A Warrior Story: Josue Barron & His Path Back Home

Josue Barron is one of the many beneficiaries of the dollars you've donated to Warrior Foundation Freedom Station. In 2010, Josue was injured while conducting a foot patrol in Afghanistan. He joined Armstrong & Getty to talk about how WWFS helped him during his recovery, as well as through the difficult transitional period between his military career and his post-military life.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
One week a year, all right, one week a year.
We ask you for money, and we're very careful about
who we choose to ask money for. UM, for you
to donate to and Warrior Foundation Freedom Station is is
what we're all into. And UM, we've been doing this
for years and a lot of you. Man, as soon
as we opened it up on Monday, you jumped on
right away and you were donating money because you've heard
over the years what a great, great organization where your

(00:23):
foundation Freedom Station is. But in case you're not up
to speed on it, maybe we thought we would talk
to somebody who's actually benefited from this great organization, UM
and have them on the air and now we'll see
if you want to donate after this. Well, it's a
pleasure to welcome back to the Armstrong and Getty Show.
Host Sway Barone U S Marine retired. Always great to

(00:45):
talk host Way, how are you, sir? I'm doing good.
Thank you, Thank you for having me. Oh of course, yeah,
it's our our pleasure and our honor. Just a quick
background to Hostwai, who joined the Marines at age seventeen
conducting a foot patrol in Afghanistan when his Filam Marine
stepped on an improvid is the explosive device. They're both injured,
with hot Waite losing his left egg and left eye
in the blast. Transported back to Naval Medical Center, San

(01:07):
Diego for treatment and recovery. UM and and at that point,
hose Way, you can take up the tail. There you
are in the hospital. How did you become aware of
Warrior Foundation Freedom Station? What? What were you feeling at
that point? What was what did the world seem like
in those days? Yeah? So, um, there was that at

(01:28):
the Naval Medical Center in San Diego about to begin,
you know, a long growth to recovery. And I was
twenty one years old at that time, and and I
just felt like my world was over. I just felt
like I didn't know what, you know, how an ampity
was going to live a life for how somebody would
a disability like mine was gonna you know, continue a life,

(01:50):
you know, build a family or just just you know,
pick myself up. I had no idea, UM. And that's
when when I met you know, Sandy from the Warrior
Foundation and and just people that were there to uplift
us and help us out and show us that you know,
there's still a lot more that we can do, and
a lot more UM that was going to continue to do.

(02:12):
And I met Um Sandy from the Warrior Foundation at
an event. UH me and my wife had gone to
an event. I met her there and she had a
picture of the Warrior of the Freedom Station, the first
one that they ever built, And I asked her what
was that, you know, housing four and she told me
it was for veterans or guys wounded warriors that were

(02:33):
transitioning from from the military to civilian, you know, to
the civilian world, and that it was, you know, meant
for us. And I asked her, you know, if I
can live there, you know, if there was any way
I can join them, and you know, she made it happen.
And from there a lot of my neighbors that lived there,

(02:53):
for other Ampuchees, guys, even guys from my unit that
I knew um that ended up living there. So just
ending up in the place like that, you know, building
a community, knowing that there was other guys going through
the same thing that I was going through, really really
help me out. And just having the resources from Sandy
or staff and you know, all the other people that

(03:14):
were there to help us, just made a huge, huge
difference towards my recovery. So brave veterans like Josue, who
are you know, transitioning from the military to civilian life
is hard enough for anybody, but then you're transitioning with
these injuries, and there you are at Freedom Station, surrounded
on all sides by other injured veterans that you can
talk to and get support from, including as you mentioned,

(03:36):
several from your own unit. We've visited Freedom Station many
times to see these guys. The way they come together
and and you know, and and have each other's backs
and support each other. It's really something. I mean, it's
something that I was about to say money can't buy,
but money can buy it when you go to Armstrong
and getty dot com and you click on the banner
and you donate some money so we can have more
stories like this in the future. Yeah, I mean, it's

(03:58):
a place. You know, what's a place where where guys
here and where at piece you know, and and just
have a story from where right across street from from
the Freedom Station to the Starbucks. And when I first
got injured, I was afraid to go out in the
public because I didn't know how people are going to
react to, you know, an happy t or somebody like myself.

(04:20):
I just felt different and and I had asked Andy,
and you know a couple of ladies that were volunteering
if they helped me go to that Starbucks and just
walk with me, and just having that little bit of support,
you know, made a huge difference, because if I was
by myself, I don't know if I would have had
the guts to do it at that time. Yeah, that's

(04:40):
that's that's something a lot of us can't relate to,
but we've heard it from so many guys. Um, it's
absolutely true that support is just critical to making that transition.
And speaking of transitions, now A might correct you have
three boys? Yeah, now you know. Now I have three boys,
and you know I've been married for eleven years now,
and you know, I got to build a family that

(05:03):
that that I wanted. You know, that's fantastic, that's beautiful
working contributing, and I assume, well, I know this, actually,
but you're doing what you can to help out guys
are going through similar experiences. Yeah, I mean, I just
I feel like I got injured at a young age,
and I was I was in my in my prime
and I felt like I was becoming a leader in

(05:24):
the Marine Corps. But you know, the injury my career
short there. And once I got back on my feet
out here as a civilian, as a veteran, I felt
like there was more to me that needed to be done.
And if I can, you know, inspire other veteran, inspire
other people with disabilities, I felt like, you know, that's
my purpose. Well, you're a good man. We appreciate it,

(05:46):
and we appreciate you helping us raise money for Warrior Foundation.
Freedom Station host Wait bar own host Wait. Great to
talk to you man. Best of luck and best wishes
to your whole family. Thank you very much. We send
these people out to keep the free world free. When
they get injured in the line of duty, we owe
it to them to give him these sorts of opportunities

(06:08):
that you just heard about from hot Way. Donate money
go to Armstrong and Getty dot com click on the banner.
If you've had a good year or if you've just
had an okay year, I mean, you just heard that
story there. You didn't get your eye blown out and
your leg blown off, I'm guessing um, donate some money
any amounts good. We appreciate your supports. It's you know,

(06:28):
we're not quote unquote asking you for money. We're asking
you to support a great organization and if you can,
go to Armstrong and Getty dot com Armstrong getty dot com.
I hope we're hear from the whales where the whales
at y'all got some money, you whales, let's give it
to these zero