You, first of all, for for being coming out on a on a on a weekday evening to this suspense some time with theresa and i. As we as we share share the book. Share a book that were very proud of. Secondly let me apologize, because i was a little untimely. I actually got was i say working on my resiliency, i went to a park and lost a little bit of time, left a little bit of track of my time and so i so sincerely apologize for being late my my old boss here, general anderson, is our term and we we pride ourselves on be on time and i was i was not on time so. Um so please accept our apologies but my apologies because, um, because left a little late. Secondly. Ah, thirdly, there are some, theres a lot of familiar faces here. And, and im absolutely really humbled that so many people this journey, this, that, that we talk about in the book are here and and how you all directly and indirectly have shaped my have shaped my life and um you know were just sort Getting Started with were three months to the day of the official release of of the book and and were getting close to ten times or so of having one of these events. I think is number seven. I think, um, and on several occasions, um, weve, weve had the opportunity to have an individual, um, who is, is whos in the whos been part of, of the jury. Thats document it and um, and so if you dont, if you give me a second, i would just like to Major General retired and Rodney Anderson his linda to stand up because theyve been a huge huge part of my my journey and id just like. You and you can read a little bit about him in the book yeah so um with, with that said were going to were going to try to theres no direction that have to go and. We certainly look forward to entertain your questions but what we try do is try to give you some insights and glean of the some of the things that are in the pages, not necessarily readily in the book and, and share those sort of stories. And hopefully thatll even pique curiosity more and get us started with. With the cover of the book. Um its, it a selfportrait that i took about 12 years ago. Um, not because i planning a book cover or, or anything like that. Um, it was, there was a exhibit at a local art center in northern virginia, you know, not far from where i live, that, um, that, that opened a exhibit for veterans answering a question how how veterans themselves and, and i decided im an avid and i decided that i to try to to the that into a photo and i for the early part my my of attempts were to take this classic selfportrait. You know i, i this famous portrait of uh of ernest hemingway. And i was trying Something Like that, trying to look more sophisticated than i was or whatever. And it just, it was a disaster. It wasnt working. I, i put it on the back for a little bit, and, and i, one day i was taking pictures of one of my camera and and i sort of realized that it was a wide angle lens, and it it let you get kind of close. And i realized that could fit my new body. Um, you know, um, im sometimes i like to say sometimes that can classify myself as a little person now. I mean, nothing. Um, but i could fit new body in a, in tight frame and i would talk to my wife about says, well, why dont you go in the backyard and take it at the top of the walk out of our basement and, uh and she said, you know, um, you know, it may, you know, at being at the top of the stairs may you know, represent, um, you overcome, what you overcame and so she helped me set my camera up on a tripod and i had a cable, and i took a bunch of pictures and. The one you saw was one that i submitted to the art centers, as is my answer to the question, do veterans see themselves . And i called the photo scarred rizzo um, you know, my scars are i cant ever hide. Uh, theyre very obvious its, um, but i want to. But i was also saying that thats not what defines me. I felt that i did not want to be defined by bob. My scars are a part of me. Theyre part of my journey, part of my life. But thats not my thats not my defining characteristic. And and so i, i interested in was up and i actually got along with some other photos. I, um, got a chance to show some in new york city and texas. And so it was a little bit of a, a traveling exhibit. But anyway, um, were trying to figure out a photo for the, um, uh, the book, the book cover and i had given it to teresa and. She shared it with the publishers. I think as soon as they saw the, um, they figured said that was it. So yeah i had sent them a number of photos some taken by the new york giants. There was one of greg stepping out onto the practice field and hes his prosthetic leg legs and he looks large and in charge and hes got his sunglasses on, a little smirk, his face. And as new york giants shirt with the logo bright blue and hes it looks fabulous i thought thats going to be the photo and but i also sent him the selfportrait and happened to be in tucson, where our publisher, tim shaffner is based and went to lunch with them. And he pulled out his laptop and he showed me a of different covers. But then i tell he was leading up, you know, and he showed me the one that we chose and i just thats absolutely plus its happens to you my favorite color. So the green teal worked perfectly. Yeah so ill im going to transition to the teresa. Let us let us talk about lets talk a little bit more about how this got started and how long it was such a long journey, so greg and i met just a few months after he was wounded. I was working as producer at what was then known as the pentagon channel. Some of you may be familiar with carried on. Uh, its not my fault. I produced. I did daily coverage for they used to have that show at 6 00 and then i graduated was promoted to a documentary series called recon you might remember that story. So i got to produce that show for a while, which is a great job. I was assigned to write as i first got to the pentagon, i went there kicking and screaming. I worked for nbc news through a series of really boring events, wound up leaving nbc and going to the pentagon. And i didnt want to go off. And im here for six months. Im out and i wound up staying for eight years until that particular operation. But anyway, i was assigned go cover the opening of matsu, the military advanced training, which was a new wing at walter reed, a new rehab wing. And it was opening up on one year to the date, i believe, of one Year Anniversary of the Washington Post scandal that heard part series three, part that you may remember that. And it was kind of the walter reeds answer to that scandal. So i went there to cover it and there were many wounded there demonstrating different pieces of equipment. And greg was there learning to use his new prosthetic legs. And he was on in a harness that had a caribbean or on the back they had a cable that was attached to a track in the ceiling and so he could walk attach this cable and then if he fell he wouldnt face plant right he would just kind of hang there. So like pinocchio and so so he was coming around the track and i had videographer with me and hes roland and greg wipes out right in front of me buddy and hes just hang in there all and i leaned so i could see him and i and and he says and he looks up at core of his eye and he says are going to use that. And i said and he went wow, i his legs back underneath them and and what all because like said better do it again and i thought well thats the moral of the story right that. They he says everyones going to see me fall. I said, well, they get to see you get back up and keep going. And thats kind of the whole point of the whole book. I can always say its a little bit about the military and a little bit about football, but its a lot about recovery. So thats well, and then the book, that was how we met. That was how met. And then a few months later, few months later, his best chuck kretzmann calls me up and says, well, hold on a sec, so let me i dont how many of you have read the book . But this is very first book. She when when we met before when we first met, she hadnt even began taking classes on, writing. And so thats really when the project. Yeah, i was a Television Producer for many years and we do a lot of writing, but its very different book writing. And so i wanted to learn how to write a book. So i was in, so i started taking classes and then chuck schwartzman calls me up and. He says, hey, did you know greg is talking to the giants, new york giants, michael what about . And hes like, well, hes like a motivational speaker to the new york times, just kidding me. And then, you know, it goes on. The season goes on, and then they win. And im thinking, hmm, guy loses of his legs in iraq. And then coaches new york giants to the super bowl. That seems like a good story. I think ill write that book so i started going to these classes and i said to greg, hey, do you mind if i write a book about you . And what was your response . Well, she asked if i said i wanted to write about you was she was taking a writing course she wanted to use as a story for her writing. I said, sure, i dont mind, but to under two conditions a cant use my name and b. Look, im not interested in this ever being published. This is not why im doing this. The for me and ill do this for you, but i am interested in this ever being published and see you agree. I agreed and he made me. I said, what do you want to call you . Then he said, i want you to call me, harry. Okay, its my grandfathers name. If you didnt that at the time, but it was my grandfathers life. So i go to this writing workshop and ive got a couple chapters written and all of you know how workshops work. But we read each others and then we critique each other and its my day to be critiqued and i start and this in the workshop stands up and says that guys name is not harry. That guys name is greg gatz and shes stealing his story she is a plagiarist and so i had to do something with my instructor, michael koryta, who writes who writes mysteries at the time. He was our instructor at this workshop and. Boy, i still remember the look on his face like, well, youre out of here. So i had some explaining to do and obviously the truth came out and i then from then on called you. Yeah, yeah. Well, i thats my name. So another kind of actually another question that we get is how long did it take us to write this and and why did it take so long . Our, our answer is 16 years and everybodys like, wow. I mean, know, we were right. One word at a. And part of it was i really never intended for it to be published. I first have to admit that, you know, our relationship and grew stronger by really her sort of. Inquisitiveness or, caring and just asking me, you know, asking me questions. And we developed a hard conversations and and so a large part of what i shared was actually, i think a part of me healing this is me healing. Early on. Its me healing is very and and when i would talk to her i wasnt talking in her mind that this was going to be published. I was very free and candid i hope i could be. And i think i would be the same now. But i was just it was very and i didnt hold i didnt any punches and and, um, and like, and, uh that was my sort of protection because. I wasnt worried about it being, being published and so we got to, we got to a point where the book sort ended with, you know, the giants winning the super bowl against the undefeated new England Patriots super bowl 42. So so i was like and then they won the super bowl. The end, like, and and so so therese mentioned one of my best friends named chuck kretzmann. Um, he was the other outside linebacker at point when i played football at west point, we were best in each others weddings, went to see jesse together, just, you know, really joined the hip, you know, when, when people ask about us, they about the other one, depending on whos there and and we both, we retired. We came in the army exact same day because we were prep sisters the United States military prep Preparatory School and we got out of the army one month apart and six months after he retired, he was diagnosed with als. Lou gehrigs disease, and hes still alive to this day. We and in in 2000 in 2012. But you know the disease is still making making progress but in his stories is another significant story itself for him to be dealing with this. But he was the one that came back to that came back to to specific and said, um, i really think you guys should publish this book and it was it was the word that to me was what pushed me over the um of the hump to to to to edit to produce the book or the published a book. Well, by that time i mean this is a few years into his a. L. S. , i mean a lot of things had started to happen. I mean, my men in my classmates liked to call me forrest gump because, i mean, some of the things that have kind happened were certainly never anything on my radar from you know not just one super bowl or two. So im and oh against tom brady so i dont know if that makes me but but um, you know a couple of movies and tv just, you know i say being able to continue to serve in active duty and and uh, and, and even command again were some of the highlights of, of that that transpired. You know postsuper post the first super bowl and so so thats thats what took so long yeah thats what took so long because i was like super bowl was the end and then he called me up and he wasnt bragging we were friends. He was just telling me how im going to be in this movie making the movie movie. Im done with the book and hes like, well, im, im going to, uh, iceland to test these new prosthetic legs been used before, especially not by a person has to, uh, as a double amputee. And im like, yeah, yeah legs migs. Oh, i dont want, dont want to go back. I dont want to do anymore. And then it became apparent, you know, through everything he was doing that it all had to be included, was all part of his story and ill had to be included and in fact, many of those things were the way points, right . Yeah. And, uh, you know, you should what are the other things that sort of happened with the book, you know, as we sort of let it firm in and percolate over time. Is, is, um, with more things in the rearview mirror. I think it really became better, became more it fermented for it. Yeah. Your perspective changed. Yeah. You know, when you were just you were newly wounded and you didnt know what the waypoints were right. And then as those things became clearer, things began to happen. And one of the big waypoints, one of the big turning points was when you went to vail, veterans and you were able to go skiing and, you were able to walk. Now the one was you. It was spring and you could go fishing with jaylen with son and august and you could well he learned that he go horseback riding with his whole family and he that he could do some of those things that he was so concerned that he wouldnt able to do anymore. Yeah you actually want to talk. Can talk about your, um. People say, you know, why did you write book . I mean, obviously it was a good story, but when i first met greg and i was thinking about this and i have all ive ever said this before but of that at walter reed i met a lot of people that day who are still in my life. That was just a big for me, but, uh, there was just a presence about him, even though he was just a few months out from being grievously wounded and hes stomping on his legs, you know, not the most thing for a person and learning in front of all these cameras. Um, i could just that, uh, there was something about him and i was brand new to covering the military. I didnt know, you know, a general from, a lieutenant. I didnt know anything. And so i and i know what his rank was. I, um, so it was just a genuine. That guy seems kind of cool. I want to be his friend. I want to meet him. I want to know more about him. So. Yeah, there was that. Yeah. Um, there was a, you know, one of the things that happened too was that in piecing together so, greg is for the first four chapters, right . So he couldnt tell me much about what had happened. So piecing that together was quite a an undertaking so greg was able to point me in the direction of of some people, you know, who was in the truck with him. So i was able to track down a few people who were out on route jackson that night and speak to them and. Um, but there was one guy named bradby who once everyone Gulf Company Commander was sitting behind in the vehicle. Yeah. So once everyone out that greg was wounded, brads like, oh, wait, im in charge. This is my scene now so great. So brad had to establish a perimeter and try to organize chaos, tend to the wounded and make sure the wounded being tended to and and, uh, so he had everything to do with that scene and he had gotten out of the military and i couldnt find him. Id call up people and theyd say, yeah, bradburn youre going to find that guy. He went underground. Youll never youll never reach him. Okay . And it was probably a year of just searching, like bugging my army friends to look in the army directory, which theyre not supposed to do, and try to find him for, me and and, uh one day just. I dont know why. I, i try it the whole try this one more time and on the good ole internet some document up that had a email from someone whose last name was bandy. Im like, im just going to say all this out into the into the cyber sphere and see if anything comes back. And i said if you know a guy named brad, you know, tell him im trying find him a couple weeks and im sitting at my desk and my phone rings and i dont recognize the number. And i normally wouldnt pick up, but for some reason i did. And this voice says, is this tyrese . And i said, yep. And he said, this is brad bandy i heard you been looking for me. And brad had forensic reports. He photos. He had a lot of detail and was a great and remember it every bit about it and the thing made the whole project easier was how beloved greg was and is all i had to do was say im writing about greg gadson and would say, what can i how can help . What can i do . How can i help you with that . With that project. One of the things that also kind of stands out in the end in us on the book is for the first 13 years, i couldnt get past chapter. Four like again. You havent read, dont want to ruin anything but. It was just its what i dont remember. And emotionally, intellectually it just it just floored me and i would just stop and i would always walk away. And and it was the pandemic where i wasnt traveling, going anywhere that the reason read the book together over zoom and and got through it i mean, i would have you know i had to read the book to make sure i felt like it was you know, accurate and, and were there werent a whole lot of things we had to change. But that was part of our, our own proof reading, if you will. But yeah, for the majority of it and, even the day if i mean reading those first few chapters is i, i, i dont want to say i dont like to it, but it, its just that emotional, you know, almost 17 years later, some things he didnt know about, he didnt know they had happened. I was reading, i was like, oh, i didnt, i didnt realize that it was, you know what . It actually happened at that scene. What did actually at the medical unit and what actually happened at