Veterans open up on the true meaning of Memorial Day
U.S. veterans sit down with 'Fox & Friends First' on Memorial Day.
Megan Fox has been supporting veterans her entire career, which is why working with former U.S. Army vet Colin Wayne was a "no-brainer" for the actress.
The 34-year-old star teamed up with Wayne, the 30-year-old CEO of Redline Steel who also served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, to donate $2 million worth of products to the military community.
"I'm so excited to be able to work with U.S. veteran-owned Redline Steel in their $2 [million] pledge this month for Memorial Day," she told Fox News in a statement.
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"What Colin went through overseas to then create his company now to be able to do this type of give-back is extraordinary. It was a no-brainer to be a part of this Memorial Day promotion and give back to those who knew and are related to ones who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country," Fox added.
Colin Wayne and Megan Fox during their Instagram Live chat. (Instagram/Colin Wayne )
Redline Steel is a decor manufacturing company owned by veterans, and Wayne was appreciative of the entertainer's help spotlighting the business.
"Megan has made it a point to be an advocate of first responders. It is because of how passionate she is about veterans that our views aligned right from the get-go," he told Fox News in a statement.
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"When we started discussing our plans to collaborate together in promotion of products that both were made 100 percent in America and could help support veterans and their families -- we knew it was going to be a great project," Wayne explained.
"Memorial Day, in my eyes, has a negative stigma behind it. Most companies do their best to monetize on this day, whereas Megan and I want to give back. It is a day to honor those that have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we as free Americans can enjoy the freedoms we experience, and sometimes take for granted, every day," he added.
Wayne told Fox News about how he enlisted in the military a few days after his 17th birthday and served from 2006 to 2013, collectively.
Colin Wayne next to medals he received for combat. (Colin Wayne/Integrity Driven)
"I took a lot of the leadership training and core Army values and instilled them [in] not only myself post-service, but also to my business at Redline Steel," he explained.
Wayne was injured on May 3, 2012, while serving in Afganistan. He admitted that returning home after his third tour was vastly different than previous times because of his recovery process.
"One thing that was hard for me to cope with on a personal level was a sense of abandonment," he explained. "When I was injured by a 107mm rocket that impacted a few feet from me, there were three other people in the same building that left without checking on me."
"Due to the force of the blast I suffered a concussion and I remember yelling for a medic but nobody was around me. It was pitch black, I couldn't see my hand in front of my face, my leg was throbbing in pain, I could barely breathe due to the massive amount of debris in the air. After a few minutes, two soldiers came in and got me, but those [four to five] minutes felt like hours. So coming back stateside, I have been told by family members that I was a lot more distant and that I had changed some," Wayne said.
Colin Wayne serving in the Army. (Colin Wayne/Integrity Driven)
Since returning to the states, Wayne is a fierce advocate for better medical care for veterans.
"I believe that veterans need better medical care, and this is an urgent matter that should be looked into," he explained. "I personally avoid visiting any Veterans Affairs [VA] hospitals due to the lack of treatment care, and timing for appointments to be made."
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"If a veteran returning home from a combat zone needs to see someone for PTSD help, they may not be around in [two to three] months when they can finally get an appointment. With an average of 22 veteran suicides per day, there is a sense of urgency. The VA is an absolute nightmare and I would contest that most veterans would agree with that statement," he said.
He also makes it a point to return to the Middle East "to help inspire the troops and give them hope that veterans can do amazing things when they leave the service," because he believes that "as long as you work hard, and have self-confidence, [you can] do anything that you put your mind to."
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