January 23, 2024 • 56 mins
Kevin welcomes his old friend Rob Lowe to the show. The two life-long actors reminisce about the roles they have competed for, a life in the work, writing your first book, marriage and so much more. They are joined by Dan Nevins, a wounded warrior who fought for our country and was helped by The Wounded Warrior Project in his own transition back to civilian life. They all discuss the importance of the organization for the service men and women of our country and the responsibility we all have to take care of our veterans after they return home.
To learn more and get involved with the Wounded Warrior Project, head to WoundedWarriorProject.Org. To support more initiatives like this program, text 'BACON' to 707070 or head to SixDegrees.Org to learn more.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, folks.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
You know, I've been really excited about how well received.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
This show has been.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
I'm just absolutely thrilled, and I think people have really
taken to it. But for me, it's really been a
learning curve to understand how to do this man, how
to be on the other side of the mic. Now,
Rob Low, today's guest, is a natural at that he
has a kind of charisma that makes you want to
(00:27):
be his friend. I mean, he's very easy to talk to.
He's also given a lot of his time to support
an organization here that he wants to highlight.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
So I just want to let you.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Know that this episode is going to be a heavier one,
but it's so important. The people who make up our
military deserve to be heard and they deserve to be supported.
During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I spent a
bunch of time at Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland,
(00:57):
and I was meeting soldiers and veterans and I really
wanted to ask many of them their story, the story
of how they got hurt, but I wasn't sure if
that would be something that they wanted to share. And
what I've learned now is that often when someone's undergone
such a trauma. As they do, they want to tell
their story and if they can use it to do good,
(01:21):
then there can be some healing there. Listening to the
story here today is just one way that you can
bear witness to what this man went through and learn
more about.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Ways to support our veterans. So lean in. I'm really
glad you're here.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
It's so good to see Robin. As you know, we
just spoke what last week or something? I did your
awesome podcast.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Yes, you were on literally and it was so fun
and you were everything I knew you would be, funny, entertaining.
It was great. We had a blast.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
So here's the thing.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
I'm very very new at this and you have been
doing it for a long time. So my first question is, Tipsy,
can you help a brother out?
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Help a brother out? You know what? It's kind of this, Listen,
I'm making it up as I go along, as we
all do in our careers, as you know. But to me,
it's just about being curious. You're naturally curious. I'm curious,
so that's what qualifies us to do this, and I
(02:37):
just it's the same thing as acting curiosity and listening.
I mean it really really is an offshoot. I have
people on who I admire and like, am and interested in,
and then I listened to what they had to say,
and my curiosity, my natural curiosity, leads it from there.
In terms of the questions, I don't prepare questions. I
(02:57):
never ever do, because then it is more like an interview.
And You've been interviewed plenty. I've been interviewed plenty, But
what people haven't seen or heard are conversations, right right right, yeah,
And so to me, there is a difference between an
interview and if the listener was able to invisibly pull
(03:21):
up a chair while you and I had lunch together. Sure, sure,
And to me, that's the sweet spot.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Yeah, I totally get that. And you you have that
in space. I mean, it's like you you it feels
so relaxed. There almost isn't really even the beginning of
the conversation. And it's funny because you know, we're not
supposed to, you know, in our with our current strike situation,
(03:49):
talk about specific work.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
But I feel really.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Strongly that we're allowed to talk about what it is
that we do for a living.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
I mean, yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
In your case, one of the many many things that
you do for a living, which there is a very
very long list which we can get into. But you know,
I've I've always felt like for the acting piece of it,
I'm constantly trying to find the world where.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
The movement between.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Being off on the side of the camera and moving
to the front of the camera that you're kind of
living in the same space in a way that that
there's that the time between action and cut is just
as relaxed and as free flowing as the time when
you're sitting in your trailer, you know, on the phone
(04:40):
or playing the guitar or whatever happens to be. You know,
I kind of got that from from a couple of
directors that I that I worked with, that sort of
you know, created a set that had that kind of vibe,
and I wonder if that, you know, if you can
relate to that at all.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
I mean, and here's the other part of it, I
think is like when you get on the other side
of that and you master that to the extent that
anybody can, the next thing you worry about. For me,
it is like, wait a minute, I'm not doing anything.
Mu Wait am I phoning it in?
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Wait?
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Wait? What's going on I'm not working.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Yes, no, for sure.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
And you know, as as you know the difference between
doing movies and television is, you know, if you're on
a seier and you like me, have done both. You know,
a movie is a finite amount of time that you're
on the set in front of a camera, and then
(05:43):
you might be off for six months or two years
or a month, whatever it is. But if you're doing
television like I've been doing since nineteen ninety nine, nineteen
ninety nine, I've had a show on every.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Year with that, that's amazing. It's crazy thing.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
It's insane, but it's like anything else. You get the reps.
So I'm in front of a lens so much that
it is my life and I get to I get
to that place that you're talking about, just merely, not
because I'm any great actor or have any great technique.
(06:19):
It's just when you're in front of a camera that often,
that long you're in and you're out, you're gonna get relaxed.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Let me ask you a question, do you have a technique?
Speaker 3 (06:28):
My technique now is to trust my instincts, and you know,
if it's they're obviously different techniques for different parts.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Right.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
So if I'm on the West End doing a few
good Men, there's the vocal the vocal prep that goes in,
you know, for months months beforehand, literally training my voice
as if I was going to be singing the part.
(07:05):
And then there's the warm up every day, and and
my technique was to come into the theater and early
and run through two or three of those great caffe
monologues at high speed with the annunciation and the projection,
just as like a sound check basically, So that.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Was what time would you get to the theater.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
I would get there twenty minutes before I needed to
start the hair and makeup process. Basically, I always like
to be I like to get there the latest possible moment.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
To do the work I need to do right, right right.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
But I would always but you know, you want to
be you you have to be there before they've opened
the house.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Sure, For people that don't know, we have this thing
in the theater called half hour, and it is it's
a really serious rule. You can that be there past
half an hour before the show starts, where you can
get brought up on charges and all this stuff can happen.
They'll move one of the digits off your hand. It's
it is, it's really as punishable by death. And the
(08:11):
few times that I've ever missed half hour, it's been
a combination of It was never my fault. Well maybe
it was my fault, but it was always a you know,
stuck on the subway or or you know, something to
accident or you know whatever. You know, I wasn't drunk line,
and it did somewhere, but but I always felt such
(08:33):
so terrible in such a sense of guilt, and oh
my god, it was the most horrible feeling.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
And oh, how.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
About your I had so there was a strike and
a picket and my car couldn't get to the theater
side to get out and walk. And I'm definitely not
only my missing half hour, I'm missing curtain.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
And you were in the first scene, though.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
And I'm in the first I'm in the very first scene.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Oh you are in the first scene.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
I'm in the first scene. But the great oh, this
this was my first line the play the play, the
play play, and the first line is I'm sorry I'm late.
That's the first line of the play. So I get there.
The autist has been sitting there for twenty minutes in
their seats and my first thing is sorry I'm late,
and they went crazy.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Oh my god, that's a hilarious story.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Oh wow, I love that. I love that. Wow.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Well, you know, it's interesting to podcast and theater while
we're in this strike. There's so many other, you know,
things that we can do or we're trying to do,
trying to find, you know, something to stay busy with you.
I don't know if you've been working on this anymore,
but you're an author, correctly, you have like two books
(09:48):
I think you've gotten Yeah, I I mean, I'm so
amazed by that. Like you know, I can my my
writing ends at four minutes and fifteen seconds in the
length of a song.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Yeah, and that's a long one, you know.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
But to actually sit down and construct something that has
I mean a lot of pages, I just that blows
my mind.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Well, it's you know what it's it's it's this. But
it is the same thing in that you write a
song because you have a song in you, whether you
whether you know it or not, whether you go, oh
my god, I got some here. I think this is something,
or you don't know, but you've you go I'm going
to see and you sit and the muse comes or doesn't.
(10:34):
It's exactly the same thing. I happen to know. I
suspected I had a book in me. I mean I
kind of was like I and it was really from
enough people telling me that I should write a book.
It's like, and you know, I'm a great believer being
in recovery and sober for thirty three years.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
That if not thirty three years, congratulations.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Thanks brother, thank you. But like it's like, if enough
people tell you you're drunk, you should probably lie down, and
enough people tell you should write a book, you should
probably write a book. So that that was kind of
the the impetus, and I I had a great time
doing it. I'm really really proud of it. I'm really
proud of both the books and the reception and that
they that they still are out in the world and
(11:17):
people still like them.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Were they both memoirs or neither or yeah, both men
different at different points of in your life.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
Is that is that the way it worked?
Speaker 3 (11:28):
I mean, the first one, called Stories I Only Tell
my Friends, was kind of I didn't think I would
ever write another, so I didn't leave anything out, like
and it was my it was everything in my life.
It was the beginning of my life. The where I
Am now was, you know, it was kind of a
(11:49):
Pope Peie, a collection of essays more than a linear narrative.
And it was like, I looked at It's funny you
say this. I looked at it like making an album.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
I was like, okay, right, all right?
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Does it have enough hits in it? Are there too
many bouts? I feel like there are a little too
many ballads? Did not even know really legit and like,
I'm like and then I was like, it's a set
list at a concert. I'm like, do I open with
a hit? Or do I like, do I open with
like the Brat Pack? Or do I save that for
(12:23):
the encore? Or do I or do I not play it?
M now? Literally those are the things I was thinking.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Yeah, which is tough because your fans are going to
want to hear it.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
They want to hear it. So I remember going, I'm going,
I am not going to write a first chapter that
has the the gotcha hit hook. I'm going to write
a first chapter that establishes that I'm a writer, and
(12:55):
I'm going to live or die on this first chapter.
So my first chapter literally is about I think meeting
JFK Jr. On a ski trip and and he and
I talking about marriage and how we both sort of
met our blonde ideals and our wives, and then it
(13:18):
and then it goes on into there to talking about marriage,
and that is not that's I don't think. I don't
think that's what people were picking up the book to
hear about, for sure. And I gotten around to the
rest of the stuff in due time.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Well, I'm gonna I'm gonna get myself a copy and
check that out, because first off, I love memoirs, and
I think that seeing uh your journey would be really
really fascinating.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
Oh, you you will love the You will love the
Footloose Dance Edition story more than anything.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Uh your boy told me a little bit about that. Yeah,
Johnahan told me about something about that story, and I.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Would I will just say this, I just need it.
Cutting to the chase of it. It's a dance audition
at Paramount Dance, by the way, I think it was
to a Styx song of all things. And the end
of the dance was a knee slide across the floor
(14:18):
and I hit my knees and slide across the floor
into a lineup of like Sherry Lancing and Dean Pitchford
and you know Craig Zaden and who who they directed
it again? Yeah, her herb Ross, of course, her ross.
And my knee explodes, explodes, pop, and they take me
(14:41):
out of the soundstage on a stretcher. And this is when,
this is what tells you everything you need to know
about Hollywood. So Craig Zaden and the producers who were
friends of mine, who were very pro me doing this movie,
go to me and go, hey, man, it's cool. At
the end of the day, were we really decided we're
(15:02):
just going to hire a dancer for the part? And
a week and a week later they hired you. And
I'm like, God, damn these guys, that's a real actor.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Well, yeah, that's it.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
That is a great That is a great Hollywood store.
So that's in the book. I guess, uh, stuff like that. Yeah,
I'm definitely gonna I'm definitely gonna read that. I'd like
to talk to people. I'm always interested in the actual
(15:34):
physical place of where they grew up or had a
lot of their formative years. And also some people have
just moved around and moved around and moved around. So
just give me a little bit of a chart of
the places that you spent your childhood years.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Well, you're you're right, because I think that's I mean,
it's completely forms who you are, right, one hundred percent does.
And I was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. My dad was
had was just graduating law school at UVA. They then
my mom and my dad moved to Dayton, Ohio, and
(16:11):
that's where I had my childhood. To the time I
was twelve eleven, maybe eleven twelve, I lived in Dayton, Ohio.
And at that time, not that it's not now, but
at that time, it was a really thriving Dayton was
hit has been hit really hard by by all kinds
of things. I mean, not the least of which was
when was the last time you saw a cash register? Well,
(16:33):
in those days, NCR National Cash.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Register was in Dayton, oh Okay.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
So it was one hundred and fifty thousand jobs. So
Dayton was really popping. There was a vibrant theater community.
There was summer stock coming through. When I decided I want.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
To were you doing theater at that time when you
were Yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
I started when I was like eight nine. Oh wow,
And you know, so little kid, you know, you little kid,
parts were of available in college and stock and things
like that, and you know grew up, you know, playing
kick the can at night, and you know with all
these Irish Catholic families on our blocks that were there,
each family had like eleven kids. So you would just
(17:16):
run a muck with your friends all day long and
all it was. It was great. It was fantastic. And
then my when my parents split up, my mom uh
remarried and my stepfather lived in California where he was
a doctor. And that's why we moved to directly from
Dayton to Malibu, which was a huge culture shock Malibu,
(17:39):
California in seventy six. It was a lot different than Dayton,
Ohio and seven or six. Yeah, I would think so, Yeah, ironically.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
I'm fectioning like Ryan O'Neill on the beach and stuff.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Ryan O'Neill, Gary Busey, you know Nick Nolty stinking like
an elephant just with his pants down over it blows
butt like carrying cases of Corers out to his call.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
I mean it was this specifically in Point.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Doom, Yes, it was Pointdom.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
You know, it's so fascinated about that to me, for
people that don't know. There's Malibu, and you know, Malibu
is a fairly large area. I mean it covers I
don't know how many miles. It kind of goes up
the coast, but.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
It's how big is it?
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Twenty two miles? Right?
Speaker 2 (18:31):
And then there's a one specific area called Point Doom,
which which for whatever reason, multi I've never had a
just maybe ten years ago, we finally got a little
place in LA. But we all through our marriage and
all through my years before I was married, I never
(18:51):
had a place to live in La. When I would
work in La, so I was constantly going from either
a furnished you know, hotels, or or always places that
would take my dog, or rented houses. And for some reason,
for three movies, I think in a row, I rented
a house in Point Doom. And that is one of
(19:15):
the a combination I'm probably getting to get in trouble
for this of really magical but really strange kind of
brother dude.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Okay, So Sean, I grew up with Sean Penn and
Sean and I whenever we see each other kind of
clutch each other, Like, dude, do you remember when like
like we're survivors of a conflagration. I mean the stuff
that Okay, I don't know if you have a great story,
(19:47):
a great song in you that you know one day
you'll crack for me. It is this. It is the
story of growing up on Point Doom in the in
the mid seventies and eighties. There's who the Probably there's
a podcast about it?
Speaker 1 (20:02):
Is there? Really?
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (20:03):
What is that? Guys?
Speaker 3 (20:04):
What's the name of the podcast that we did? This
are going to tell me?
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Oh, you were you were a guest, you were guessed
on it.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
Yeah, But it's about growing up. It's about Malibu in
the eighties.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Have you have you ever thought about developing that into
a story or a film or writing a book about it.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
Or I've tried. There's a lot of my book is
about that, Okay, not as much as I could have
written two books just about that.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
Another reason I want to read the book because I mean,
I wasn't there in the probably in the in the
it was. I probably didn't go there until the mid nineties,
I would think.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
But but you gotta ge.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
I mean, like you'd see like Martin Sheen, fresh off
of Apocalypse in fatigues and a baseball bat patrolling Halloween night,
so kids wouldn't egg the neighborhood or it was it
was so amazing and so and there was a real
dark side, you know, in Mary in my junior high
(21:08):
which is now Malibu High School. It was a junior
high when I went there. Out of seven hundred kids
in the three years that I was there, eight of
them died. Eight. Now, if that happened the Malibu podcast
is called Lost Hills, by the way, cool if that
happened today, eight kids in junior over three years, and
(21:31):
you know, the weird freak accidents like a guy like
diving to free the lobsters, like a like an animal
rights kid getting his hands stuck in the lobster trap
and drowning, and I mean, and just it was really
dark as well and weird.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
And can you think of like how specifically, I mean,
do you have you ever pointed to something, uh, well,
I guess obviously getting into you know, becoming an actor
and getting into the entertainment business, was anything specifically about
that of that that place in that childhood and you know,
your parents separating at that age, that that pushed you
(22:10):
towards this gig that we do.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
Well, you know, because I The the aha moment for
me that I wanted to do this happened back in
we were still living in Dayton when my parents took
me to a community theater version you Man, I can
only imagine what that was like of Oliver and there
were kids in it, and I just was like dumbstruck,
(22:34):
like a caricature about Oh the light of God hit
me and the angels saying in my and I was like,
I want to do that, and I just I didn't
know any better. I had no idea what that even meant,
but I really wanted to do it. So by the
time I got to Malibu, I already considered myself an actor.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
And okay, sure, okay, I get it.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
Yeah, And ironically, in the great Irony is in Malibu,
nobody was acting here. We are Malibu might as well
have been eight hundred thousand miles away.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
You don't really feel like you're in La. It's not
a it doesn't It does not feel like a La place.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
I mean, I'm sure it did. I'm sure it especially
didn't back then.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
But but yeah, people rode their horses to the market.
There was a hitch host. Yeah, amazing, amazing, Wow, that's
so cool. I'm so fascinated by that.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
You know.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
You one of the things that I really admire about
you pretty much across across the board. I mean, I
think that the UH talking about those books, which sound
to me like they're probably pretty honest and open, you
know about about uh your life.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
And I think that.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
You know, when you have the kind of fame and
success that you've had, a lot of people want to
hold on to, you know, some kind of perceived public persona,
and there's a lot of fear around h putting a
chink in that public armor.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
And I think you've been.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
Really kind of open about that to a great extent,
and I think that's probably a part of why people
love you so much.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
But also you also really.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
Are able to make fun of yourself, and I really
admire that, and I just wonder, you know what that
where that what that comes from?
Speaker 3 (24:42):
Yeah, And I thank you for that. And if you
doubt it, all you've got to do is watch my
Comedy Central roast, because brother, it is brutal.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
It's brutal. I've seen it. I've seen it, by the way, but.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
It's what is it? Am I crazy to say that?
It's one of my favorite things.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
I love it. I don't what's wrong with me? It's
pretty good. Who are the who are the Roasters list?
Speaker 3 (25:06):
But David Spade was the master of ceremonies, Peyton Manning,
Jimmy Carr, oh my gosh, who else was on? Ralph
Matchio from from Outsiders, I mean, and just amazing comedians.
I'm blanking on yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
But it was it was. It was hardcore.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
I've never been roasted, and I don't know, I don't
know if I could take it, Honestly, I don't know.
Speaker 4 (25:36):
Here.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
You know what it is is like my heroes have
have always been self deprecating heroes. There are there there
are people that are my heroes who take themselves really seriously,
and that's all great. But I always loved JFK when
you get up it at the press conferences and just
(25:58):
destroy himself mm hm, and you know what I mean,
or or carry Grant or there are just people out
there that that were, as the British would say, take
the piss out of themselves in a way that just
made just made me go, that person's so cool because they.
Speaker 4 (26:19):
Do that, And.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
I love, I love, I love a good joke at
my own expense.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Clearly you do.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
If you keep going back to watch your own roast,
that's means you must really be okay with that, you know.
But on top of everything else, you have this very
uh deep, you know, philanthropic spirit, which uh you know
is part of what this podcast is about.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
It's about.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
Highlighting that so that you know, people like you and
me don't always just look like overpaid buffoons and that
that they are there are things that you care about,
which kind of brings me to Wounded Warriors, which is
the organization that we're highlighting today. And I want to
introduce Dan Nevins. I know that you guys know each other.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
Sure, of course, good to see you, man.
Speaker 4 (27:11):
I can see you.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Thanks for thanks for coming Dan, you know here on
this podcast, we we I love the you know, the
section to shoot the breeze with people that I've either
worked with or haven't worked with. Strangely, I don't think
Rob and I have ever worked together, which is just
kind of amazing considering we're kind of from the same
era and you know that our our paths have never crossed.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
I'm the only person without six degrees of Kevin Bakin.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
I know, it's pretty weird. It's pretty weird.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Although I think, and I didn't know this before, I
believe that we don't need to mention it. But I
think you did a sequel to a movie that.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
I was at.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
We did, That's exactly right.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
Yeah, which I I'm embarrassed to say I haven't seen,
but I'm not sure I'm gonna put that.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
On right after I read the book.
Speaker 3 (28:01):
Oh don't.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
But Dan is joining us from Wounded Warriors, and I
wanted to just start first with your backstory Dan, about
how you got involved with the organization. And I think
people will be fascinated in your story.
Speaker 4 (28:21):
Oh absolutely, it's you know, when I look back, I
am really surprised because it feels like yesterday. But it's
been almost nineteen years, which is crazy to me. So
for me, I met Wounded Warrior Project at my hospital
bedside at Walter Reed Army Medical Center after I was
surreally injured in combat in two thousand and four. So
(28:43):
backstory on that that deployed from the California, Well, I
did eight years active duty to fight in the First
Golf War and then got out after eight years to
go back to school, got a degree, was a broker
for a while, win in the pharmaceutical sales, but stayed
in the National Guard. You know though you know it's
supposed to be one week and a month and two
weeks a year. Moving on with my life, sort of
living in the American dream where the poor kid from Baltimore.
(29:06):
I grew up in our pretty bad neighborhood in Baltimore,
and you know, I had found some success and like, wow,
it's the American dream come true. Spent my time in uniform,
moving on, and then nine to eleven happens, which we
just honored the twenty second anniversary of. And I actually
got to go to New York with my thirteen year
old to beyond approach to how impactful that was. But
(29:32):
I found myself activated during Operation Iraqi Freedom Too Reserve.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
You were in the Reserve at that point, I was, Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
In the California Army National Guard. The opposite end, I
was in northern California in Sonoma County, Okay. So when
we got mobilized, we wound up as part of a
task force called Task Force Tacoma. And you know, this
relatively untrained National Guard unit. We found ourselves kicking indoors
and you know, doing everything that we didn't imagine that
(30:02):
we were going to do because we were a combat
engineer unit and we had just been like many units
reflagged or sort of they said, forget what you've trained for.
You're an all now infantry. So we had.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
Did you discuss that amongst the amongst your your comrades
about how like, guys, what what where are we going?
Speaker 4 (30:26):
Well, it was more of a sense of so I
was a staff star and a squad leader and at
that level you're you are like the executors, So there's
you're really not involved any of that strategic planning. But
I can tell you all of us were completely blindsided,
like almost completely surprised. But then once we got into theater,
(30:47):
we you know, found out why they needed people, because
that's right when the conflicts started ramping up and when
the term i ed became a household word and they
you know, would say roadside bomb or ied. And so
we lost some people in early engagements, and we were
getting backfills, you know, like from fresh out of training
to just keep us up to strength to continue on
(31:08):
with the mission. But then finally, like once you get
into the country and you realize that the consequence of
not being like, excellent at your craft is that you
lose your best friends, right, And so we got to
be pretty good at what we did, and so these
sort of level sophistication of our missions were going up.
(31:30):
And it was November tenth of two thousand and four
when we were headed out for a seventy two hour
dismount encounter insurgent operation when improvised explosive device detonated beneath
my vehicle. It's four o'clock in the morning, and I
remember literally everything. I remember doing the pre combat checks.
My platoon sergeant who is my boss, was driving the vehicle,
(31:53):
which isn't really normal for most of the time the
platoon sergeants and what's called the TC seat the truck
command and is guiding the operation. But he actually was
scheduled for hernia surgery. It's toughest guy I've ever read
in my life. We saw him WinCE one time literally
during the whole deployment, and then when we said, you know, hey,
what's going on, he showed us this protruding abdominal hernia
(32:16):
that was absolutely gnarly and he couldn't lead that operation.
So it was it was my mission. Now I was
leading the team, and as we headed out, I remember
my head was bout in prayer like it was before
every mission, and then boom, wow. The silence of that
(32:37):
morning was destroyed by the deafening blast that sent my
eighteen thousand pound vehicle in the air and a ball
of fire.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (32:44):
And I couldn't tell them that moment, you know, like
that all like we've been hit by an ID. It
was just my ears were ringing, my face fell hot,
and I opened my eyes. I might have been knocked
out for a couple of seconds, not really sure, basically
all a blur. But when I opened my eyes, I
(33:06):
realized that I was ejected from the vehicle and my
legs were caught in the twisted and burning metal that
used to be the floorboard and undercarriage of the truck.
And I just remember trying to figure out what was
going on. And I saw the four o'clock in the
morning so completely pitch black outside. There was low hanging
(33:29):
cloud covers so that you couldn't see the mooner stars,
and it was eerily dark. And now the silence was gone,
so we had people moving, you know, I listened through through,
you know, like I was basically still blind, but I
can hear my team moving with tactical proficiency, securing the perimeter,
doing everything that they were supposed to be doing in
that situation. But I was supposed to be the guy
(33:50):
yelling out commands and I was saying nothing, and they
were doing everything right. And in that sort of silence,
when I saw my weapons sort of material in the
doorway because there was some fire that started in go
off my vehicles. There was some light and the dust
from the explosion. Because we were in this we called
(34:10):
it a dirt road, but it was more like silty powder,
and it made this huge pulling with dust in the air,
and as it started to settle, I could see my weapon.
It was stuck in the door front of the vehicle,
and I remember saying to myself, like, Dan, get up,
put your weapon in operation. Dan, get up, put your
weapon in the operation. And I couldn't move, And in
(34:32):
those sort of moments, I remember, I remember distinctly, I
took a breath and I looked forward to the driver's
compartment of the vehicle where Mike was, and it was
painfully obvious that he was killed, no question. And then
I realized I was probably hurt pretty bad, and I
didn't really understand the extent of my injuries and started
(34:54):
with my head, like we're trained to always, you know,
start with your head when you're doing self assessment. And
my helmet came apart in two pieces in my hand,
and I just remember I almost laughed. I think that
now in that moment, I probably didn't, but I was like,
I'm conscious, and that's good. And I was like surprised
to see the condition of my helmet. And I was
(35:14):
checking myself, my arms, my torso, and I could my
hands were stinging like a numb basically, and I could
get some feeling back. And I remember because I'm if
you visualize, I'm laying in the dirt and my legs
are elevated and stuck still in what's left of the truck,
and I'm reaching up for my legs to go check
and see what I can do or if they're stuck,
(35:35):
if I can pull them out. And that's when I
felt the unmistakable arterial blood spurt with every beat of
my heart, and I knew that I was going to die.
I was making my peace with God. I was saying
goodbye to my wife and my daughter. She was ten
years old at the time. And I'm sure you've heard
(35:56):
the oh, when you're about to die, your life flashes
before your eyes. Yeah, But for me, that wasn't really
what happened. It was more like, and I really can't
give it a real a texture or quality, but it
was like I was watching goals unfulfilled, just sort of
slip by. And I don't remember what each of those were,
(36:19):
but I remember the last one, and it was my
ten year old daughter, but she was all dressed up
headed toe and white and walking down the aisle without
her tat, and I just remember I shot up and
I was like I'm alive, Like I'm still alive. I
(36:40):
had to do something to keep it that way, and
I reached my hand in that wound in my thigh
almost up to my wrist, like my sort of it
was like I was going to attempt to find the
artery and like pinch it off and stop the bleeding,
like I thought it was gonna be like mc guy vern,
just reach in and pinch it and somehow magically and
be fine. And that is not what happened. I just
(37:01):
reached and pressed against a piece of shrapnel that was
still lodged in my femur, and I prayed that it
would give enough time, like I could slow my bleeding
down enough for a medic to get there. And I
was kind of fading out, and I blinked my eyes
and then danced me. My medic was right there, and
(37:23):
he looked at me right in the face, like got
my attention and completely lied to me, but in the
way that good medics do and said, Sartin Evans, You're
gonna be all right.
Speaker 1 (37:35):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (37:36):
And I blinked again. There was a tourniquet on my leg.
And then one of my team leaders starting chillis, was
putting an IV in my arm, not even a medic,
just we were all trained to called combat life savers.
We're all trying to keep each other alive in those
types of situations. And I blinked again, and it was
my whole My whole team was there putting themselves in
harm's way to remove my legs from that vehicle. It
(37:58):
was still on fire. And then I was in a
helicopter and had my first surgery in a hospital tent
right next to the main gates of LSA and a
conda where I was stationed in a place called blog.
It was maybe a two minute helicopter ride, and I
already had the IV, so they just injected me with
happy juice and I was out. And I woke up
(38:20):
in the hospital tent and the first thing I saw
was a combat nurse's face, and she was kind of
awkwardly close to me, and she just looked at me
and said, Sartain Evans, you're a very lucky man. We
managed to repair your femeral artery. We had to take
(38:42):
your left leg below the knee. We managed to save
your right one for now, but you'll probably lose that
one too. And she was ultimately right. But after that,
it was I think one of the best moments actually
if as I sort of like readlive this story every
time I tell it, like I can almost smell it.
(39:04):
And I woke up and she had just told me this,
and in my head I went immediately, like I think
a lot of people would do. It's like, oh my god,
what can the guy with no legs do? It was
how is my wife gonna love me? How is you know?
How am I gonna play with my kid?
Speaker 1 (39:20):
Like?
Speaker 4 (39:20):
Am I gonna be stuck in a wheelchair? Like what's
gonna happen? And when that pity party really started like
washing over me. I just took a breath and looked
against the wall of the tent and there was my
whole team. It's like a brotherhood that's an indescribable and
they were just waiting for me to wake up, and
(39:43):
they just once they saw that I had come too,
and I think the doctor had waved them over, and
they just surrounded my bed and we told horrible jokes.
It was so like we just got so There were
jokes about like returning your roller skates you got for Christmas.
There was a loo because that's it's what we do, right.
(40:05):
You got to make fun of something to maybe make
a nutsting so much. And then we went in. We
told stories, and we talked about Mike, who actually wear
this bracelet for every day, this memorial bracelet. For those
you don't know, it's just a black aluminum bracelet that
mine says Starn first Class Michael Siattolini, Task Force, Tacoma, ten,
(40:26):
November two thousand and four, Ballata racket. We wear these
bracelets too, memorialize and remember those who can get to
come home. And we talked about Mike, and I just
remember we all shared some tears and it fell asleep
and woke up the next morning at launched, a regional
medical center in Germany where yeah, and if you remember
(40:49):
your history during the time, so this is ten November
two thousand and four. On seven November, the Battle of
Fallujah had started and so was mostly a Marine Corps battle.
And I actually over this this this past September eleventh.
I got to meet uh status start and David Belvida,
who is only living Medal of Honor recipient from the
(41:12):
war in Iraq and his action that he was nominated
for and eventually was awarded the Medal of Honor came
from ten November, and so it was a crazy day
all across the theater and I just you know, got
in to Walter Reed. I had surgery every day, and
I was waiting for a ride back to I mean
(41:34):
we got into Launcho, was waiting for a ride back
to Walter Reed. And took about seven days, had surgery
every day, and got to Walter Reed and by that
time anger had start started setting in the ymes the
you know, and Mike Cattelinia, who was killed was like
(41:55):
one of the best human beings on the planet, and
you know, like why my like, why do you volunteer
to drive? Because he was supposed to have her new
the surgery, so he volunteered to drive for that mission
when he didn't have to. And I just remember being
mad because I thought he got the better deal. Because
I was in freedom on pain. I was down the
(42:19):
spiral of all, my wife's not going to love me anymore.
I can't play with my kids the way I used to, Like,
what's life going to be like? And in that first
day in the hospital, I met my nurse and her
name was Erica, and I was married, so I wasn't
allowed to flirt with her, but I was trying, like
in and out of my drug fog, I was I
(42:39):
think I proposed to her like three times. She was
the first human being I got to really talk to
in a full week. And so she was the first
person like I had trust in her, well, probably because
she had pain medicine, which was a huge plus up
(43:00):
with a deluded and I was like, oh my god,
thank you. Yeah, And she had said it was like
what she had told me, she goes, your wife is
on her way here from California. So I'm in DC.
She's coming from California. She should be here around three PM.
I think it was, and that was supposed to be
good news, but I didn't want I didn't want to
(43:21):
see her, I think more I didn't want her to
see me. Okay, And Eric comes back into my room.
She goes, Hey, there's some people here I think you
should meet. And so I trusted her, and then I
said okay. And then in came two of the founders
of Wounded Warrior Project, and for context at that time,
(43:44):
the Wind to Worrior Project is a wildly successful organization
and they are effective at fundraising so they can fuel
the programs like today, they serve about one hundred and
eighty five wounded warriors in their families. I mean one
hundred and eighty five thousand, sorry, one hundred andy five thousand,
two hundred and four Sorry I just got corrected, two
hundred and forty thousand. We get about eleven hundred warriors
(44:05):
sign up every day, especially with the introduction of the
pack deck, which is not necessarily relevant, but it is
inspiring to see because in the beginning, these were people
living off of their retirement, maxing out their personal credit
cards to stuff backpacks with the things that they that
(44:27):
in this case the founder had needed when he was
a wounded warrior before the war and a helicopter accident
off the coast of Somalia, and I remember they gave
me this backpack. It's the first time I'd seen the
wounded warrior logo with one warrior carrying another off the battlefield.
It's like the Firenment's carry yep. And I instantly related
to that. And in that whole you know, it said
(44:53):
Wounded Warrior Project underneath of it, and I just said,
I'm a wounded warrior and they we're brief wright and gone.
They gave me that backpack and then promise that whatever
I needed or whatever my family needed, that they'd be
there for me.
Speaker 5 (45:14):
If you are inspired by today's episode, please join us
in supporting six degrees dot org by texting the word
bacon to seven zero seven zero seven zero. Your gift
empowers us to continue to produce programs that highlight the
incredible work of everyday heroes, well also enabling us to
provide essential resources to those that need it the most.
Once again, text b a Con to seven zero seven
(45:39):
zero seven zero or visit SixDegrees dot org to learn more.
Speaker 1 (45:46):
Hey, everybody, welcome back.
Speaker 2 (45:48):
We're here with Rob Low and Dan Nevins, who is
sharing his story of becoming a wounded warrior and how
the Wounded Warrior Project was the lifeline that he needed. Now,
this UH can be a triggering topic for those in
the military, for veterans, for their loved ones. So you know,
(46:08):
if you if you find yourself having a difficult time,
please reach out to Wounded Warrior Project dot org.
Speaker 1 (46:16):
To talk to someone. They're there for you.
Speaker 2 (46:21):
And that seems to be really the backbone of the
of the of the of the organization, right being being
there for for these these UH, for the for the
soldiers and for the families.
Speaker 4 (46:34):
Oh absolutely, that's I think what's made them so successful
is well one their commitment. Right. So when they went
in to do this, they literally set out the calling
card was the backpack, saying like I these are the
things I wish I had, and it was it was
everything that I didn't know that I needed. And I
still have that same backpack from nineteen years old. Wow,
(46:55):
pattered and torn, and but I don't really use it
because it's not that effective anymore. But it's one of
those momentos I can't throw away. Sure, And what they
I think what made them so successful is they were
in the hospitals listening, like what were the gaps that
needed to be filled, Like what were the things that
weren't being provided by the government, what wasn't happening, And
(47:16):
then so they were committed to making those things happen.
And like I said, the intent, the original intent, the
calling card, the intent was to change the way benefits
were administered the warriors, because what used to happen three
Wounded Warrior Project is someone would get catastrophically injured with
training accident, differ different wars, you go back to Vietnam,
(47:39):
Korea and different They would leave the service and then
years later develop issues from their service that were obviously
services connected. And then they would go try to get
their benefits together, like so the compensation from the VA,
and they would take years. It would take years to
get the records together, get everything done, and then submit
(48:03):
a claim that would probably get rejected. And so so
John Meelia and the people that he recruited in those
early early days, they were benefits officers for a different nonprofit.
So they said, like, we're going to get it right
this time right. So the whole intention was to get
everything annotated documented, so the moment that that service member
(48:25):
left active duty, their benefits would start instead of having
to dig through for two years.
Speaker 2 (48:29):
And as we know, you know, when it comes to
anything of a cause based issue, it's really all about
how quickly the impact can be felt, right and the
most efficient use of both of people's energy and time
and also of their dollars. Rob, how did it come
across your desk to get involved with wounded warriors?
Speaker 3 (48:52):
Well, it's funny because there's no one in my immediate family,
and certainly nobody that I knew growing up who served.
But I've always had a connection and an interest in
the men and women who serve our country. And many
years later I did a show where they traced my
(49:15):
ancestry and found out that I actually had people serve
in the Revolutionary War and the Civil War and all
those things. So clearly that must have been in my DNA. Obviously,
after September eleventh, my awareness was completely raised, and I
was looking to do something to figure out who I
(49:36):
could help raise money for and donate to, and wounded
warriors were the first people that came to mind. But
it really took September eleventh I think for me to
go into action in this arena, and I've been involved
(49:57):
in various charities in this area ever since, but wunder
Warres is there there. They're the best and they you
can just from that story we just heard. I mean,
I think that you did such a great job, as
you always do, Dan, articulating, I mean, because it really
puts it in perspective. I know that sounds like a cliche,
well puts in perspective, but perspectives really needed. I mean,
(50:19):
until you hear how effective these two guys walking to
your bed.
Speaker 1 (50:25):
What it did for you exactly.
Speaker 3 (50:28):
I mean, and this goes on every single day with
no fanfare, and it continues and is going to continue.
And you know, the government can't do everything, and it's
up to the private sector to step in and and
to fill in the gaps.
Speaker 2 (50:48):
And Dan tell people how they can get involved or
or help out. This is our our call to action
right here. I'd love to hear more about how and
I'm sure everybody would like, especially based on this incredibly
compelling story that you tell. So how can people get involved?
Speaker 4 (51:06):
Absolutely the best ways to the Wounded Warrior Project website.
It's Wounded Warrior Project dot org and you can find
a myriad of ways to get involved from hoping hosting
an event in your community so you can actually spread
awareness to the people and to their people and their communities.
And there's even an option to bring one of the
speakers that I'm talking about to that event to share
(51:27):
the stories and make and like really move the needle.
And there's simple, easy ways to donate. And one of
the best things that you can do is just if
you know a warrior that's struggling, And this is like
fundraising is great, but what Wounded Warrior Project's trying to
do is make sure every warrior that's served and needs
something is getting the help that they need. So if
(51:49):
they know someone who's struggling, to have them go to
Wounded Warrior Project as well. And I register as an
alumni because every program that we have that heal the mind,
heal the body, are about economic empowerment. Like the list
goes on and on of how holistic when Warrior Project
programs are. But the sort of best thing about it
(52:14):
is that we've been doing this for twenty years. This
is our twentieth year of service, and we're truly the
experts in the field and when people, whether they make
a donation or whether they just get involved in some way,
it's you know, twenty years of service, but a lifetime
(52:36):
of commitment. And you know, I really want people listening
to know that, yes, their funds are seriously needed to
make sure that we're going to be here for twenty
more years. But more than that, we want to know
where the warriors who don't think that they are eligible
or qualify or it's not for them, but meanwhile they're
(52:58):
you know, self medicating with drugs or alcohol or being
disconnected from their family. Like that's what we really want.
Speaker 1 (53:04):
That's really interesting. I'm so glad to hear you say that.
Speaker 2 (53:08):
So uh it's a that's a whole other side of
it that hadn't even really occurred to me. So anybody
that's listening, whether you have been you know, affected or injured,
or you are struggling, reach out, and anybody that wants
to help, please get involved. And Dan, thank you so
(53:30):
much for sharing your story. It's incredibly moving and riveting
and you know, I'm I'm I'm so impressed and inspired
with with you and you know, taking a tragedy like
that and figuring out a way that you can turn
(53:53):
it into something really positive and beautiful. It's it's great,
it's amazing. And Rob, thank you so much for being
here too, and for introducing me to Dan. And it's
just been a blast having you guys, and I look
forward to you know, reading your books and watching your
sequel of my movie so good.
Speaker 4 (54:18):
I want to just say one thing, just just real quick,
because it just occurs to me. So the Wounded Warrior
project logo is one carrying another off the battlefield and
all of the warriors start is the warrior on the top,
and the goal is to become the warrior on the bottom.
And I want both of you to know, like I'm
gonna got Kevin Bacon and Rob Low right, like you
(54:38):
got to understand how cool that is for me, right,
just so just so you know, like I can do
like forty of the dances from Footloose, right, and I
can recite every line from Tommy Boy, Like you got
to understand how cool that is. But now like Rob
Low has been and now Kevin Bacon is the warrior
(55:00):
on the bottom because like using your platform to show
the story, it's doing more good than you possibly know.
Speaker 3 (55:08):
Thank you, and I love you, brother, Thank you for
taking the time, as you always do. You look great man,
looking good man, looking like the stud as always. Thank
you all right, brother, thank.
Speaker 1 (55:17):
You all right fellas. Thanks for being here.
Speaker 3 (55:19):
Thanks Kevin, you're the best. This is awesome.
Speaker 2 (55:25):
Hey guys, thanks for listening to another episode of Six
Degrees with Kevin Bacon. Now, if you want to learn
more about the Wounded Warrior Project and all the work
that they are up to, head over their website Wounded
Warrior Project dot org. That's Wounded Warrior Project dot org.
You can find all the links in our show notes,
(55:45):
and please make sure you subscribe to the show, I mean,
if you're enjoying it, and tune into the rest of
our episodes. You can find Six Degrees with Kevin Bacon
on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (55:59):
See It's some Day
Speaker 2 (56:03):
MHM.
Hey, folks.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
You know, I've been really excited about how well received.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
This show has been.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
I'm just absolutely thrilled, and I think people have really
taken to it. But for me, it's really been a
learning curve to understand how to do this man, how
to be on the other side of the mic. Now,
Rob Low, today's guest, is a natural at that he
has a kind of charisma that makes you want to
(00:27):
be his friend. I mean, he's very easy to talk to.
He's also given a lot of his time to support
an organization here that he wants to highlight.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
So I just want to let you.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Know that this episode is going to be a heavier one,
but it's so important. The people who make up our
military deserve to be heard and they deserve to be supported.
During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I spent a
bunch of time at Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland,
(00:57):
and I was meeting soldiers and veterans and I really
wanted to ask many of them their story, the story
of how they got hurt, but I wasn't sure if
that would be something that they wanted to share. And
what I've learned now is that often when someone's undergone
such a trauma. As they do, they want to tell
their story and if they can use it to do good,
(01:21):
then there can be some healing there. Listening to the
story here today is just one way that you can
bear witness to what this man went through and learn
more about.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Ways to support our veterans. So lean in. I'm really
glad you're here.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
It's so good to see Robin. As you know, we
just spoke what last week or something? I did your
awesome podcast.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Yes, you were on literally and it was so fun
and you were everything I knew you would be, funny, entertaining.
It was great. We had a blast.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
So here's the thing.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
I'm very very new at this and you have been
doing it for a long time. So my first question is, Tipsy,
can you help a brother out?
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Help a brother out? You know what? It's kind of this, Listen,
I'm making it up as I go along, as we
all do in our careers, as you know. But to me,
it's just about being curious. You're naturally curious. I'm curious,
so that's what qualifies us to do this, and I
(02:37):
just it's the same thing as acting curiosity and listening.
I mean it really really is an offshoot. I have
people on who I admire and like, am and interested in,
and then I listened to what they had to say,
and my curiosity, my natural curiosity, leads it from there.
In terms of the questions, I don't prepare questions. I
(02:57):
never ever do, because then it is more like an interview.
And You've been interviewed plenty. I've been interviewed plenty, But
what people haven't seen or heard are conversations, right right right, yeah,
And so to me, there is a difference between an
interview and if the listener was able to invisibly pull
(03:21):
up a chair while you and I had lunch together. Sure, sure,
And to me, that's the sweet spot.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Yeah, I totally get that. And you you have that
in space. I mean, it's like you you it feels
so relaxed. There almost isn't really even the beginning of
the conversation. And it's funny because you know, we're not
supposed to, you know, in our with our current strike situation,
(03:49):
talk about specific work.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
But I feel really.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Strongly that we're allowed to talk about what it is
that we do for a living.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
I mean, yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
In your case, one of the many many things that
you do for a living, which there is a very
very long list which we can get into. But you know,
I've I've always felt like for the acting piece of it,
I'm constantly trying to find the world where.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
The movement between.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Being off on the side of the camera and moving
to the front of the camera that you're kind of
living in the same space in a way that that
there's that the time between action and cut is just
as relaxed and as free flowing as the time when
you're sitting in your trailer, you know, on the phone
(04:40):
or playing the guitar or whatever happens to be. You know,
I kind of got that from from a couple of
directors that I that I worked with, that sort of
you know, created a set that had that kind of vibe,
and I wonder if that, you know, if you can
relate to that at all.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
I mean, and here's the other part of it, I
think is like when you get on the other side
of that and you master that to the extent that
anybody can, the next thing you worry about. For me,
it is like, wait a minute, I'm not doing anything.
Mu Wait am I phoning it in?
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Wait?
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Wait? What's going on I'm not working.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Yes, no, for sure.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
And you know, as as you know the difference between
doing movies and television is, you know, if you're on
a seier and you like me, have done both. You know,
a movie is a finite amount of time that you're
on the set in front of a camera, and then
(05:43):
you might be off for six months or two years
or a month, whatever it is. But if you're doing
television like I've been doing since nineteen ninety nine, nineteen
ninety nine, I've had a show on every.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Year with that, that's amazing. It's crazy thing.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
It's insane, but it's like anything else. You get the reps.
So I'm in front of a lens so much that
it is my life and I get to I get
to that place that you're talking about, just merely, not
because I'm any great actor or have any great technique.
(06:19):
It's just when you're in front of a camera that often,
that long you're in and you're out, you're gonna get relaxed.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Let me ask you a question, do you have a technique?
Speaker 3 (06:28):
My technique now is to trust my instincts, and you know,
if it's they're obviously different techniques for different parts.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Right.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
So if I'm on the West End doing a few
good Men, there's the vocal the vocal prep that goes in,
you know, for months months beforehand, literally training my voice
as if I was going to be singing the part.
(07:05):
And then there's the warm up every day, and and
my technique was to come into the theater and early
and run through two or three of those great caffe
monologues at high speed with the annunciation and the projection,
just as like a sound check basically, So that.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Was what time would you get to the theater.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
I would get there twenty minutes before I needed to
start the hair and makeup process. Basically, I always like
to be I like to get there the latest possible moment.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
To do the work I need to do right, right right.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
But I would always but you know, you want to
be you you have to be there before they've opened
the house.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Sure, For people that don't know, we have this thing
in the theater called half hour, and it is it's
a really serious rule. You can that be there past
half an hour before the show starts, where you can
get brought up on charges and all this stuff can happen.
They'll move one of the digits off your hand. It's
it is, it's really as punishable by death. And the
(08:11):
few times that I've ever missed half hour, it's been
a combination of It was never my fault. Well maybe
it was my fault, but it was always a you know,
stuck on the subway or or you know, something to
accident or you know whatever. You know, I wasn't drunk line,
and it did somewhere, but but I always felt such
(08:33):
so terrible in such a sense of guilt, and oh
my god, it was the most horrible feeling.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
And oh, how.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
About your I had so there was a strike and
a picket and my car couldn't get to the theater
side to get out and walk. And I'm definitely not
only my missing half hour, I'm missing curtain.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
And you were in the first scene, though.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
And I'm in the first I'm in the very first scene.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Oh you are in the first scene.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
I'm in the first scene. But the great oh, this
this was my first line the play the play, the
play play, and the first line is I'm sorry I'm late.
That's the first line of the play. So I get there.
The autist has been sitting there for twenty minutes in
their seats and my first thing is sorry I'm late,
and they went crazy.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Oh my god, that's a hilarious story.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Oh wow, I love that. I love that. Wow.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Well, you know, it's interesting to podcast and theater while
we're in this strike. There's so many other, you know,
things that we can do or we're trying to do,
trying to find, you know, something to stay busy with you.
I don't know if you've been working on this anymore,
but you're an author, correctly, you have like two books
(09:48):
I think you've gotten Yeah, I I mean, I'm so
amazed by that. Like you know, I can my my
writing ends at four minutes and fifteen seconds in the
length of a song.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Yeah, and that's a long one, you know.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
But to actually sit down and construct something that has
I mean a lot of pages, I just that blows
my mind.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
Well, it's you know what it's it's it's this. But
it is the same thing in that you write a
song because you have a song in you, whether you
whether you know it or not, whether you go, oh
my god, I got some here. I think this is something,
or you don't know, but you've you go I'm going
to see and you sit and the muse comes or doesn't.
(10:34):
It's exactly the same thing. I happen to know. I
suspected I had a book in me. I mean I
kind of was like I and it was really from
enough people telling me that I should write a book.
It's like, and you know, I'm a great believer being
in recovery and sober for thirty three years.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
That if not thirty three years, congratulations.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Thanks brother, thank you. But like it's like, if enough
people tell you you're drunk, you should probably lie down, and
enough people tell you should write a book, you should
probably write a book. So that that was kind of
the the impetus, and I I had a great time
doing it. I'm really really proud of it. I'm really
proud of both the books and the reception and that
they that they still are out in the world and
(11:17):
people still like them.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Were they both memoirs or neither or yeah, both men
different at different points of in your life.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
Is that is that the way it worked?
Speaker 3 (11:28):
I mean, the first one, called Stories I Only Tell
my Friends, was kind of I didn't think I would
ever write another, so I didn't leave anything out, like
and it was my it was everything in my life.
It was the beginning of my life. The where I
Am now was, you know, it was kind of a
(11:49):
Pope Peie, a collection of essays more than a linear narrative.
And it was like, I looked at It's funny you
say this. I looked at it like making an album.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
I was like, okay, right, all right?
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Does it have enough hits in it? Are there too
many bouts? I feel like there are a little too
many ballads? Did not even know really legit and like,
I'm like and then I was like, it's a set
list at a concert. I'm like, do I open with
a hit? Or do I like, do I open with
like the Brat Pack? Or do I save that for
(12:23):
the encore? Or do I or do I not play it?
M now? Literally those are the things I was thinking.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Yeah, which is tough because your fans are going to
want to hear it.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
They want to hear it. So I remember going, I'm going,
I am not going to write a first chapter that
has the the gotcha hit hook. I'm going to write
a first chapter that establishes that I'm a writer, and
(12:55):
I'm going to live or die on this first chapter.
So my first chapter literally is about I think meeting
JFK Jr. On a ski trip and and he and
I talking about marriage and how we both sort of
met our blonde ideals and our wives, and then it
(13:18):
and then it goes on into there to talking about marriage,
and that is not that's I don't think. I don't
think that's what people were picking up the book to
hear about, for sure. And I gotten around to the
rest of the stuff in due time.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Well, I'm gonna I'm gonna get myself a copy and
check that out, because first off, I love memoirs, and
I think that seeing uh your journey would be really
really fascinating.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
Oh, you you will love the You will love the
Footloose Dance Edition story more than anything.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Uh your boy told me a little bit about that. Yeah,
Johnahan told me about something about that story, and I.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
Would I will just say this, I just need it.
Cutting to the chase of it. It's a dance audition
at Paramount Dance, by the way, I think it was
to a Styx song of all things. And the end
of the dance was a knee slide across the floor
(14:18):
and I hit my knees and slide across the floor
into a lineup of like Sherry Lancing and Dean Pitchford
and you know Craig Zaden and who who they directed
it again? Yeah, her herb Ross, of course, her ross.
And my knee explodes, explodes, pop, and they take me
(14:41):
out of the soundstage on a stretcher. And this is when,
this is what tells you everything you need to know
about Hollywood. So Craig Zaden and the producers who were
friends of mine, who were very pro me doing this movie,
go to me and go, hey, man, it's cool. At
the end of the day, were we really decided we're
(15:02):
just going to hire a dancer for the part? And
a week and a week later they hired you. And
I'm like, God, damn these guys, that's a real actor.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Well, yeah, that's it.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
That is a great That is a great Hollywood store.
So that's in the book. I guess, uh, stuff like that. Yeah,
I'm definitely gonna I'm definitely gonna read that. I'd like
to talk to people. I'm always interested in the actual
(15:34):
physical place of where they grew up or had a
lot of their formative years. And also some people have
just moved around and moved around and moved around. So
just give me a little bit of a chart of
the places that you spent your childhood years.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Well, you're you're right, because I think that's I mean,
it's completely forms who you are, right, one hundred percent does.
And I was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. My dad was
had was just graduating law school at UVA. They then
my mom and my dad moved to Dayton, Ohio, and
(16:11):
that's where I had my childhood. To the time I
was twelve eleven, maybe eleven twelve, I lived in Dayton, Ohio.
And at that time, not that it's not now, but
at that time, it was a really thriving Dayton was
hit has been hit really hard by by all kinds
of things. I mean, not the least of which was
when was the last time you saw a cash register? Well,
(16:33):
in those days, NCR National Cash.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
Register was in Dayton, oh Okay.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
So it was one hundred and fifty thousand jobs. So
Dayton was really popping. There was a vibrant theater community.
There was summer stock coming through. When I decided I want.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
To were you doing theater at that time when you
were Yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
I started when I was like eight nine. Oh wow,
And you know, so little kid, you know, you little kid,
parts were of available in college and stock and things
like that, and you know grew up, you know, playing
kick the can at night, and you know with all
these Irish Catholic families on our blocks that were there,
each family had like eleven kids. So you would just
(17:16):
run a muck with your friends all day long and
all it was. It was great. It was fantastic. And
then my when my parents split up, my mom uh
remarried and my stepfather lived in California where he was
a doctor. And that's why we moved to directly from
Dayton to Malibu, which was a huge culture shock Malibu,
(17:39):
California in seventy six. It was a lot different than Dayton,
Ohio and seven or six. Yeah, I would think so, Yeah, ironically.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
I'm fectioning like Ryan O'Neill on the beach and stuff.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Ryan O'Neill, Gary Busey, you know Nick Nolty stinking like
an elephant just with his pants down over it blows
butt like carrying cases of Corers out to his call.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
I mean it was this specifically in Point.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Doom, Yes, it was Pointdom.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
You know, it's so fascinated about that to me, for
people that don't know. There's Malibu, and you know, Malibu
is a fairly large area. I mean it covers I
don't know how many miles. It kind of goes up
the coast, but.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
It's how big is it?
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Twenty two miles? Right?
Speaker 2 (18:31):
And then there's a one specific area called Point Doom,
which which for whatever reason, multi I've never had a
just maybe ten years ago, we finally got a little
place in LA. But we all through our marriage and
all through my years before I was married, I never
(18:51):
had a place to live in La. When I would
work in La, so I was constantly going from either
a furnished you know, hotels, or or always places that
would take my dog, or rented houses. And for some reason,
for three movies, I think in a row, I rented
a house in Point Doom. And that is one of
(19:15):
the a combination I'm probably getting to get in trouble
for this of really magical but really strange kind of
brother dude.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Okay, So Sean, I grew up with Sean Penn and
Sean and I whenever we see each other kind of
clutch each other, Like, dude, do you remember when like
like we're survivors of a conflagration. I mean the stuff
that Okay, I don't know if you have a great story,
(19:47):
a great song in you that you know one day
you'll crack for me. It is this. It is the
story of growing up on Point Doom in the in
the mid seventies and eighties. There's who the Probably there's
a podcast about it?
Speaker 1 (20:02):
Is there? Really?
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (20:03):
What is that? Guys?
Speaker 3 (20:04):
What's the name of the podcast that we did? This
are going to tell me?
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Oh, you were you were a guest, you were guessed
on it.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
Yeah, But it's about growing up. It's about Malibu in
the eighties.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Have you have you ever thought about developing that into
a story or a film or writing a book about it.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
Or I've tried. There's a lot of my book is
about that, Okay, not as much as I could have
written two books just about that.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
Another reason I want to read the book because I mean,
I wasn't there in the probably in the in the
it was. I probably didn't go there until the mid nineties,
I would think.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
But but you gotta ge.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
I mean, like you'd see like Martin Sheen, fresh off
of Apocalypse in fatigues and a baseball bat patrolling Halloween night,
so kids wouldn't egg the neighborhood or it was it
was so amazing and so and there was a real
dark side, you know, in Mary in my junior high
(21:08):
which is now Malibu High School. It was a junior
high when I went there. Out of seven hundred kids
in the three years that I was there, eight of
them died. Eight. Now, if that happened the Malibu podcast
is called Lost Hills, by the way, cool if that
happened today, eight kids in junior over three years, and
(21:31):
you know, the weird freak accidents like a guy like
diving to free the lobsters, like a like an animal
rights kid getting his hands stuck in the lobster trap
and drowning, and I mean, and just it was really
dark as well and weird.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
And can you think of like how specifically, I mean,
do you have you ever pointed to something, uh, well,
I guess obviously getting into you know, becoming an actor
and getting into the entertainment business, was anything specifically about
that of that that place in that childhood and you know,
your parents separating at that age, that that pushed you
(22:10):
towards this gig that we do.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
Well, you know, because I The the aha moment for
me that I wanted to do this happened back in
we were still living in Dayton when my parents took
me to a community theater version you Man, I can
only imagine what that was like of Oliver and there
were kids in it, and I just was like dumbstruck,
(22:34):
like a caricature about Oh the light of God hit
me and the angels saying in my and I was like,
I want to do that, and I just I didn't
know any better. I had no idea what that even meant,
but I really wanted to do it. So by the
time I got to Malibu, I already considered myself an actor.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
And okay, sure, okay, I get it.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
Yeah, And ironically, in the great Irony is in Malibu,
nobody was acting here. We are Malibu might as well
have been eight hundred thousand miles away.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
You don't really feel like you're in La. It's not
a it doesn't It does not feel like a La place.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
I mean, I'm sure it did. I'm sure it especially
didn't back then.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
But but yeah, people rode their horses to the market.
There was a hitch host. Yeah, amazing, amazing, Wow, that's
so cool. I'm so fascinated by that.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
You know.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
You one of the things that I really admire about
you pretty much across across the board. I mean, I
think that the UH talking about those books, which sound
to me like they're probably pretty honest and open, you
know about about uh your life.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
And I think that.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
You know, when you have the kind of fame and
success that you've had, a lot of people want to
hold on to, you know, some kind of perceived public persona,
and there's a lot of fear around h putting a
chink in that public armor.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
And I think you've been.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
Really kind of open about that to a great extent,
and I think that's probably a part of why people
love you so much.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
But also you also really.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
Are able to make fun of yourself, and I really
admire that, and I just wonder, you know what that
where that what that comes from?
Speaker 3 (24:42):
Yeah, And I thank you for that. And if you
doubt it, all you've got to do is watch my
Comedy Central roast, because brother, it is brutal.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
It's brutal. I've seen it. I've seen it, by the way, but.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
It's what is it? Am I crazy to say that?
It's one of my favorite things.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
I love it. I don't what's wrong with me? It's
pretty good. Who are the who are the Roasters list?
Speaker 3 (25:06):
But David Spade was the master of ceremonies, Peyton Manning,
Jimmy Carr, oh my gosh, who else was on? Ralph
Matchio from from Outsiders, I mean, and just amazing comedians.
I'm blanking on yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:25):
But it was it was. It was hardcore.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
I've never been roasted, and I don't know, I don't
know if I could take it, Honestly, I don't know.
Speaker 4 (25:36):
Here.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
You know what it is is like my heroes have
have always been self deprecating heroes. There are there there
are people that are my heroes who take themselves really seriously,
and that's all great. But I always loved JFK when
you get up it at the press conferences and just
(25:58):
destroy himself mm hm, and you know what I mean,
or or carry Grant or there are just people out
there that that were, as the British would say, take
the piss out of themselves in a way that just
made just made me go, that person's so cool because they.
Speaker 4 (26:19):
Do that, And.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
I love, I love, I love a good joke at
my own expense.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Clearly you do.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
If you keep going back to watch your own roast,
that's means you must really be okay with that, you know.
But on top of everything else, you have this very
uh deep, you know, philanthropic spirit, which uh you know
is part of what this podcast is about.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
It's about.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
Highlighting that so that you know, people like you and
me don't always just look like overpaid buffoons and that
that they are there are things that you care about,
which kind of brings me to Wounded Warriors, which is
the organization that we're highlighting today. And I want to
introduce Dan Nevins. I know that you guys know each other.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
Sure, of course, good to see you, man.
Speaker 4 (27:11):
I can see you.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Thanks for thanks for coming Dan, you know here on
this podcast, we we I love the you know, the
section to shoot the breeze with people that I've either
worked with or haven't worked with. Strangely, I don't think
Rob and I have ever worked together, which is just
kind of amazing considering we're kind of from the same
era and you know that our our paths have never crossed.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
I'm the only person without six degrees of Kevin Bakin.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
I know, it's pretty weird. It's pretty weird.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Although I think, and I didn't know this before, I
believe that we don't need to mention it. But I
think you did a sequel to a movie that.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
I was at.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
We did, That's exactly right.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
Yeah, which I I'm embarrassed to say I haven't seen,
but I'm not sure I'm gonna put that.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
On right after I read the book.
Speaker 3 (28:01):
Oh don't.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
But Dan is joining us from Wounded Warriors, and I
wanted to just start first with your backstory Dan, about
how you got involved with the organization. And I think
people will be fascinated in your story.
Speaker 4 (28:21):
Oh absolutely, it's you know, when I look back, I
am really surprised because it feels like yesterday. But it's
been almost nineteen years, which is crazy to me. So
for me, I met Wounded Warrior Project at my hospital
bedside at Walter Reed Army Medical Center after I was
surreally injured in combat in two thousand and four. So
(28:43):
backstory on that that deployed from the California, Well, I
did eight years active duty to fight in the First
Golf War and then got out after eight years to
go back to school, got a degree, was a broker
for a while, win in the pharmaceutical sales, but stayed
in the National Guard. You know though you know it's
supposed to be one week and a month and two
weeks a year. Moving on with my life, sort of
living in the American dream where the poor kid from Baltimore.
(29:06):
I grew up in our pretty bad neighborhood in Baltimore,
and you know, I had found some success and like, wow,
it's the American dream come true. Spent my time in uniform,
moving on, and then nine to eleven happens, which we
just honored the twenty second anniversary of. And I actually
got to go to New York with my thirteen year
old to beyond approach to how impactful that was. But
(29:32):
I found myself activated during Operation Iraqi Freedom Too Reserve.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
You were in the Reserve at that point, I was, Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
In the California Army National Guard. The opposite end, I
was in northern California in Sonoma County, Okay. So when
we got mobilized, we wound up as part of a
task force called Task Force Tacoma. And you know, this
relatively untrained National Guard unit. We found ourselves kicking indoors
and you know, doing everything that we didn't imagine that
(30:02):
we were going to do because we were a combat
engineer unit and we had just been like many units
reflagged or sort of they said, forget what you've trained for.
You're an all now infantry. So we had.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
Did you discuss that amongst the amongst your your comrades
about how like, guys, what what where are we going?
Speaker 4 (30:26):
Well, it was more of a sense of so I
was a staff star and a squad leader and at
that level you're you are like the executors, So there's
you're really not involved any of that strategic planning. But
I can tell you all of us were completely blindsided,
like almost completely surprised. But then once we got into theater,
(30:47):
we you know, found out why they needed people, because
that's right when the conflicts started ramping up and when
the term i ed became a household word and they
you know, would say roadside bomb or ied. And so
we lost some people in early engagements, and we were
getting backfills, you know, like from fresh out of training
to just keep us up to strength to continue on
(31:08):
with the mission. But then finally, like once you get
into the country and you realize that the consequence of
not being like, excellent at your craft is that you
lose your best friends, right, And so we got to
be pretty good at what we did, and so these
sort of level sophistication of our missions were going up.
(31:30):
And it was November tenth of two thousand and four
when we were headed out for a seventy two hour
dismount encounter insurgent operation when improvised explosive device detonated beneath
my vehicle. It's four o'clock in the morning, and I
remember literally everything. I remember doing the pre combat checks.
My platoon sergeant who is my boss, was driving the vehicle,
(31:53):
which isn't really normal for most of the time the
platoon sergeants and what's called the TC seat the truck
command and is guiding the operation. But he actually was
scheduled for hernia surgery. It's toughest guy I've ever read
in my life. We saw him WinCE one time literally
during the whole deployment, and then when we said, you know, hey,
what's going on, he showed us this protruding abdominal hernia
(32:16):
that was absolutely gnarly and he couldn't lead that operation.
So it was it was my mission. Now I was
leading the team, and as we headed out, I remember
my head was bout in prayer like it was before
every mission, and then boom, wow. The silence of that
(32:37):
morning was destroyed by the deafening blast that sent my
eighteen thousand pound vehicle in the air and a ball
of fire.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (32:44):
And I couldn't tell them that moment, you know, like
that all like we've been hit by an ID. It
was just my ears were ringing, my face fell hot,
and I opened my eyes. I might have been knocked
out for a couple of seconds, not really sure, basically
all a blur. But when I opened my eyes, I
(33:06):
realized that I was ejected from the vehicle and my
legs were caught in the twisted and burning metal that
used to be the floorboard and undercarriage of the truck.
And I just remember trying to figure out what was
going on. And I saw the four o'clock in the
morning so completely pitch black outside. There was low hanging
(33:29):
cloud covers so that you couldn't see the mooner stars,
and it was eerily dark. And now the silence was gone,
so we had people moving, you know, I listened through through,
you know, like I was basically still blind, but I
can hear my team moving with tactical proficiency, securing the perimeter,
doing everything that they were supposed to be doing in
that situation. But I was supposed to be the guy
(33:50):
yelling out commands and I was saying nothing, and they
were doing everything right. And in that sort of silence,
when I saw my weapons sort of material in the
doorway because there was some fire that started in go
off my vehicles. There was some light and the dust
from the explosion. Because we were in this we called
(34:10):
it a dirt road, but it was more like silty powder,
and it made this huge pulling with dust in the air,
and as it started to settle, I could see my weapon.
It was stuck in the door front of the vehicle,
and I remember saying to myself, like, Dan, get up,
put your weapon in operation. Dan, get up, put your
weapon in the operation. And I couldn't move, And in
(34:32):
those sort of moments, I remember, I remember distinctly, I
took a breath and I looked forward to the driver's
compartment of the vehicle where Mike was, and it was
painfully obvious that he was killed, no question. And then
I realized I was probably hurt pretty bad, and I
didn't really understand the extent of my injuries and started
(34:54):
with my head, like we're trained to always, you know,
start with your head when you're doing self assessment. And
my helmet came apart in two pieces in my hand,
and I just remember I almost laughed. I think that
now in that moment, I probably didn't, but I was like,
I'm conscious, and that's good. And I was like surprised
to see the condition of my helmet. And I was
(35:14):
checking myself, my arms, my torso, and I could my
hands were stinging like a numb basically, and I could
get some feeling back. And I remember because I'm if
you visualize, I'm laying in the dirt and my legs
are elevated and stuck still in what's left of the truck,
and I'm reaching up for my legs to go check
and see what I can do or if they're stuck,
(35:35):
if I can pull them out. And that's when I
felt the unmistakable arterial blood spurt with every beat of
my heart, and I knew that I was going to die.
I was making my peace with God. I was saying
goodbye to my wife and my daughter. She was ten
years old at the time. And I'm sure you've heard
(35:56):
the oh, when you're about to die, your life flashes
before your eyes. Yeah, But for me, that wasn't really
what happened. It was more like, and I really can't
give it a real a texture or quality, but it
was like I was watching goals unfulfilled, just sort of
slip by. And I don't remember what each of those were,
(36:19):
but I remember the last one, and it was my
ten year old daughter, but she was all dressed up
headed toe and white and walking down the aisle without
her tat, and I just remember I shot up and
I was like I'm alive, Like I'm still alive. I
(36:40):
had to do something to keep it that way, and
I reached my hand in that wound in my thigh
almost up to my wrist, like my sort of it
was like I was going to attempt to find the
artery and like pinch it off and stop the bleeding,
like I thought it was gonna be like mc guy vern,
just reach in and pinch it and somehow magically and
be fine. And that is not what happened. I just
(37:01):
reached and pressed against a piece of shrapnel that was
still lodged in my femur, and I prayed that it
would give enough time, like I could slow my bleeding
down enough for a medic to get there. And I
was kind of fading out, and I blinked my eyes
and then danced me. My medic was right there, and
(37:23):
he looked at me right in the face, like got
my attention and completely lied to me, but in the
way that good medics do and said, Sartin Evans, You're
gonna be all right.
Speaker 1 (37:35):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (37:36):
And I blinked again. There was a tourniquet on my leg.
And then one of my team leaders starting chillis, was
putting an IV in my arm, not even a medic,
just we were all trained to called combat life savers.
We're all trying to keep each other alive in those
types of situations. And I blinked again, and it was
my whole My whole team was there putting themselves in
harm's way to remove my legs from that vehicle. It
(37:58):
was still on fire. And then I was in a
helicopter and had my first surgery in a hospital tent
right next to the main gates of LSA and a
conda where I was stationed in a place called blog.
It was maybe a two minute helicopter ride, and I
already had the IV, so they just injected me with
happy juice and I was out. And I woke up
(38:20):
in the hospital tent and the first thing I saw
was a combat nurse's face, and she was kind of
awkwardly close to me, and she just looked at me
and said, Sartain Evans, you're a very lucky man. We
managed to repair your femeral artery. We had to take
(38:42):
your left leg below the knee. We managed to save
your right one for now, but you'll probably lose that
one too. And she was ultimately right. But after that,
it was I think one of the best moments actually
if as I sort of like readlive this story every
time I tell it, like I can almost smell it.
(39:04):
And I woke up and she had just told me this,
and in my head I went immediately, like I think
a lot of people would do. It's like, oh my god,
what can the guy with no legs do? It was
how is my wife gonna love me? How is you know?
How am I gonna play with my kid?
Speaker 1 (39:20):
Like?
Speaker 4 (39:20):
Am I gonna be stuck in a wheelchair? Like what's
gonna happen? And when that pity party really started like
washing over me. I just took a breath and looked
against the wall of the tent and there was my
whole team. It's like a brotherhood that's an indescribable and
they were just waiting for me to wake up, and
(39:43):
they just once they saw that I had come too,
and I think the doctor had waved them over, and
they just surrounded my bed and we told horrible jokes.
It was so like we just got so There were
jokes about like returning your roller skates you got for Christmas.
There was a loo because that's it's what we do, right.
(40:05):
You got to make fun of something to maybe make
a nutsting so much. And then we went in. We
told stories, and we talked about Mike, who actually wear
this bracelet for every day, this memorial bracelet. For those
you don't know, it's just a black aluminum bracelet that
mine says Starn first Class Michael Siattolini, Task Force, Tacoma, ten,
(40:26):
November two thousand and four, Ballata racket. We wear these
bracelets too, memorialize and remember those who can get to
come home. And we talked about Mike, and I just
remember we all shared some tears and it fell asleep
and woke up the next morning at launched, a regional
medical center in Germany where yeah, and if you remember
(40:49):
your history during the time, so this is ten November
two thousand and four. On seven November, the Battle of
Fallujah had started and so was mostly a Marine Corps battle.
And I actually over this this this past September eleventh.
I got to meet uh status start and David Belvida,
who is only living Medal of Honor recipient from the
(41:12):
war in Iraq and his action that he was nominated
for and eventually was awarded the Medal of Honor came
from ten November, and so it was a crazy day
all across the theater and I just you know, got
in to Walter Reed. I had surgery every day, and
I was waiting for a ride back to I mean
(41:34):
we got into Launcho, was waiting for a ride back
to Walter Reed. And took about seven days, had surgery
every day, and got to Walter Reed and by that
time anger had start started setting in the ymes the
you know, and Mike Cattelinia, who was killed was like
(41:55):
one of the best human beings on the planet, and
you know, like why my like, why do you volunteer
to drive? Because he was supposed to have her new
the surgery, so he volunteered to drive for that mission
when he didn't have to. And I just remember being
mad because I thought he got the better deal. Because
I was in freedom on pain. I was down the
(42:19):
spiral of all, my wife's not going to love me anymore.
I can't play with my kids the way I used to, Like,
what's life going to be like? And in that first
day in the hospital, I met my nurse and her
name was Erica, and I was married, so I wasn't
allowed to flirt with her, but I was trying, like
in and out of my drug fog, I was I
(42:39):
think I proposed to her like three times. She was
the first human being I got to really talk to
in a full week. And so she was the first
person like I had trust in her, well, probably because
she had pain medicine, which was a huge plus up
(43:00):
with a deluded and I was like, oh my god,
thank you. Yeah, And she had said it was like
what she had told me, she goes, your wife is
on her way here from California. So I'm in DC.
She's coming from California. She should be here around three PM.
I think it was, and that was supposed to be
good news, but I didn't want I didn't want to
(43:21):
see her, I think more I didn't want her to
see me. Okay, And Eric comes back into my room.
She goes, Hey, there's some people here I think you
should meet. And so I trusted her, and then I
said okay. And then in came two of the founders
of Wounded Warrior Project, and for context at that time,
(43:44):
the Wind to Worrior Project is a wildly successful organization
and they are effective at fundraising so they can fuel
the programs like today, they serve about one hundred and
eighty five wounded warriors in their families. I mean one
hundred and eighty five thousand, sorry, one hundred andy five thousand,
two hundred and four Sorry I just got corrected, two
hundred and forty thousand. We get about eleven hundred warriors
(44:05):
sign up every day, especially with the introduction of the
pack deck, which is not necessarily relevant, but it is
inspiring to see because in the beginning, these were people
living off of their retirement, maxing out their personal credit
cards to stuff backpacks with the things that they that
(44:27):
in this case the founder had needed when he was
a wounded warrior before the war and a helicopter accident
off the coast of Somalia, and I remember they gave
me this backpack. It's the first time I'd seen the
wounded warrior logo with one warrior carrying another off the battlefield.
It's like the Firenment's carry yep. And I instantly related
to that. And in that whole you know, it said
(44:53):
Wounded Warrior Project underneath of it, and I just said,
I'm a wounded warrior and they we're brief wright and gone.
They gave me that backpack and then promise that whatever
I needed or whatever my family needed, that they'd be
there for me.
Speaker 5 (45:14):
If you are inspired by today's episode, please join us
in supporting six degrees dot org by texting the word
bacon to seven zero seven zero seven zero. Your gift
empowers us to continue to produce programs that highlight the
incredible work of everyday heroes, well also enabling us to
provide essential resources to those that need it the most.
Once again, text b a Con to seven zero seven
(45:39):
zero seven zero or visit SixDegrees dot org to learn more.
Speaker 1 (45:46):
Hey, everybody, welcome back.
Speaker 2 (45:48):
We're here with Rob Low and Dan Nevins, who is
sharing his story of becoming a wounded warrior and how
the Wounded Warrior Project was the lifeline that he needed. Now,
this UH can be a triggering topic for those in
the military, for veterans, for their loved ones. So you know,
(46:08):
if you if you find yourself having a difficult time,
please reach out to Wounded Warrior Project dot org.
Speaker 1 (46:16):
To talk to someone. They're there for you.
Speaker 2 (46:21):
And that seems to be really the backbone of the
of the of the of the organization, right being being
there for for these these UH, for the for the
soldiers and for the families.
Speaker 4 (46:34):
Oh absolutely, that's I think what's made them so successful
is well one their commitment. Right. So when they went
in to do this, they literally set out the calling
card was the backpack, saying like I these are the
things I wish I had, and it was it was
everything that I didn't know that I needed. And I
still have that same backpack from nineteen years old. Wow,
(46:55):
pattered and torn, and but I don't really use it
because it's not that effective anymore. But it's one of
those momentos I can't throw away. Sure, And what they
I think what made them so successful is they were
in the hospitals listening, like what were the gaps that
needed to be filled, Like what were the things that
weren't being provided by the government, what wasn't happening, And
(47:16):
then so they were committed to making those things happen.
And like I said, the intent, the original intent, the
calling card, the intent was to change the way benefits
were administered the warriors, because what used to happen three
Wounded Warrior Project is someone would get catastrophically injured with
training accident, differ different wars, you go back to Vietnam,
(47:39):
Korea and different They would leave the service and then
years later develop issues from their service that were obviously
services connected. And then they would go try to get
their benefits together, like so the compensation from the VA,
and they would take years. It would take years to
get the records together, get everything done, and then submit
(48:03):
a claim that would probably get rejected. And so so
John Meelia and the people that he recruited in those
early early days, they were benefits officers for a different nonprofit.
So they said, like, we're going to get it right
this time right. So the whole intention was to get
everything annotated documented, so the moment that that service member
(48:25):
left active duty, their benefits would start instead of having
to dig through for two years.
Speaker 2 (48:29):
And as we know, you know, when it comes to
anything of a cause based issue, it's really all about
how quickly the impact can be felt, right and the
most efficient use of both of people's energy and time
and also of their dollars. Rob, how did it come
across your desk to get involved with wounded warriors?
Speaker 3 (48:52):
Well, it's funny because there's no one in my immediate family,
and certainly nobody that I knew growing up who served.
But I've always had a connection and an interest in
the men and women who serve our country. And many
years later I did a show where they traced my
(49:15):
ancestry and found out that I actually had people serve
in the Revolutionary War and the Civil War and all
those things. So clearly that must have been in my DNA. Obviously,
after September eleventh, my awareness was completely raised, and I
was looking to do something to figure out who I
(49:36):
could help raise money for and donate to, and wounded
warriors were the first people that came to mind. But
it really took September eleventh I think for me to
go into action in this arena, and I've been involved
(49:57):
in various charities in this area ever since, but wunder
Warres is there there. They're the best and they you
can just from that story we just heard. I mean,
I think that you did such a great job, as
you always do, Dan, articulating, I mean, because it really
puts it in perspective. I know that sounds like a cliche,
well puts in perspective, but perspectives really needed. I mean,
(50:19):
until you hear how effective these two guys walking to
your bed.
Speaker 1 (50:25):
What it did for you exactly.
Speaker 3 (50:28):
I mean, and this goes on every single day with
no fanfare, and it continues and is going to continue.
And you know, the government can't do everything, and it's
up to the private sector to step in and and
to fill in the gaps.
Speaker 2 (50:48):
And Dan tell people how they can get involved or
or help out. This is our our call to action
right here. I'd love to hear more about how and
I'm sure everybody would like, especially based on this incredibly
compelling story that you tell. So how can people get involved?
Speaker 4 (51:06):
Absolutely the best ways to the Wounded Warrior Project website.
It's Wounded Warrior Project dot org and you can find
a myriad of ways to get involved from hoping hosting
an event in your community so you can actually spread
awareness to the people and to their people and their communities.
And there's even an option to bring one of the
speakers that I'm talking about to that event to share
(51:27):
the stories and make and like really move the needle.
And there's simple, easy ways to donate. And one of
the best things that you can do is just if
you know a warrior that's struggling, And this is like
fundraising is great, but what Wounded Warrior Project's trying to
do is make sure every warrior that's served and needs
something is getting the help that they need. So if
(51:49):
they know someone who's struggling, to have them go to
Wounded Warrior Project as well. And I register as an
alumni because every program that we have that heal the mind,
heal the body, are about economic empowerment. Like the list
goes on and on of how holistic when Warrior Project
programs are. But the sort of best thing about it
(52:14):
is that we've been doing this for twenty years. This
is our twentieth year of service, and we're truly the
experts in the field and when people, whether they make
a donation or whether they just get involved in some way,
it's you know, twenty years of service, but a lifetime
(52:36):
of commitment. And you know, I really want people listening
to know that, yes, their funds are seriously needed to
make sure that we're going to be here for twenty
more years. But more than that, we want to know
where the warriors who don't think that they are eligible
or qualify or it's not for them, but meanwhile they're
(52:58):
you know, self medicating with drugs or alcohol or being
disconnected from their family. Like that's what we really want.
Speaker 1 (53:04):
That's really interesting. I'm so glad to hear you say that.
Speaker 2 (53:08):
So uh it's a that's a whole other side of
it that hadn't even really occurred to me. So anybody
that's listening, whether you have been you know, affected or injured,
or you are struggling, reach out, and anybody that wants
to help, please get involved. And Dan, thank you so
(53:30):
much for sharing your story. It's incredibly moving and riveting
and you know, I'm I'm I'm so impressed and inspired
with with you and you know, taking a tragedy like
that and figuring out a way that you can turn
(53:53):
it into something really positive and beautiful. It's it's great,
it's amazing. And Rob, thank you so much for being
here too, and for introducing me to Dan. And it's
just been a blast having you guys, and I look
forward to you know, reading your books and watching your
sequel of my movie so good.
Speaker 4 (54:18):
I want to just say one thing, just just real quick,
because it just occurs to me. So the Wounded Warrior
project logo is one carrying another off the battlefield and
all of the warriors start is the warrior on the top,
and the goal is to become the warrior on the bottom.
And I want both of you to know, like I'm
gonna got Kevin Bacon and Rob Low right, like you
(54:38):
got to understand how cool that is for me, right,
just so just so you know, like I can do
like forty of the dances from Footloose, right, and I
can recite every line from Tommy Boy, Like you got
to understand how cool that is. But now like Rob
Low has been and now Kevin Bacon is the warrior
(55:00):
on the bottom because like using your platform to show
the story, it's doing more good than you possibly know.
Speaker 3 (55:08):
Thank you, and I love you, brother, Thank you for
taking the time, as you always do. You look great man,
looking good man, looking like the stud as always. Thank
you all right, brother, thank.
Speaker 1 (55:17):
You all right fellas. Thanks for being here.
Speaker 3 (55:19):
Thanks Kevin, you're the best. This is awesome.
Speaker 2 (55:25):
Hey guys, thanks for listening to another episode of Six
Degrees with Kevin Bacon. Now, if you want to learn
more about the Wounded Warrior Project and all the work
that they are up to, head over their website Wounded
Warrior Project dot org. That's Wounded Warrior Project dot org.
You can find all the links in our show notes,
(55:45):
and please make sure you subscribe to the show, I mean,
if you're enjoying it, and tune into the rest of
our episodes. You can find Six Degrees with Kevin Bacon
on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (55:59):
See It's some Day
Speaker 2 (56:03):
MHM.
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