wounded warrior care and policy issues throughout the Department of the Navy and carrying that through the Department of Defense was big, because I'm slowly starting to see some of those changes now with with the skill bridge programs, with the internship programs. Some of the things we was pushing way back then and I say way back then, it was four or five years ago is now finally turn into a fruition. That that I can watch.
Speaker 2:I read defense news every morning. Oh, I worked on that project. It finally got approved, it's finally implemented, it's working good. Or? Hey, maybe I made a little bit of bad judgment here and I'll call my buddy that's still up there. Hey, I said this, but maybe, if we tweak it this way to be a little bit better. He's like do you mind if I use that as as my contribution? I'm like, dude, I'm retired, I don't care.
Speaker 1:Well, John, can you explain, because you you're so good and so passionate about serving veterans especially, but all individuals with disabilities. What was it like then for you in transition and what's it like for other thousands of individuals that are wounded? What's happening and how does it work?
Speaker 2:So the wounded, ill and injured, they go through a process called IDES, the Integrated Disability Evaluation System, which is my John Rose opinion is flawed because they've they moved it a little bit too quick and then they moved everything from the services to DHA and they're what in that kind of good turnover it's slowly getting there now because they moved it right before COVID. They was having all the processes, all the processes in place and then COVID hit and they're like we don't know what to do and numbers got all messed up. So typically through the, through the Integrated Disability Evaluation System, it's a 180 day process. You do all your medical appointments. The DOD finds you fit or unfit, depending on their rating schedule.
Speaker 1:But it means is that, is that a lonely process, or is there supports there?
Speaker 2:So there's a lot of support there. So when you start the process you have what they call a PEPLO, which is a physical evaluation board officer, ish. They kind of advise you hey, this is the way the process is going to work. If you have problems, let me know. Here's my number. The problem is the same way as the DOD has with with mental health. Why would somebody come do that job in the DOD when they could do it in the civilian sector for, and make twice as much money? So they're very short staffed on their PEPLOs. So it's it. That's kind of where the that weak link is. And when you start that process, I went through four different PEPLOs and that's supposed to be 180 days was the process. Mine was over 500.
Speaker 1:So you, I mean recovery is forever, but it was about a two-year window for you at the yes, it was about a two-year window.
Speaker 2:The recovery process for me was a little different because I got injured, then I got in that train wreck, so that kind of set my recovery back a little bit getting hit by a train on a Veterans Day parade. But typically it's about a two to three-year process because you don't start your medical evaluation board until you're I wouldn't say, completely recovered. You're like 75, 80% covered. You've got the majority of your surgeries. Now you're just trying to find your new normal.
Speaker 2:You know I'm blind on my left eye so I know when I walk into a room I position myself to where I can see everything on my right and you've seen me walking to different congressional meetings. I make sure everybody, which is good for me and you, because you're blind I mean you're deaf on one ear and I'm blind on the other. So we that's why we're buddies we meet up just perfect. We need each other. We're trying to go through that process, but with me because I did the congressional fellowship. I worked at the highest levels of the DOD. I knew the people to reach out to these E2s, e3s, e4s. They don't know who to reach out to.
Speaker 1:So let's assume someone's listening now that is experiencing or has some health challenges. Who do they call? Are they aware who to call? I mean, who should they call?
Speaker 2:I reached out to my members of Congress, I reached out to my senators, I reached out to friends that I knew that was still at the highest level of the DOD. But a lot of these people don't know those people at the DOD. So you can easily make an inspector general's request. You know, hey, this is the issue. I prefer them not to make it anonymous so they can actually reach out to you and find out what your issue is, because you may think it's an issue, but somebody just didn't tell you to do something, so then that's going to fall back on you. So there's a lot of different avenues of approach. For the Marine Corps we have request masks, which is you can, I can HR complaint, but it's to your commanding officer and one step above your commanding officer. So there's a lot of different ways to go about it. There's self-advocates out there, the VFW, the American Legion. They do advocacy for the VA. They'll help you with your package, getting your ratings system.
Speaker 1:So the service organizations are very helpful as well. I've experienced that, so I hear you reiterating that there's that network too that makes a difference.
Speaker 2:And the Marine Corps is a little. We're very close-hold to our Marines, we love our Marines. So my last duty station I was the operations chief for the Wounded War Regiment which oversees all the wounded and injured Marines and any Navy corpsmen that was attached to Marine units throughout the entire Marine Corps. So we're all the way from Okinawa, hawaii, all through the United States. We have different detachments depending on if you have a mental health issue.
Speaker 2:We know we've worked out, say, the Mayo Clinic is a very good hospital for you. Know you're getting a car wreck and your paralyzing wastes down, so we're going to send you. So our team collects all the data and we have a surgeon and a medical team and advisors. Like, hey, where is going to be best? Because the congressman say you was a reservist, you're living in Nevada and you get injured in a car wreck. Well, we may not want to send you all the way to the Mayo Clinic, because your family what keeps you together? Because that's that weakest link, because we can make you recover as much as we want to. But if you don't have that support system behind you, just like we do now, having that support system behind you, okay, so we may decide, hey, maybe there's a small hospital in Reno. We can send him to Reno. It's a little closer to Vegas. It's still a little bit of a drive, but that's closer to.
Speaker 1:And now Veterans Hospital in Nevada as well, which is in Southern Nevada.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we kind of decide. When the withdrawal from Afghanistan happened, Me and my commanding officer was heading up to Ground Zero in New York City to give a talk about 9-11 when H Kaya happened, so we had to pull over the side of the road. We're getting situation reports from. All of our emails are blown up because every casualty that comes throughout the rink or comes to my email. So we're brief. Okay, this person should be going to Walter Reed, or this person should be going to Balboa down in San Diego, or this person should be going to Tampa because they're a polytrauma patient. So we're trying to decide of where all that goes. So if you're in the wounded warrior or in a wounded able injured program, ask somebody there. Hey, I got a question about this. That's their job, ask them.
Speaker 1:Well, what do I hear you're saying? If you are an individual that needs help, don't give up, because there are avenues to at least communicate early on. And often I'm sure you know that nothing is perfect and I know I hear challenges that some individuals have, but what I hear you saying is there are systems. Get encouraged individuals to get into the system and to reach out to their member of Congress, like you said, or a veteran service organization.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the only problem is a lot of the people that's going through the processes now are people that was wounded, ill or injured back in the early 2000s, the mid 2010s, because back then you could lose your security clearance if you have a head injury, because now you're incapable of holding the clearance. So now those individuals are coming up and they've been alpha males and females forever. So we don't like to ask for help, you know, but that's the. You have to have that willingness to make yourself better before, because you can make your community better all you want to but you're just hurting yourself until you make yourself better.
Speaker 1:Well, I can't. I want to talk about what we're doing today and what you're doing, but before we get into that, tell us about the and I say this with a smile because you must have nine lives the injury from the train on Veterans Day. Can you share with us that for a moment?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, we was. We was on a Veterans Day parade. It was a 18 wheeler with a flatbed, like what bank, with chairs, there's 12 service members, 12 spouses on two different floats and there's kids out there waving, you know, thank you for your service. It's. It was kind of the culminating event. All the service members went on a hunt and it just happened to be all male service members and then all the spouses was supposed to go get a shopping spree manicure, pedicure. They was going to be pampered all weekend, like no, like. They provided childcare to watch the kids so the husband and wife could go do their thing and relax. And then we got hit by a train doing 67 miles an hour. We was coming across. The arms started coming down. You know, I only have one eye, so my debt perceptions off. So I stand up because the arm came down on me. I was like we'll pass it. I sit back down and then, boom, the train hits us, killed four service members, injured 17.
Speaker 1:What a tragedy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, collarbone elbow, the bottom of her spine there was. And the messed up thing is we was on one side of the train tracks. The hospital was on the other side so the ambulances couldn't get to it. So now you have a bunch of combat wounded veteran or combat veterans. We're, we're evaluating the scene and we're triage in patients, and then the ambulance finally get there and I like, oh that, like they tell my wife, hey, stand up and walk over there. I'm like, no, she's a spinal cord injury. This person over here We've already triaged them is number one.
Speaker 1:In your nature, you were taking charge, even in the midst of your own injuries.
Speaker 2:again, that's what we do as service members. You know we're we're trying to get those spouses off of their fallen service members. You know, because there was four of them that passed right there on the spot and we're trying to get spouses off them. We're trying to get the crowd back because the crowd wants to try to come in and it's like I talked about seven city workers holding shovels and only one person working. It's hard to work around people that's just coming up on your position, oh, trying to take pictures, trying to do this, getting them back. Like I lost my belt because somebody's like, hey, we need to put a tourniquet on this lady's leg, so I gave my belt. You know they put a tourniquet. She say she lost her leg but she still continues to live today.
Speaker 1:You know, john, my ass. So your, your training is critical as a leader. Do instincts kick in in those moments? Or what happens in that moment when you know you're, you're, you're hurt yourself, but you're still a leader? Tell me about that. Is that an instincts takeover?
Speaker 2:It's muscle memory. Like as service members we go through this training so often. What? Like when I was carrying my Marines through stuff and we was out in 29 poms out in California. You know I'm yelling and screaming so much that I lose my voice for two or three days. I'm slapping rocks together, I'm throwing stuff at vehicles to make them feel like they are in combat. So when they are, they're kind of used to that. You know they're oh, that's just some pop shots or that's just this, or we may do, we may put 300 tourniquets on a dummy a day to get you through that muscle memory to see if it's dark. You may not be able to have a white light flashlight you may not be able to see.
Speaker 2:To get okay, I know where to put it. I know where the knee's at. I need to go three inches above the knee. Oh, nope, I need to go five inches above the knee because the wound's here and to be able to do that in the darkness or in the bright light. Or you lost your sunglasses or you're laying on your stomach to give those service members different opportunities to where we do get into the bad times. It just comes back muscle memory Every single time. You know how to do it. Like right now I have a tourniquet, I have a whole first aid kit in my vehicle. Like I'm driving back to North Carolina yesterday and I see somebody swerving in and out, in and out. I'm like, oh, what's going on? They getting a wreck, like and I'm saying this didn't happen, but say that did happen. I have.
Speaker 1:You were anticipating, I have yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm willing to cop out and, like I have a seatbelt cutter that's sitting right in my door, I can cut a seatbelt off. It has a window slasher, you know. So those are the things that I'm always prepared to do. I hope I never have to do just like when I can still carry a gun. I hope I never have to pull my gun, but it is there in case I do need it, just like a first aid kit is, and I would recommend anybody have a first aid kit in your car. You never know when you might need it. You have a young kid? Oh, maybe just a bandaid, but you may come up on a situation where you may need something.
Speaker 1:Well, john, you've done amazing things and again, your your awards, as I mentioned early, are really minor compared to all the things that you've done, and we do appreciate that. You know we both work on a project as well and that's helping individual disabilities find employment within the federal complex, and I think that what you and I are working on today is because of our past and our history and what we learned as public servants in different capacities, and I did not have the honor of serving as you in the military, but I believe we're here for a reason now, john Rose, together working on a project. So can you talk about some of the things that you're doing with Source America and the Ability One program and individuals of specifically veterans? Can you talk about that a little bit?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and the one thing I want to start that off with is just the Marine Corps mission. We win battles, we fight wars and we return good citizens back to their community, and that's what I'm trying to do is be a good citizen in my community. You know, source America. We're in all 50 states, we have federal contracts, over 400 installations across the US and we employ over 32,000 people with significant disabilities or blindness. But what does that do in the community? That's the part that really gets to me, because you have Lance Corporal Rose that leaves Camp Lejeune. He's not staying in Camp Lejeune, he's moving to Boise, idaho, or he's moving to Reno, nevada, you know, trying to place them in positions where they can still be good community servants, because that's what a lot of DOD people want to do. But then you put that on the other side. We have to the unemployment rate.
Speaker 2:What we talked about the other day was about 56% to 57% of people with disabilities. You know, I do site visits all the time and, like these, employees with significant disabilities love coming to work because they're not in their house. They're not, you know, stuck doing mundane things. They're around other people like them and people that are able-bodied, you know, and they're doing hedges, they're making uniforms, they're making parachute, rigging flags that's flown over every casket of a fallen service member. You know, those are the type of things we're bringing people, that people in the community is like, oh yeah, blah, blah. But we're engaging them and employing them and you know, we're saving the federal government $2.66 per dollar.
Speaker 1:Yeah, can you kind of just take a moment and explain a little bit how that works for the ability? One is a federal program and then the nonprofit community through Source America and NIV. Can you explain how that works?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So we're kind of run governed by our commission members, which are 15 presidential Senate confirmed appointees, for those are private citizens, 11 of those are federal employees and that kind of breaks down to two individual central nonprofits, which is Source America and the national industry of the blind, and underneath that we have our network. For Source America, I think our numbers around 375 to 400-ish nonprofits. Niv has a I don't even 100 plus. So what we do is if you've ever been in the DOD and used skill craft and pens or skill craft notebooks or sticky notes, those are made by the industry of the blind. You know the parachute rigging the flags, as I talked about before, are made by Source America nonprofit agencies. What they do as far as Source America and NIV, we're kind of that middle person.
Speaker 2:So we're helping our network of people. If they need to engage with their local members or their federal members or they have an issue with the VA or Department of Treasury, we bring that to the Hill to help advocate for them. Because if you're in Washington State or Hawaii can you fly all the way to DC to talk to two members of Congress in a day. We're right here in DC so they'll pass that information to us and the Porter Group and we'll advocate on their behalf and if we can bring them in to tell their stories, because that's what the members really wanna hear. How's that helping my constituents? And that's something we explain Like I got a few.
Speaker 2:I have a few meetings up on the Hill today, you know, just getting in there and educating them on the Ability One program and how this not only affects their community but it affects people with disabilities and gets them engaged in the community. And now we just did grassroots a few months ago there was two or three self advocates is like, hey, I wanna be an advocate all the time. How do I go speak to my local chamber? How do I go speak to my council member? You know, trying to get those individuals to speak to those people because that's where it all starts is in that local community. Keeping those people in that community or if they wanna move to another community, that's fine. But supporting that community and supporting that individual, but not only just that individual but the family also.
Speaker 1:So through the Ability One program, as mentioned, is a federal organization and then contracting, you know, with Source America, nib. The network of nonprofits are amazing and what they do they're working with families, loved ones, caregivers. Can you talk about that process a little bit through the nonprofit community?
Speaker 2:Yeah, what they do is the biggest thing is bringing, like I always say, that weakest link, like when I went through the recovery process I could do it all day long. I'm only getting as strong as my weakest link and at the time I may have been that weakest link because I wasn't including my spouse or my family, because they help you, they pushed or they poke the bear from time to time. Hey, I know you got an appointment at 10 o'clock and you didn't go to sleep till two. How about I drive you to your doctor's appointment? But like including that family in there to where they have? I was just out at I think it was Challenge Unlimited out in Illinois last year. Once a quarter they have a quarterly breakfast and they invite all the employees, all their family members and they do like a pancake breakfast or whatever it was.
Speaker 2:You know, they include the minute, because Me, as a person with the disabilities, I may not tell my employer I'm dealing with more stress than I'm. You bring that family member in. That family member was like, oh, that's your boss, you've been coming home a little stressful. Or I was the perfect example. I was out in Huntsville. There was a guy that had an administrative job. He came home every day hating his life because he didn't want to sit in the office because it had no windows. They had a lunch or a town hall meeting and something came out. They moved him. He got promoted out of the ability one program. Now he's making way more money and he's manager now.
Speaker 2:Because he likes being outside inspecting vegetation the grass has to be cut up to 27 inches off the road. The bushes had like that. He loves being outside, smelling the pollen, the wind. He has his own little ranger. Those are the things that are network and it's individual base. It's not one thing catches all. It's okay. John Rose needs this support, john Porter needs this support. This person needs this support and they tailor everything around them to make them more comfortable. Or maybe come out of their shell. Maybe not come out of the shell, maybe just get out of the house and do a little bit of work, being a son a little bit. There's so many different stories I could tell out there because every one of them is different.
Speaker 1:I think it's important to note these are not funded through earmarks. They are contracts that are available through the ability one program across the country. How does that work? Can you talk about that a little bit?
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's a bid that goes out. Say, there's something in DC, here at one of the bases here in DC. There's a contract that goes out and they put a bid for it. It's not like the small business administration gets a certain amount of set-asides or women with small business get a certain set-asides. That's right. There was a lot of stuff on the hill we was doing with 1% goal to get a little bit of a chance of a buy to the carrot. We're doing such a good job that we don't have a goal set by Congress. But there's still federal entities out there that's awarding us contracts because we're doing such a great job. Nasa's they promise 1% and they're given. We have like 6% or 7% with them. The DoD we're working up to 1% with them. We're already almost a 0.6%. They see the work we're doing. It's just getting more people, more stuff in there to where they're like oh wow, you are doing great things.
Speaker 2:I was just at a Marine Corps ball two days before. Down at Camp Lejeune I started explaining stuff to that commanding officer. I was like did you know? Because they're right across from the Naval hospital, all the grass, all the janitorial, all the sanitation. She's like people with disabilities do that? I'm like, yes, they're in your building. Oh, my goodness, I did not know that we need to talk some more. I'm like, okay, let me know, I'll drive down to North Carolina and we'll get on a Zoom call. We'll explain everything. But educating those individuals about stuff that we do is super important.
Speaker 1:You're really important and, john, I really just appreciate your time and all that you're doing. One day I want to walk through all those challenge coins on your wall. I'm sure everyone has a story that we will have another program on that. The last thing I asked is that the other.
Speaker 2:This is only half the other half's in my office in Vienna.
Speaker 1:Then there are a lot of stories. I guess really one of the last things is how did you find Source America and you're doing such amazing things there? How did that come about?
Speaker 2:It was interesting because 20 plus years in the DOD I've never heard of Source America. I've heard of Skillcraft. I've heard of ability one, because maybe I saw it on a plaque or somewhere. The chief of staff that I worked for up on the Hill is now the government affairs vice president. He's like, hey, the CEO really wants to push hard on veterans and caregivers. Is there something you can provide to the team? I'm like, absolutely Literally, I started getting paid throughout Source America before I even got my DOD retirement. That's how quick I started there because I've loved the mission. I loved what they're going after. I love what they're doing to support the warfighter, the industrial base. They're doing all the things that back in the day when I first joined in 010203, I'm the person out there, I'm trimming the bushes, but that's taken me away from Trank. I can't train to do my combat skills if I'm sent off for two weeks ago. Do this, that and another. It's where we're employing these individuals. It's assisting loosely based assisting our service members to be warfighters.
Speaker 1:Well, I think that's the reason you and I are here today to talk about individuals that need help the most. Be your experience. Again, I want to say thank you, as I know our time is up. Again, personally, thank you for your service, the sacrifices that you've made and the sacrifice your family has made for us to be here to see even better days in the future to help more individuals with disabilities. So, mr Rose, is there any last things you'd like to add here before we close?
Speaker 2:I just appreciate everybody that served this country, no matter if it's military, first responders, cops, firefighters, civil leaders. If you see any of them, they're working towards making this country a little bit better. If you're walking down the street and see a piece of trash, pick it up, that just made this world a little bit better. Throwing the trash, that's all I ask. Thank people for if they do good jobs and make your community better as much as you can. If it's just a little thing of picking up a bubblegum wrapper, that makes your community just a little bit better.
Speaker 1:Thank you, john. Again. I appreciate your friendship, your time, and I look forward to working with you even more so in the future. To all those listeners, thank you for being with us today. Politics aside, again, all that we ask is that you put politics aside for a moment and to listen to some individuals, like Mr Rose, that are helping to change the world. Thank you all, and please be safe, take care, stand for five and happy birthday.