Bravo748 Military and Combat Speakers Bureau

Muse Storytelling elegantly shares Kevin Briggs’ story about his work career and his suicide prevention mission, his humble way of not only helping others, but sharing what he learned.  Anyone who hears him speak will gain the knowledge, courage, and skills to help others in crisis.  How do you get someone back over the rail? Nobody seemed to know – but Kevin Briggs was determined to find out. Excerpt from the film:

 I was with the [California] Highway Patrol for a little over 23 years and I worked on the Golden Gate Bridge.  The bridge is the number one in America for loss of life to suicide, in case people didn’t know that. We get a lot of folks who would jump over that barrier – jump over that pedestrian rail - and stand there, contemplating suicide. My job was to go up and work with them, see if we could get them back. And I did this, 100s of times.

 I think anybody who goes into that area should be trained to handle these types of incidents….So I go in at the end of the night and say “Hey Sarge, you got a minute? Can I tell you about this?” And he goes “Yep, that’s what happens down there unfortunately, that’s part of working down there.” I go “Yeah, but is there any kind of training for this?” He goes “Well, we’ll look into it.” I kinda figured it wasn’t going to happen. My solution was to research things myself.

 So I was hitting the library.  I did not know anything about mental illness, the suffering they went through, the stage of things, and how to approach someone. There wasn’t a whole lot back then would apply to my situation working on that bridge, you know, this close, close, face-to-face…someone’s life is at risk, right now.

I had done a couple of news article and then I started getting requests to go out and speak….I wanted to show folks in a relatively easy way that if we see somebody hurting, struggling – how can we approach and talk to them so we can have the courage to do that but also make them feel at ease?

 Find out more of Kevin’s story by listening to the whole episode at Muse Storytelling: http://bit.ly/TrafficCop_GuardianGGB

"I think it's important to show that it doesn't matter who you are, what walk of life you come from. Woman or man, you can do anything you put your mind to,” said Walsh.

The portraits were taken by Stacy Pearsall, a female combat veteran. The exhibit will be at the CMU library until Wednesday. Then, it’s packed up and shipped off the next VA.

Bravo748 Speaker Justin Jordan will be live on American Warrior Radio this Sunday! Interested in Justin for your next event?  Contact [email protected]

The Break It Down Show featured Bravo748 Speaker and Author Justin Jordan who wrote "And Then I Cried: Tales of a Mortuary NCO" Jordan's book, published by Tactical 16 describes Jordan's service in combat as he ran the post mortuary. Up to 15 service member bodies a day required love, handling, respect and vigilance. It's a job that even the roughest of warriors knows is a tough but essential role. Justin's story is something you won't hear on other shows. So, dig in and get ready for Big Sarge's tale.

Interested in Justin to speak at your next event? Contact [email protected]

Listen to Bravo748 Singer Adam Martin on Straight Outta Combat Radio talk about his Army combat experience and what he is doing to move his positive mission forward!

 After returning home from Iraq and struggling for years with PTSD, at the suggestion of a counselor, Adam Martin borrowed a guitar and began to teach himself to play by watching YouTube videos.  Playing guitar quickly became a form of therapy for him and after a while, he began to write and sing.

Today, as the founder and front man for the band Blackbird Anthem, Adam is on a mission to revive original southern rock music while giving back to the veteran community.

Interested in Adam and Blackbird Anthem for your event?  Contact [email protected].

Bravo748 Award-Winning Photographer Stacy Pearsall was one of the combat photographers chosen to participate in “Combat Camera: The Women Behind the Lens.”  The exhibit will be displayed in conjunction with Fleet Week 2018 New Orleans as part of Tricentennial NOLA Navy Week and Tall Ships of America.  

The Exhibit opens today at 6:00 PM at the New Orleans Photo Alliance, 111 Saint Mary Street, New Orleans, LA.

Capt. Jerry Yellin, from Fairfield, Iowa, flew the final combat mission in World War II. World War II veterans visit Iwo Jima for the 70th anniversary 2/21/2015 in commemoration of the end of World War II.  From the interview:

Ten percent of the nation served in uniform, the population of America was 160 million people. 16 million of us served in the military; 8 million young women became Rosie the Riveters and built the airplanes and the tanks and the boats.  The population of America served the nation as well.

Everybody was at war, there was a purity of purpose, which was to eliminate evil. We did that….all of us…the highlight of my life was serving my country in time of war.

At the time of this interview, Capt. Yellin was 91 years old. Sir, Welcome Home.

Since watching this interview, I discovered Capt. Yellin, passed when he was 93.  I say again - Sir, Welcome Home.

December 3, 2005. It is a crisp cold day in Iraq. Me and my platoon of 20 warriors are coming off a mission of hunting insurgents. We are dirty and tired to the point of delirium. The rest of the 70 men in our Company are back at the base sleeping soundlessly..it is quiet as we pull up and park our trucks.  And just as we step out – BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

 Mortar rounds the size of footballs start to fall directly where the other men are sleeping. Immediately we begin to pound on the doors – GET UP! GET UP! GET UP! GET UP!...

 …I get a knock on my door, telling me something I already know, my good friend is dead. Dazed and in shock, I just start to laugh…until I look over and see one of my soldiers with his head slumped over a Hum-V steering wheel with tears running down his face.  There’s nothing funny when a warrior cries.

 …The military breaks you down as an individual. It builds you up as part of a squad. It teaches you to adapt and overcome some of the worst situations a human being could possible face and never ask for help. Yet the deep scars we carry – never go away.

 Stigma is associated with seeking mental health care. Seeking help is a sign of weakness in a culture built on strength. We don’t ask for help because that means “you’re broken”.

 We have to redefine culturally what strength is. When we end the stigma, we save lives. The health of our body and minds is worth fighting for.  We are not broken.

 Warriors support everyone. We need everyone’s support.

 We have to put a system in place that properly works to strengthen our nation’s military – their mind, body, and spirit.  This is about building a fighting force that is of sound mind and body.  

 What can we do?  Watch the video and see. http://bit.ly/2IG6iiU

 Interested in William speaking for your next event?  Contact [email protected].

  William Rodriguez, MSW, was inspired to dedicate his life to helping Veterans and all of those affected by trauma after serving in the US Army from 2000-2006. During this time, he participated in 3 combat deployments in the Middle East as a reconnaissance squad leader with both the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom /Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Following his separation from the military, William began studying psychology & graduated with a Master’s Degree in Military Social Work from USC in 2012.  

 William is featured in the award-winning documentary film, Thank You for Your Service, released in 2015. This film depicts the challenges associated with transitioning from military to civilian life.

FREEDOM HARD’s Founder and Owner Chris Blanco is proud to announce that Bobby Henline is partnering with FH as Co-Owner and Chief Marketing Officer with the company.

11 years ago on the day before Easter, Bobby Henline was the sole survivor of an IED attack in Iraq. Doctors could not explain why he was alive. Now we know why. He lives to FREEDOM HARD.

Welcome to the team, Brother, looking forward to our future FREEDOM HARD adventures!

To learn more about Freedom Hard, click here: https://freedomhard.com

Bravo748 Speaker Rob Jones featured in an article by Purpose2Play and Kim Constantinesco.

“I realized pretty quickly that just because I was missing my legs above the knee now, that didn’t mean that my life’s mission had changed. I still wanted my life to be something I could be proud of,” [Jones] said. “I wanted my life to be something that made a difference in the world.”

Interested in Rob speaking at your next event? Contact [email protected].

CTVnews.ca and Josh Elliott published “San Francisco's 'Golden Gate Guardian' prevented more than 200 suicides” highlighting the life-saving work former California Highway Patrol Sergeant Kevin Briggs did on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.  

From the article: Briggs received his first call for a suspected suicide attempt in 1990s, a short time after he was assigned to patrol the Golden Gate Bridge. He admits he didn’t know what the woman was doing when he came upon her standing on a narrow beam on the other side of the bridge’s guardrail.

“I went into what I call ‘cop mode,’” he said. Briggs told the woman she was trespassing, and that she might fall off the bridge if she wasn’t careful.

Thank you CTVnews.ca and Josh!  Ready for Kevin Briggs to be your next Keynote Speaker or trainer? Email [email protected] or call 1.800.991.6714.

Military.com with Amy Bushatz recently wrote about Bravo748 Speaker and Photographer Stacy Pearsall in “Veterans Portrait Project Aims to Showcase Untold Stories.”  

From the article: Stacy Pearsall knows that images can speak louder than words -- especially when it comes to things that are hard to say. "I think that each veteran has a unique story, and what I try to do is capture that in one frame," she said. "I try to capture the reality rather than what someone might project. … I try to use my experience as a combat veteran myself to break down that barrier."