April 7, 2025 • 5 mins
Captain Paul Ryan, United States Navy and Reserve (retired) and Chair of the West Michigan Veterans Coalition joins us to discuss the 10th annual Armed Forces Thanksgiving.
Tickets and more information can be found here: https://www.armedforcesthx.org/
Tickets and more information can be found here: https://www.armedforcesthx.org/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And we talked about this being the tenth year of
the Armed Forces Thanksgiving and one of the things that
is a big benefit or we raise money for at
the event, it's the West Michigan's Veterans Coalition. This is
West Michigan's Morning News, and our friend Captain Paul Ryan
is back in the studio and I don't even know
how to title you, Captain. Thank you for coming in today.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Well, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Army Reserve veteran now retired. You're on the board of
the West Michigan Veterans Coalition, You're on the board of
the Armed Forces Thanksgiving. You just keep saying yes when
it comes to stuff involved with veterans. Thank you for
that your service and for coming in today.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Well, thank you. I say yes to organizations that really
do good work, and the Coalition and Armed Forces Thanksgiving are.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
To the best. Talk to us about the event first
and foremost, that you've been so important a part of
all these years. What is it? And if you're listening
right now, there are still tables available. You can still
sit and watch this thing in your perspective. What does
it do you know?
Speaker 2 (01:03):
We're really excited about Armed Forces THANCT IVY. We get
excited about it every year because it brings together business leaders,
many of whom don't have military experience of their own,
high school students and veterans all interacting together. So those
engagements at each table is one of the things that
(01:25):
really makes us go. But on top of that, we
have guest speakers who are informative, entertaining and uplifting. We
have another great one this year in Dan Rooney. And
on top of that, the Armed Forces Thanksgiving produces revenue
that really makes the West Misiannveteror's Coalition run. The Coalition
(01:49):
could not do what it does without the generosity of
Armed Forces Thanksgiving.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
By the numbers Captain, over one hundred thousand veteran service
members and their families live within thirteen counties of Central
West Mission conserved by the West Michigan Veterans Coalition, and
the requests for assistance are increasing. Talk to us a
little bit about the assistance. What do you bring to
help these veterans.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Yeah, we started out with our assistance fund back in
COVID and we thought it was going to be a
one and done thing with emergency relief. But as inflation,
while it's come down over the last couple of years,
it's remained stubbornly high. And that means that making ends
meet for a lot of folks remains difficult. Most people
(02:31):
know that you don't really get rich being in the military,
and so we decided to make the Military Family Assistance
Fund a permanent part of our program.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
And you walk alongside these families up in Mason County
when the colonel passed away. They were so helpful with
my mom. There's a lot of red tape when it
comes to the federal government and the military and sometimes
just being with someone to help have those conversations. Notwithstanding,
bring your d D two fourteen and listen, how's that?
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Oh right exactly? And I think you see this from
the VA, and you see it from the Michigan Veter's
Affairs Agency's governmental bodies at the federal state level. They
realize that they really can't do everything for veterans service
members and their families without the cooperation of nonprofits, privately
(03:24):
funded nonprofits like Armed Forces Thanksgiving and like the West
Michigan Veterans Scholarship.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Captain, when I was reading about your service, distinguished, proud
service in the Navy and the Reserves, you list that
you walked away unscathed by that, right, you weren't injured
in combat. Mentally, you're good. But an awful lot of
veterans need a little help afterwards, and we're not necessarily
(03:50):
prepared for that. But you guys are with the coalition.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Right, Yeah, I served five years in an active duty
in twenty five of the neighbor Reserve. Came out without
a scratch, either physically or psychologically. But that can't be
said for a lot of guys and girls. And so
that's why the Coalition exists and the partners that we
have throughout our thirteen counties, federal satan, local governments, of
venteror service organizations, nonprofits, academia, and the private sector all
(04:16):
working together to make these lives better. We encourage any
member of the military, pastor president, or any family member
of a member of pastor president, please get a hold
of us. We are here to help. If we can't
solve the problem directly, we know somebody who can.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
You're not going to believe the reverence paid to the
military during this event, which we'll put a link in
the podcast section Atwoodradio dot com to Armed Forces THCHX
dot com. When that flag comes in, you can hear
a pin drop and there's a great reason for that,
and that's one of the reasons why we do this
year and a year out year ten for the Armed Forces.
Thanksgiving Captain Paul Ryan. Always great to have you here.
(04:56):
I talked to you for an hour. Thanks man, great Steve,
thank you.
And we talked about this being the tenth year of
the Armed Forces Thanksgiving and one of the things that
is a big benefit or we raise money for at
the event, it's the West Michigan's Veterans Coalition. This is
West Michigan's Morning News, and our friend Captain Paul Ryan
is back in the studio and I don't even know
how to title you, Captain. Thank you for coming in today.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Well, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Army Reserve veteran now retired. You're on the board of
the West Michigan Veterans Coalition, You're on the board of
the Armed Forces Thanksgiving. You just keep saying yes when
it comes to stuff involved with veterans. Thank you for
that your service and for coming in today.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Well, thank you. I say yes to organizations that really
do good work, and the Coalition and Armed Forces Thanksgiving are.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
To the best. Talk to us about the event first
and foremost, that you've been so important a part of
all these years. What is it? And if you're listening
right now, there are still tables available. You can still
sit and watch this thing in your perspective. What does
it do you know?
Speaker 2 (01:03):
We're really excited about Armed Forces THANCT IVY. We get
excited about it every year because it brings together business leaders,
many of whom don't have military experience of their own,
high school students and veterans all interacting together. So those
engagements at each table is one of the things that
(01:25):
really makes us go. But on top of that, we
have guest speakers who are informative, entertaining and uplifting. We
have another great one this year in Dan Rooney. And
on top of that, the Armed Forces Thanksgiving produces revenue
that really makes the West Misiannveteror's Coalition run. The Coalition
(01:49):
could not do what it does without the generosity of
Armed Forces Thanksgiving.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
By the numbers Captain, over one hundred thousand veteran service
members and their families live within thirteen counties of Central
West Mission conserved by the West Michigan Veterans Coalition, and
the requests for assistance are increasing. Talk to us a
little bit about the assistance. What do you bring to
help these veterans.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Yeah, we started out with our assistance fund back in
COVID and we thought it was going to be a
one and done thing with emergency relief. But as inflation,
while it's come down over the last couple of years,
it's remained stubbornly high. And that means that making ends
meet for a lot of folks remains difficult. Most people
(02:31):
know that you don't really get rich being in the military,
and so we decided to make the Military Family Assistance
Fund a permanent part of our program.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
And you walk alongside these families up in Mason County
when the colonel passed away. They were so helpful with
my mom. There's a lot of red tape when it
comes to the federal government and the military and sometimes
just being with someone to help have those conversations. Notwithstanding,
bring your d D two fourteen and listen, how's that?
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Oh right exactly? And I think you see this from
the VA, and you see it from the Michigan Veter's
Affairs Agency's governmental bodies at the federal state level. They
realize that they really can't do everything for veterans service
members and their families without the cooperation of nonprofits, privately
(03:24):
funded nonprofits like Armed Forces Thanksgiving and like the West
Michigan Veterans Scholarship.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Captain, when I was reading about your service, distinguished, proud
service in the Navy and the Reserves, you list that
you walked away unscathed by that, right, you weren't injured
in combat. Mentally, you're good. But an awful lot of
veterans need a little help afterwards, and we're not necessarily
(03:50):
prepared for that. But you guys are with the coalition.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Right, Yeah, I served five years in an active duty
in twenty five of the neighbor Reserve. Came out without
a scratch, either physically or psychologically. But that can't be
said for a lot of guys and girls. And so
that's why the Coalition exists and the partners that we
have throughout our thirteen counties, federal satan, local governments, of
venteror service organizations, nonprofits, academia, and the private sector all
(04:16):
working together to make these lives better. We encourage any
member of the military, pastor president, or any family member
of a member of pastor president, please get a hold
of us. We are here to help. If we can't
solve the problem directly, we know somebody who can.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
You're not going to believe the reverence paid to the
military during this event, which we'll put a link in
the podcast section Atwoodradio dot com to Armed Forces THCHX
dot com. When that flag comes in, you can hear
a pin drop and there's a great reason for that,
and that's one of the reasons why we do this
year and a year out year ten for the Armed Forces.
Thanksgiving Captain Paul Ryan. Always great to have you here.
(04:56):
I talked to you for an hour. Thanks man, great Steve,
thank you.
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