Category: Hero Stories

“Cycle to Celebrate” is the idea of Kaye Jordan, a Gold Star mother from Weatherford, Texas, whose 19-year-old son, Army Pfc. Austin G. Staggs, was killed in action Nov. 29, 2010, in Afghanistan. Staggs was one of six gunned down by a rogue Afghan border policeman who fired on his American trainees.

“Cycle to Celebrate,” part of the Legacies Alive program, raises awareness for families who lost loved ones in service. This cross-country ride from San Diego to New York City is a 9/11 Remembrance Ride, somewhere Kaye and Austin wanted to visit after his deployment. Kaye’s wish for this journey of healing was to connect and exchange stories with as many Gold Star families as possible. 

“As time goes on after the initial shock and burial and all the attention they’re getting, that kind of fades away and there they are. The additional support is something that could be uplifting to them,” she believes.

On the initial ride, Kaye was joined by Michael J. Perich (whose son went missing September 28, 2008) and other fellow Gold Star families. Along the way, they stayed in hotels, and occasionally families hosted them overnight; some VFW posts cooked lunches and dinners offering a chance to hear stories of other families’ sons and daughters.

Jordan would go on to serve as the President of the Parker County Gold Star Families, a position she took on after her son’s Weatherford High School friend, Clayton Beauchamp, was killed in Afghanistan. She also coordinated efforts to build a veteran’s memorial park in Parker County which includes a prayer garden, a pavilion, a Gold Star memorial monument, and walk of honor for the Veteran’s Memorial at Soldier Spring Park. 

Kaye describes her son Austin as the sort of young man who brought out the best in people and did his part to ensure that everyone felt welcome. After losing him, Kaye has made it her mission to keep his memory and the memory of other fallen soldiers alive by supporting the causes of Gold Star Families.

This is a heartwarming story of two everyday heroes: firefighter Bill Lindler and his pitbull mix, Jake.

Their friendship began when Bill pulled Jake from a burning shed as a 3-week old puppy. Jake’s small body was 50-70% covered in burns and so he was rushed to a local clinic for treatment. Upon finding out that Jake’s owners didn’t claim him, Bill decided to adopt him right away.

“I don’t think Bill even discussed it with his wife, it was just – he’s coming home with me,” Danielle, Jake’s vet, recounts with a laugh.

Bill and Jake soon became inseparable. Jake needed close supervision during his healing process, so Bill started bringing him around the Hanahan, SC fire department. “The guys immediately took to him,” says Bill. “He’s real good for morale.” 

When the firefighters come home from a job, Jake is there to greet them.

“We can go out on a real bad call and come back and he’s there and happy to see us. No matter what happens, he’s always there,” one of the firefighters says. 

Soon, the mayor of Hanahan decided to make Jake an honorary firefighter and the official mascot of the department. This is only the beginning of what is shaping up to be an inspiring partnership between Bill and Jake. 

Now, Jake’s duties involve training as an arson detection dog and going out to local schools for education classes about fire prevention. Bill also would love to see him be a therapy dog for burned children. “So they can see that he’s a survivor and that, despite the scars, they’re all still beautiful.”

Catherine Johnson is a retired police officer with Austin Police Department with 25 years of experience. After graduating from TCU, Johnson started her career in juvenile probation. She joined the Austin Police Department in 1999 as a patrol officer where she enjoyed how every day held something different. In 2003, she was promoted to detective, investigating cases involving abuse of children. 

Over the years, Johnson held many roles and was chosen for the FBI National Academy’s prestigious three-month leadership program. In 2021, she was promoted to assistant chief, where she served until her retirement in June 2022.

Johnson was working in recruiting for the Austin Police Department when she learned of the 30×30 Initiative. Police departments that choose to sign the pledge commit to raising their percentage of female law enforcement officers to 30 percent by 2030 and to making police culture more inclusive.

Nationwide, women make up only 12 percent of the force — and only 3 percent of leadership positions. Johnson found that unacceptable. Research compiled by 30×30 shows that female officers are more trusted by the community, use less unnecessary force, and promote positive outcomes for crime victims.

Catherine was also one of the founding members of the Women’s Mentoring Program with APD. The goal is to pair younger officers with more experienced female police officers to help and guide them throughout their careers.

“It’s the day to day that officers and first responders, the things that they go through, but they still show up even when people don’t appreciate them. And that’s really tough to see after doing this job for so long is that men and women are still putting on the uniform and protecting the community when they feel like they don’t have that support.” Johnson believes.

In my life, I feel very fortunate to be part of the family of law enforcement and to be part of that community and to always support that community.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.