Author: Leigh

After a deadly campfire in November 2018 destroyed the town of Paradise, California, Woody Faircloth and his 6-year old daughter, Luna, were inspired to make sure at least one family would have a place to call home on Thanksgiving. They purchased an RV off of Craigslist, pointed it in the direction of California, and started driving. They selected one of the 50 first responders who had lost their home as the recipient.

News of their kindness spread and EmergencyRV was founded as a non-profit organization offering those affected by natural disasters, support and transitional housing solutions. Over the past five years, it has evolved to help anyone affected by a natural disaster but prioritizes firefighters, first responders, and military veterans.

When the recent Maui fires destroyed over 2,200 homes, EmergencyRV once again sprung into action with the California Fire Foundation to get three RVs donated by local firefighters to Maui. “This work has fundamentally changed me,” says Woody. “One of the things that’s so powerful is if you do something kind for someone with no expectation of anything in return, I mean, the rewards are indescribable.”

With an original goal of delivering temporary shelter to one family, this dad and daughter team has now helped hundreds of disaster victims have a place to call home, expanding their mission and making lifelong friends along the way.

In June 2023, Clifford Parver, aged 91, was stranded in the Lochsa River after his car ran off the road. Using his personal rafting equipment, Forest Service Firefighter JT Sohr was able to rescue Parver before emergency crews arrived.

Sohr, a 21-year-veteran of the U.S. Forest Service had recently completed a course in swift-water rescue training to build a skill set for just such situations.

Raise a glass with us to honor JT Sohr and all the other brave Forest Service firefighters who save lives and protect our national forests and grasslands.

In a daring mountain rescue, Anthony Anglikowski: Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class exhibited extraordinary heroism.

On May 23, 2021, two “critically injured” hikers in The Brothers Mountains of Washington’s Olympic National Forest slipped on the icy terrain leading to one being trapped in a deep crevasse. Anglikowski’s medical training and mountain rescue expertise, as a member of the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island’s search and rescue team, were instrumental in navigating the dangerous rescue through a snowpack-fueled waterfall.

His actions saved the life of one hiker and facilitated the recovery of the other, earning him the Navy Marine Corps Medal, the highest non-combat award for heroism.

This story of bravery and professionalism underlines the courage and dedication of our military personnel, even in the most challenging of circumstances.

On a spring day in 2018, U.S. Army Captain Jacob Riffe and his son spotted a vehicle that suddenly darted across the highway and crashed. Without hesitation, CPT. Riffe rushed to the accident site. He found a small fire and two passengers – an elderly man and his caretaker trapped inside. Riffe quickly extracted both individuals amid increasing smoke and flames.

For this act of bravery, spurred by what Riffe described as “a calling” to help – He was awarded the Soldier’s Medal, the highest honor for non-combat heroism in the U.S. Army.

We salute you, Captain Riffe, by raising a glass to the heroism you showed which undoubtedly saved lives.

It’s been 30 years since Christina and Scott Sterling met on Martha’s Vineyard. He had just finished Ranger School – a grueling experience by anyone’s standards.

Scott’s vision for the future captured Christina’s imagination; he had his sights set on bigger things and wanted to take full advantage of every opportunity the Army had to offer.

Christina and Scott married soon after. Scott went on to become a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment and received his Combat Diver Qualifications before completing Delta Force Selection and Operator Training Course (OTC) in preparation for A Squadron assignment.

Following his service, Scott had a successful civilian career developing world-class equipment for the next generation of soldiers serving in the military. After a diagnosis of colorectal cancer, Scott became passionate about GI cancer screening for his family and special operations community.

Christina founded the Sterling Promise Foundation after Scott passed away as a way to continue his legacy. She wanted to ensure that those who serve our country in the most extraordinary ways are able to live long, healthy, fulfilling lives following their careers in the US Army Special Operations.

Years of high-intensity training and deployment can take a toll on emotional, mental and physical health so the foundation helps veterans and their families by augmenting existing medical and financial benefits, covering the gaps that might exist between expenses and benefits.

Our first objective is to ensure that Special Operations veterans are adequately screened for serious medical conditions early in their retirement.

After Scott passed, Christina went through his paperwork, awards, and performance reviews. “While none of it surprised me, a lot of it moved me because in areas where they could have put very general comments about him, they took the time to handwrite notes that he was a natural leader, that they had never seen anyone like him,” Christina recounted.

On Your 6 Bourbon is proud to support Christina and the Sterling Promise Foundation in honoring Scott’s legacy by ensuring that Special Operations veterans get the testing they deserve.

Want to learn more about the Sterling Promise Foundation?

WWW.STERLINGPROMISEFOUNDATION.ORG