As long as I am continuing to effect change and improve quality of life for Soldiers, then I consider that a success.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth Marks is a combat medic and decorated Paralympic swimmer in the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program — a Pat Tillman ESPY award winner and a member of the Army Women’s Hall of Fame.
She joined the Army in 2008, shortly after her 17th birthday, continuing a family legacy of military service.
While on assignment in Iraq as a combat medic, she sustained bilateral hip injuries. It wasn’t until 2012, almost two years after her injury, while recovering and attempting to be found “fit for duty,” that she discovered a passion for competitive swimming.
Six months later she was accepted into the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) and found “fit for duty” as a 68w Combat Medic, fulfilling her goal of returning to military service. Elizabeth credits the support she received from her brothers and sisters in the military as what got her through her injuries and recovery.
“It’s a community that comes together to celebrate what we can do as opposed to what we can’t do … Every day in the pool is a gift. The fact that I get to celebrate that publicly with other Paralympian’s is very, very special,” Marks says.
As a 5-time Paralympic medalist (2 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals) and world record holder, Elizabeth will be representing the United States at the Paris 2024 Paralympic games continuing to push herself and inspire others.
I'd tell them don't limit yourself, the sky is actually not the limit - you can be an astronaut if you want to.
In Tamaulipas, Mexico, three hours south of the Texas-Mexico border, six-year-old Liliana Chavez Uribe marveled at the sight of crop-dusters flying over her home and dreamed that one day she, too, could fly.
A short 18 years later, 2nd Lt. Liliana Chavez Uribe recalls the memory that propelled her ever forward, ever upward. She would fulfill her dream and go on to fly Black Hawk and Lakota helicopters, admitting that her accomplishments are far beyond what her six-year-old self could have imagined.
Despite the obstacles she and her family endured as immigrants during their journey, Chavez realized her dreams were more of a reality than she thought. “I came here as a permanent resident,” Chavez said. “My dad worked his butt off to get us all here the correct, legal way, and now I am a citizen.”
During her high school years Chavez discovered her love for the disciplined military structure when she joined the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). She graduated flight school and Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape training (SERE) – A 21-day training requirement to prepare individuals to evade capture and survive extreme conditions while maintaining the military code of conduct.
Chavez credits her father’s work ethic as the reason she is driven to overcome the multitude of challenges she faced. He is the force that continues to keep her on track. “I always stop to sit down and think ‘would this make my dad proud?’.”
Regardless of the obstacles she has faced, whether it was getting through college, financial setbacks, discrimination or SERE, Chavez never saw failure as an option. Determined not only to reach her dream, she now inspires other girls to dream big.
Today, she is an Immigration Liaison and Planning Officer with the Washington National Guard where she meticulously plans and executes strategic initiatives. As a wife and mother she continues to break barriers and demonstrate that anything is possible if you set your mind to it.
What gets remembered is determined by who's in the room doing the remembering.
Born on September 22, 1921, Soskin’s family moved to the wartime boomtown of Richmond, California. As a young woman she worked as a file clerk for Boilermakers Union A-36 during World War II. After the war, she and her husband founded Reid’s Records, a beloved institution that operated for 75 years.
In the early 2000’s Betty began working with her local government and the National Park Service helping develop plans for the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park. Well into her 80’s, Ranger Betty was instrumental in telling the whole story of 1940’s home-front efforts to include women of color.
After a remarkable tenure of more than 15 years leading public programs and sharing personal stories at the park visitor center, Betty Reid Soskin, the oldest active ranger of the National Park Service, retired in 2022, at the age of 100.
She released her memoir, Sign My Name to Freedom, in February 2018. “To be a part of marking the place where the dramatic trajectory of my own life intersects with others of my generation, leaving footprints that will influence the future, has been incredible.”
Hurt people, hurt people. Healthy people, help people.
Abigail G. Manning is a Keynote Speaker, Impactful Storyteller, and Change Maker with a big belief in the power of choice. At Create Awareness…Change Lives, Inc. Abigail works primarily with the military, veteran non-profits, and national security corporations. She also works closely with Special Operators Transition Foundation (SOTF) as a 1:1 coach with active duty Special Operators 1-2 years out from their military transition. Together, they create a vision of what each Operator wants for a happy and rewarding career and lifestyle as they move forward, translating their military experiences into civilian skill sets.
As a full-time, single parent of two young children, she worked to create a positive environment full of health and goodness, ending the cycle of negativity and hardships she grew up with. Abigail’s children both went on to become Marines. When her daughter announced dreams of becoming a Marine, Abigail worked through her initial concerns and supported her efforts to secure a MOS of Military Police, her dream. Her mother’s support and encouragement motivated her through the tough training. She went on to join HMX-1, the Presidential Helicopter Squadron among only a handful of women protecting our Presidents. Abigail’s son, also a Marine, overcame early struggles with dyslexia, encouraged by her empowering positive self-beliefs and removal of hurtful words of others. After much hard work he became one of “The Few. The Proud.” He is currently in Intelligence at MARFORCYBER in Washington, DC, preparing reports and giving briefings to the brass.
Abigail created Purple Threads curriculum by combining her personal life lessons, parenting journey, and education through her double major at Indiana University. This unique course addresses complex emotions like rejection, abandonment, and unworthiness while providing tools to prevent those emotions from limiting your choice to live, love, and thrive.
The full definition of Purple Threads is “Limiting personal thoughts connected to past traumas that are physiologically tied to what we ThinkSayDo.” Her three-step program begins with a deeper level of self-awareness and assessment of limiting personal thoughts (Purple Threads). The second step empowers participants to develop healthy habits, a positive mindset, and a meaningful connection to others. The third and final step is life-long self-empowerment of “THINK SAY DO“ skills. This work has been shown to prevent the adverse spiral of stress, depression, addiction, abuse, PTS, and suicide.
The ultimate goal is Stronger individuals. Stronger families. Stronger organizations. Stronger country. Abigail received the honorary military call sign “Gator,” short for “Navigator,” in recognition of her ability to guide others through challenges of personal and professional development.
We salute Abigail for her amazing work empowering the military community to live their best, most healthy lives.
To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan.
President Abraham Lincoln
The Heroes Operation was created to honor and serve those who have sacrificed through military service or as first responders. Having experienced firsthand the impact unseen scars can have, The Heroes Operation has become a lifeline for many who struggle with PTSD by providing important assistance navigating the often-complex VA system.
Throughout the year, they host special events in Michigan to bring families together in celebration. On Your 6 is excited to sponsor crowd favorite, Heroes On The Dunes in July.
Over 1500 people converge on Silver Lake Sand Dunes in northern Michigan to ride badass off-road vehicles. Catch a flyover by Hooligan Flight Team, have a spin around the dance floor, and watch fireworks before camping out.
We are honored to partner with The Heroes Operation in making this summer that much brighter for our hero families.
Being a single mom, raising him, I’m definitely patting myself on the back.
When Malik Heard showed up for the graduation ceremony at the University of West Georgia his joy was overshadowed only by his mom’s absence. When his name was announced, though, he was shocked to hear that a special guest had traveled from Kosovo to be there.
For Malik, that could only mean one person, his mom. Sgt. Roby had kept her visit a secret until the moment he accepted his diploma. For Sgt. Roby, missing life’s big moments was a sacrifice she had to make in order to serve her country.
But this mom was not going to miss her son’s big day because Malik was the first male in his family to graduate from college. We honor all of the service people like Sgt. Roby who sacrifice big family moments to protect our country.
I have my dad because of her and now I have my life because of her...I love Kristi Hadfield beyond measure. There are not enough thanks in the world for her.
Molly Jones
In 2016, retired Marine John Cunningham walked into a rural West Virginia paramedic station as he experienced chest pains. Paramedic Kristi Hadfield loaded John into an ambulance and when his heart stopped on the way to the hospital, Kristi directed the driver to pull over immediately as she began chest compressions, restarting his heart and delivering him to the hospital where he recovered.
Kristi makes it a habit to check in on her former patients. Through a Facebook request, she connected with John and, shortly thereafter, his daughter Molly Jones: “Of course, I needed to know who saved my dad’s life,” she said.
The two women remained friends online, and when Molly posted about her Stage 4 renal failure diagnosis in 2022, Kristi came to the family’s aid a second time, messaging Molly: “I’ve got your kidney.”
Jones, whose daughter is afflicted with the same kidney-cyst disorder, is eternally grateful for Kristi:
“My daughter is my entire life, and because of Kristi, I’m going to get to see my daughter graduate, I’m going to get to see her go to college, I’m going to get to see who she grows up to be. I don’t know how you properly thank someone for that.
Smart and tough, Bradley often drew on the lessons she had learned under fire and during her captivity, where she earned a reputation as one of the most durable and reliable women in camp.
Elizabeth Norman, Author
Nursing has been a vital part of healthcare and medicine for a few hundred years. During times of conflict, amazing and heroic acts by nurses in service are not hard to find. But today, we wish to share a story with you about one incredible nurse, Army Colonel Ruby Bradley. While working as a hospital administrator at Camp John Hay in the Philippines, Bradley was captured by the Japanese Army just three weeks following the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack. She found herself detained along with other prisoners of war (POWs) at the Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila.
Once detained, Bradley sprang into action, providing immediate medical care to fellow prisoners and secretly distributing food to those in need, often sacrificing her own meals to ensure the wellbeing of others. Her weight dropped significantly, enabling her to sneak outdated medical tools and supplies into the camp by concealing them beneath her clothing without detection. Over her 37-month imprisonment, Bradley performed 230 significant surgeries and helped bring 13 infants into the world.
When liberation came in February 1945, Bradley’s weight had plummeted to just 84 pounds, a testament to her selflessness, as she had allocated most of her food portions to the camp’s children. Her peers dubbed Bradley and her fellow nurses as “Angels in Fatigues” for their compassionate service.
Following WWII, Bradley pursued her Army career further, achieving a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California merely four years post-war. She later participated in the Korean War and was promoted to the rank of colonel, leading up to her retirement in 1963. Over her distinguished career, she was honored with 34 awards, decorations, and medals, among them the Bronze Star Medal.
If I can work [fighting terrorism] and get rid of some of the bad guys, I’ll be happy.
Matthew Axelson grew up in Cupertino, California where he would go on to graduate from CSU-Chico and meet his future wife, Cindy Oji Axelson. In late 2000 he joined the US Navy. He spent time in Hawaii training and after BUDs he and Cindy married.
In 2005, Matt deployed to Afghanistan as part of a four-man SEAL reconnaissance team tasked with tracking a high-ranking terrorist leader when they were ambushed by Taliban forces.
During Operation Red Wings, he was killed and posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his actions.
Over the years, Matt’s family has been supported by many wonderful people. So in 2012, they founded the Matthew Axelson Foundation to give back to the community through sponsored golf tournaments.
As part of the golf tournament experience, a Special Forces Operator joins your foursome creating an unforgettable experience.
Funds raised go to supporting his brothers in arms after service and the children of heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice.
On Your 6 honors the legacy of Matthew “Axe” Axelson, a courageous Navy SEAL who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
It was all worth it. I kept reminding myself what a small sacrifice. This temporary pain, it’s so worth it.
When pizza delivery driver Nick Bostic was driving through Lafayette (a suburb of Indianapolis) one night, he noticed a house engulfed in flames with no emergency vehicles. He ran into the house and encountered 18-year-old Seionna, who was babysitting her three siblings, aged 1, 6, and 13, along with a 13-year-old friend.
Seionna had gathered all the children but was still frantically searching for 6-year-old Kaylani. Bostic helped usher them outside to safety before reentering the burning house.
Despite the thick smoke, he was able to locate Kaylani and punched out a 2nd-floor window before jumping out with her in his arms.
Bostic explained that he’s not a hero and just did what he would have wanted someone to do for him and his family if their home was on fire.
