Life After the Military and Serving Veterans | Jason Lee, Eagle Group of Minnesota Veterans #092

Hello everyone. I'm Karissa from Shining Light on Minnesota. I am super excited today. I have Jason Lee with me today. Welcome Jason. Thank you Karissa. Hi everybody. So you're from the Blaine area and you're a veteran. Let's talk a little bit about your past, what got you to where you are today and what you're looking for. Okay. Well, um yes, I'm a veteran. Uh some recruiters caught me while I was um 18 years old working for Wendy's. Uh, I was at I was attending Edison High School and they asked me what my plans were after high school. I said, "I actually have zero plans." And they said, "What do you ever think about the military?" I said, "No, I have not." He said, "Do you want to take the test to see if you qualify?" So, I went and took a test, passed it, and uh went home and told my brother that I took the test for the army. And I passed and he told me I couldn't make it in the army. Yep. So, I called the recruiter and said, "Well, guess I'm going." [laughter] So, um, that was that was I I joined March 31st, 2000. Nice. And, uh, yeah. Um, I actually had my first kid in 2000 as well. Congratulations. So, my military career like followed her as she got older and nice. I retired in 21 when she was going off to Hawaii for a doctorate degree. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. So you've done some serving and you've had the ups and downs, but you've gotten into supply chain somewhere along the way after you got out of the army. Let's talk a little bit about that. Yeah, so I actually was in the supply chain when I was in the army. Um I was in supply the entire time, whether if it was like ordering parts for class 9 or ordering weapons, ammo, gear for soldiers coming in. And when I was transitioning to start looking at retirement, y I researched and found that Carlson School of Management here in uh Minnesota has a 11-month accelerated program and we were deploying in 2019. So I reached out and tried to see if I can do it while I was deployed. Absolutely. And they were like, "Oh, sorry. We're uh in [sighs and gasps] in school program. It's not virtual." But while we were gone, CO happened. So then they contacted me and said, "Hey, [laughter] guess what? We're virtual now." Yep. So it changed. But um I actually didn't join until I got back from deployment. And then I figured that if I got the supply chain master's degree, it will match with my military experience so I can be profitable to the civilian sector. Amazing. And currently, you're looking for work. So, you're trying to get your name out there a little bit more and just meeting people and seeing who has readily available jobs. Yes. Yes. I am um I don't want to sit at home and just submit a bunch of applications. I feel like my next position is going to come through someone I know or someone they know. So, um I'm a volunteer for the Eagle Group of Minnesota Veterans and it's a it's a organization nonprofit that just helps veterans in transition whether they're getting out of the service or transitioning from one job to another. Amazing. And uh that's the motto. You know, you network yourself into your next position. How did you get into the Eagle Network? How did you find them? Um I feel like they end up finding you. So, it's a it's a it's an organization that feeds itself. So when veterans go through there and then they get help through them, they always come back and way want to help the next veteran in transition. So I used them in 2021 when I um I got introduced to them in 2021 when I was um [clears throat] getting ready to retire. I landed a job um and then I just kept going back. So you know I was working late hours but Tuesday night meetings from 5:00 to 7:00 I'll just log in and meet the new veterans that's going through the program. People don't understand what civilian life is like after deployment and after you get out. Let's talk a little bit about that because it's not easy. I I understand. Yeah. Um well, I was one of the fortunate ones that can get a full-time job in the state of Minnesota. So, you don't have to deploy to like a Fort Bragg or Fort Hood to have like a active duty um career. But getting out and you know like the lingo you use and the structure that you follow in the military it's it's so much it's it's night and day when it comes to that in the civilian sector. So um one of the things is kind of like taking accountability for your actions and things like that. And um if someone mess up they'll just they'll just take it and learn from it and move on. But I feel like I've ran into like people that tries to like push it off onto someone else, you And it's like not my job, not my lane. Yes. A lot of that. And I feel like everything's my lane. If it came across my desk, so I try to fix everything. It's impossible. So you have I mean you had some deployments while your daughter was growing up. Where did she travel with you or was she back home here or what did she So I actually um I actually have four children and I had them very young. I was um I didn't do it the the traditional way and get married and didn't have kids. So um my first deployment I have four and my son was 6 months when I left. Got it. And it was the long deployment if you've heard about that when in 0507 and um she was with her mom when I was deployed. The other three were with their mom when I was um deployed. But when I got back um through some things that happened I ended up getting custody of my oldest. So we grew up kind of close. And uh yeah, they they they never traveled with me to for my deployments because I was state side. Yep. It wasn't like they were Yep. I got it. So, you've had you've had your kids growing up. Who have been some of your major mentors along the way that have formed you to make you who you are today, do you think? Um I always I always looked up to my mom. She was uh single single mom. My dad was uh on drugs growing up, so he was around and we would see him, you know what I mean? But um yeah, she she pretty much had to do it on her own. And on that deployment, you know, I was looking at my life and four kids with um women I don't see myself marrying or anything like that. And I was one person that always wanted to uh point the finger at everybody else. You know, it's just like it wasn't my fault they did this or they did that. But somewhere on that deployment, I had the epiphany that I was where I was because of my own actions. Mhm. And uh that day I just feel I just said I'm going to start taking responsibility. I'm going to be a more positive person. Yeah. Positive outlook. And I mean throughout the military, my roommate over there, um command Sergeant Major Dempsey, that's Sergeant Major right now. Um Yaser Isht Way. I mean, it was it was it was a bunch of it was a bunch of people that, you know, um either I helped them, they helped me. I ended up being like the company barber, so I was able to talk to everybody. So, I don't know. It was just there's a lot of mentors along the way. It's a community. And you still have relationships with all of them, I take it. Yes. Yes. Good. Good. Good. Do they live closer? Do they live all around the country? No, they're all here. Um, a lot of people don't leave Minnesota. I I've come to realize I thought I was going to be able to leave when my kids graduated high school, but um I got sandwiched between my children and my and my mom. So, um, I was a caregiver for her for a while. So, it's a hard that's a hard thing. I'm going through it right now. So, it's it's I have stories if you need ever needed someone to talk to cuz Absolutely. I went through it. Yep. So, you were talking about wanting to write a book along the way a little bit and just kind of figure things out. What all would you talk about in your book and what all do you have planned for it? [sighs] Well, the book is actually going to be about um the caregiver position that people just don't prepare you for or talk about. Um, [snorts] my mom just died. Oh, I'm so sorry. April 16th. So, I have a lot of um free time now. Yeah, but the caregiver is is thankless. It is. Dementia, she um [snorts] Dementia's hard. My mom has it. I get it. Yep. In memory care and trying to figure things out. Yeah, she wasn't in memory care. It's just I mean the dementia just she was bedridden so it just kind of like accelerated it seemed like and she had a lot of other things going on. So Mhm. Yeah. I figured if I write a book about that experience, it might help the next person. For sure. I mean, everybody needs help in that role, no matter what it is. But that that's [snorts] Yeah. I I lost my dad. My mom at the same time was in ICU, so it's bouncing back and forth. Totally understand. And my mom's now got early onset Alzheimer's dementia, but that's taking over faster than anybody knows. Mhm. Yep. Yeah. My brother died two years earlier, and like with the dementia, you would think that she would like forget about it like everything else. She fixates on it. Yep. It was just like my son went and left me. I mean, it's like, well, I was kind of hoping that she would just like forget about it so you could just like go there and just spend time with her. But they they kind of set on those times and like when my dad was passing away 3 years ago and my mom was in ICU at the same time, I was hoping that that would be, you know, kind of an easier way for her to get through it, but now she always wants to know and relive what happened and how it happened and everything like that. And it's like the things that you want her to kind of just being not be in the back of her mind or in the front of her mind and the stuff everyday stuff like what did I eat today? Have I ate today? Have I taken care of myself today? All of those roles are there. I will give you another side of dementia though. Um because she had memory loss and I don't know what period of life she was in but she thought she was getting up working. She thought she was getting up shower and she thought she was doing all this active stuff. So I feel like if she had her complete mind, she would have been gone a long time ago. Yeah. Cuz just knowing that she was just laying there, she would have just probably gave up. Yeah. There's no point in living a life that's not consolable. That's not anything for anybody, right? It's not a good quality of life at all. And you have to make those decisions, too, like, okay, now now what? Like I have a full reset and now I have to I've gotten past the caregiver role. Now what do I do? Where do I go? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. So, I I don't know. I feel like that's where the book was going to come in. It helped to help somebody. Um I don't know. I'm always like willing to help willing to help someone that's in need. So, I felt like the book might be there since I don't know everybody. For sure. And any way that you can get your word out there, I mean, you've had a past, you've had history with it, too. I mean, it's it's inconsolable. Nobody knows what it's like until you actually go through it yourself. There's different phases. I mean, just like PTSD from probably serving. I mean, you have it in your own life where you're dealing with your brother, with your mother. I mean, I had my dad. I had my daughter who almost passed away. Now, my mom's kind of going in her in her graceful parts. But yeah, you just don't know how blessed you are to still be living and live every day. Not you only die once, you live every day. Yeah. I've heard that saying recently in the last year or so, and I was like, yeah. Yep. should be a model. Yep. Absolutely. I I kind of have started to live by that, especially more in the last year. Um when I went through some things with my daughter and her health, it's like you don't die once, you live every day. And you've got to kind of go by it and do it. So, yeah, with the situation with my mom though, I just I don't know. And I have all this downtime because uh like I got laid off from my job and then she died 9 days after. So, that's kind of like why the job search is still going. I feel like I didn't want to be job searching while I was dealing with that. But um I just been like focusing on like health. I've been meeting with a mindful coach, a mindfulness coach that I met through the Eagle group. Um I joined the move program at the VA just trying to drop some poundage and get the mind right and stuff like that. So I mean I look at the health that my mom was in and I'm like I should probably change. I want that to be me. Yeah. Yep. Well, it's it's good that you can see that in yourself and you're trying to make it make a difference and make some changes for yourself. What have been some positive uplifterss that you found along the way? [clears throat] Um I don't know like even with the death of my mom and my brother. My dad died um in 2011. So it was a family of four and now it's just me and but I you know I have my kids and um last year I became a grandfather. So congratulations. Yeah. Now you can have them and kind of send them home a little bit too. Yeah. It's just bless their heart. Oh, they're so adorable. Yeah. It's just I don't know. I just I just try to just keep moving forward. You know what I mean? I just I look at things that I can do and um yeah, I just keep moving forward. I I I just want to make sure that I'm ready for whatever comes next. Y and it'll come at the right time when it's meant to be. I mean, it everything has a plan, but you have to make things the best that they are, too. And that's hard to do that in certain times. It's just like, okay, what what am I going to do next? You know, it's you never know. But I still found the positive sides of like everything. Like, so my brother died. It was a it was a accident. I I felt like it probably should have been a lawsuit or something like that, but he was sick at the same time. Got it. So, um he was on oxygen, permanent oxygen, plugged into a machine and the power went out in the neighborhood and um that was on a Monday. He died on a Wednesday. So, probably just freaked out when the power turned off and then you know my mom um I had to make the decision to put her on hospice. But I was like um she's not going to get any better. You know what I mean? like they couldn't really do much else for her. So, right, I I just left it in God's hands. I was just like, if this is the time for her to go, you know, save the suffering. So, I just always try to find the posit positive side of situations. Yep. We had to do the same thing with my dad when he was sick. It was one of those like, do you want to try to do any more surgeries or do anything to help him? And I'm like, no, it's my brother and I just both made the decision right then and there. It's it's his time. And when he needs to go, he'll go. So, we just stayed by his side for 4 days straight and just held his hand and were there for him and let him know that we were there. And yeah, it's it's an interesting beast, I tell you. Yes, it is. Yeah. And it comes and goes in waves and nobody understands that until you go through it yourself. You could be driving in your car. It could come up at any time. And it's it's just always there. Oh, yeah. Yep. I'm watching a show called The Shy. And um one of the one of the main characters moms died last season and then it rehash it this season and it was like right after my mom and that hit me hard. And then recently this week's episode another mom died in another family. I'm like there's too many mothers dying. Too many mothers. Yep. And I I don't want to hear about that now. Now because mine Yep. Oh boy. Here we go. Yeah. Oh, you need to find the good when like the moms are all up and happy and doing all the great things. Friends or something. Yep. [laughter] Which is interesting cuz when my daughter was sick, that's all we had playing the whole time she was there was Friends cuz she likes that show and it was just one of those you try to find the good, you try to stay upbeat. But yeah, now when people talk about friends, I'm like, "Okay, let's [laughter] let's get past that." So you have a lot going on. What do you like to do for fun? [sighs] I just like to I don't know, golfing, bowling. I usually find sports that can really like ruin your day, but it's something about getting out there on a golf course and just, you know, you know what you want to do. You tell your brain you just hit this little ball and hopefully it's on the green and two putt for a birdie. But nine, 17 out of 19 times that's not the case. Or 17 out of 18 times is not the case. Um um yeah, I was in a pool league. Um me and my team didn't uh work out last year. Yeah. I needed some structure cuz you know um I forgot I think pool day was on Wednesday or something like that and Monday they're like who's bowling this week? And I'm like why can't we put a schedule together, right? Yeah. Make it cohesive, right? Just randomly throwing it in last minute and worrying if you're going to have a team or not. Yeah. And I'm like this is this is re ridiculous. And they're like well I want to bowl every week. And I'm like, "Yeah, but when you have seven people on a team and you can only bowl five a night, that's not possible." No, not at all. And I'm like, um, I like cruising. Y, that's my favorite pastime. Nice. And I'm like, I can't plan something cuz I feel like I have to be available in case in case someone doesn't show up or you're the alternate, whatever. Yeah. They're like, well, what if I what if I can't bowl one week? I'm like, then you find someone to switch it with, but you're set for that week. Let us know. So, um, I might be looking for another team. um this both this coming up season. Where do you bowl at? Uh was Blainebrook. Bla Brook. Yeah. Yeah. So um I feel like they're the best deals around. I don't like the bowling alleys that have like the hourly charge or something like that and then they try to put five and six people on one lane. I to me it's a waste of money. Yeah. Yep. For sure. You've done some traveling along the way obviously. Where have been some of the places that you've traveled and that have really made stuck out in your mind that have made a difference? Croatia was fun. Um we went over there for uh um what do they call it? Um it's like a multi-country exercise or something like that. Croatia was fun. I um it was my first and last time going over there. Um I did a little stretch of nine months with Delta Airlines. Nice. I thought if I took a entry- level position that I could um the corporate jobs will look at you a little bit. Yeah. Harder be able to move up a little bit. Yeah. But um that that didn't seem to pan out. But every week I found that I was going to go somewhere and most of them was local unless I had three days because international you got to take a day there and a day back. Y and um you don't get any you don't get any um vacation times your first year with Delta. Y so I was able to travel to London and see my cousin that lives over there. I saw Paris for the first time, Iceland for the first time. um Mexico. It was It was fun that nine months. Do you ever go on any trips with your kids? Do you do any traveling with them? Yeah, we um did two really big road trips. Nice. Actually, three. Yep. And um we had shirts made. Um I rented a big 15 passenger van. Fun. And we just hit the road and it was kind of like a landmark tour where we hit like the Rockies. Um, I have a cousin that lives in Colorado and then we hit like the Four Corners monument that I didn't even know existed, right? Until like it was like February or January and then the crew the road trip was in July. Oh, very cool. And then we um Vegas, the strip, we went to California, saw the ocean, um the Hollywood Walk, Pier 39. Um it was just it was a really fun road trip, but at that time I was the only one driving. So it makes it long. I do the same thing with all my kids. You pack them all in and I'm like, "Okay, now I've got to drive 22 hours here and another 15 there." And Yep. Yep. And I guess I was I'm a control freak when it comes to driving. So, I was okay with that. But we probably could have saw a lot more or spent a lot more time if we didn't have to stop and y [clears throat] rest and all that stuff. Yep. All the all the sleeping stuff that you have to like just pull over on the side of the road or quick get a hotel for the night or do what you got to do. Yep. How old are your kids now? Um 21 22 24 25. They keep changing. I know when people ask me we have a blended family of seven. I'm like okay that one's now 17 that one's now 21. Like how do we do this all? Yeah. Yeah. Well it's kind of easy to remember because like the boys are a year and then the girls are a year. So it's 21 22 24 25. Nice. And um yeah they're they're all doing their thing. Um my daughter graduated. She's a doctor now. Do you get out to Hawaii? Is she still in Hawaii? So, I kind of convinced her to apply for um the internship here in Minnesota. I I didn't think her car was going to last another year. Y and um so she applied for a couple and she got this one at um um Natalis in St. Paul. Okay. Yep. Um and then her car broke down on her a month before she was coming back a year ago. Yep. So now that she's done, she's going to stay here for posttock. Nice. Good. But I feel like she's trying to get out of the cold. Yeah. Which I don't blame her. I don't like the cold either. And I've lived other places, but I I want out of the cold. Yes. Um I still I still think I might be leaving, but I don't know. We'll see. Yeah. But um then my 24-year-old um Alicia, the first girl's name is Jay, by the way. Then Alicia, she just graduated um culinary art school. Amazing. Um entrepreneur and bakery, and she has her own shop called Sugar and Spice. Oh, yum. Um shameless plug. Yep. And papa's helping her move cookies right now cuz I'm not working. Perfect. Yep. That that's an easy way to do that. Yep. And she's uh she's in the middle of moving, but she's going to get set up here soon. Nice. And then um Za is 22. He's uh he joined the Air Guard here. Amazing. In um Minnesota and he got a full-time position at the Fort Snelling. Oh, congratulations. Y Eli is the one that made me a grandpa, the baby. Yep. And um he is going to the University of Minnesota for computer science. And um he's in the ROC program. So he goes active duty when he graduates next year. Baby boy or girl. The baby boy. Yeah. Drayen. Uh I'll show you a picture when we're done. The guy is a bundle of joy. Yep. How fun. That's that's exciting. I mean it's good when you have your kids out there doing the things that they want to do. like you have to find your passion and I think that's hard for a lot of people or just figure things out and it's people don't know what they want to do even at our age like my age it's I don't know where I want to go or what I want to do but we'll figure it out. So when people start pressuring kids right out of high school, hey where are you going? What are you doing? They don't know. Yeah. I know I was never one that was going to pressure anybody. Um I just try to be that support that they can just tap back into. Yep. Absolutely. They use it sometimes. Sometimes they don't. like um Za was like, "Dad, I'm tired of fast food. I think I want to join the join the military." I was like, "Okay." And this was July. And then a month later, um he's like, "Yeah, I joined." And I'm like, "Wait, what? Hey, time out. We You brought that up one random time and now all of a sudden you've joined and you're enlisting." Yeah. I was like, you know, usually people like tell their family that they're enlisting or something so I can be there when you like take your oath or whatever, but no, just him and his girlfriend just went down there and swore in and and then he joined school. And I was like, well, if you're going to join the military, you should have waited for school. Yep. Right. But they're making their own decisions. It's hard when you get out of military, too. I mean, not just the transition period, but just trying to figure out, okay, what now? Like I was doing active duty for so long and now I have to come back and work a real job doing what? It's full-time. That's a lot. Yeah. And it's I don't know. The military was so just so much easier. Like there's regulations on everything. Um I don't know. I feel like a lot of jobs can be like OJT. You know, they want you to have all this experience and then when you say, "Hey, I did this but I did it in the military." which I know it's a little different, but the concepts are the same. It's just hard to like relate that to Absolutely. I had that that experience here. I had that experience there. Like I was ordering, you know, making sure everybody had everything. Supply chain is all there, but it might not be the full education that you need outside. Yeah. which is why the master's degree came in came into play because um it's accelerated but they take you through like the complete life cycle negotiations um picking supplier vendor management so I feel like um the masters was a good a good thing to add to my resume. Yeah. What do you think for people nowadays that want to enlist or thinking about enlisting and or that are against it? Um so I I get that question a lot actually. um being from North Minneapolis and join I don't think I would have done much with my life if I did not join the military. That's what I'll say. I'm like when people graduate they just don't have they usually don't have plans, right? And I did not have a plan. uh you know after you get into the military you see other parts of the world when they give you a skill then that's a that's like something that you can plan towards hey when I retire what can I do with the skill you know I would tell the people that are um kicking down doors that unless they want to be SWAT they should try to find something else or get some education while they're you're not going to imagine or magically go in and be a green breay or sniper either like the you've got to have work the ranks yes and one thing that people don't realize is that the military has every job that's in the civilian sector. So, um, doctors, I mean, everyone's a janitor in the military, right? Absolutely. Yep. Your bed has to be made. Your greens have to be perfect. Yep. Yep. So, I would say my kids asked me, I told them I was not against it. I didn't know that they wanted to do it, right? But um I talked to somebody um one of my friends sons um I think he's 23 24 was asking me about the military and I was like it's a job like anything else. The only thing is the military actually you know if they deploy you or if you're active duty you don't have to pay they give you like extra money for housing and it's only it's one of the only jobs left that actually gives you a pension at the end. Yep. Absolutely. Like a lot of employers went away from that and people supposed to fund their own and a lot of people are not doing it and they can't do it either, right? Yeah. Um what So you've done all that with your son that's now enlisted. Is he excited for it now or is he Yeah, he's um it seems like he works a lot. Um, I don't really see that much of him anymore, but I think his I think his I think he starts at 5 or 5:30 or something like that. And when they had the whole ICE protest at the Whipple building down there, like that was very close to him. Yep. And you know, that makes you kind of like nervous because front and center of that. You never know. You never know when things are going to get out of hand. So, um, but yeah, I mean, proud papa. You know, I just want kids to be productive members of society. Absolutely. and making a difference and say, "Hey, you're doing something you love to do." Yeah. I think he I think he missed the ball where he let his brother go ROC, though, cuz Oh, yeah. He's going to be an officer. Little brother's going to be an officer. So, Big is going to have to salute him. Oh, he's going to have to step up and salute and I'm here now. That's exciting though. That's good. So, you do a lot with helping people out. And how has helping other people out helped you out along the way? Um, I just I I feel like the helper usually don't get help. No, the helper usually is hard to ask for help, right? Because they help everybody else. It's like, "Oh, I can figure this out." So, um, I don't know. It just I don't know. It makes me feel good to be able to help somebody. you know, if I get business calls, I get personal calls, and people told me I could start a business as a personal coach or a business coach, and I haven't looked into that yet. But, um, just knowing that you gave somebody that missing piece of information that they just kept looking past to help them figure out a project or open a business, something like that is rewarding. Yeah. And you do a lot with the VFW and with the veterans, too. I mean, there's not a lot of people out there that have served that are willing to kind of rehash and relive and help. How has that how has that changed you at all? Um, I just feel like people that serve just they're always willing to help a the the next veteran. Y um you know, you hear about the the 22 a day. So, you just try to like tap into um your connection that you still have to just make sure everybody everybody's doing okay. And then when you hear about someone that passed, the first thing that comes to your mind is suicide. Absolutely. And you're kind of like relieved when you hear it's not that, you know. So it's it's a weird it's a weird spot to like live in. Yeah. It's a conundrum to just try to figure it all out and like, okay, how did they did they was it not? How do we talk to the family? Do we talk to the family? You know, where they where they at with it, too. Yeah. Yeah. And um there was a recent um situation in Minnesota. Um have you heard about the what is it called? Suicide the every third Saturday. Yep. I have. But maybe our our people listening. Yeah. Every third Saturday. Um, I don't know if it was based around suicide, but it's kind of like somewhere you can like take people to that have thought about it, had a plan or something like that. Um, when I worked for Mars, then I went to their their gala. Mhm. And they had people up there telling their story. Now, I would say if anyone ever enter um invite you to a gala, ask them what it's for because the stories you hear at these places are ridiculous. And there was this one guy that told a story about how he had a plan, everything like that. And um ETSs is what they call themselves, but every third Saturday like helped him. Yep. And he was working, he was productive, he was um risk of losing his children and stuff like that and he finally got them back. And then I saw an article that he was gone and I'm like, well, what what happened? I felt like everything was going well. And and then you find out that some people tried to steal something out of his truck and he like end up trying to jump on the car to stop it and rode off and hit his head. And I was just like, "Oh my god, that's not fair. Not fair, right?" Like when you when you beat suicide basically when you get away from that and you get your life back on track and then some people that just want to come and steal something from you and Yeah. It's just I don't know. It's tough. I know there's a place called Invisible Wounds, too. Have you heard of that? Have you ever heard of that? Yeah. It's out of force. Like, but a lot of times, I mean, it's hard for people, men and women both, to ask for help or to know enough to reach out. It seems like some of the happier people that you know are the ones that are hurting them deepest and they don't show it and they don't talk about it and they just keep it in like they always have. Yes. Um my one of my one of my close cousins is starting a program called I am Him and um not to give too much out of there bec not to give too much out there because it's not released yet but um talk about like if you take away all your titles what's left like if you take away like soldier father y um supporter son like who's who's left? Yeah. And I was like that's a deep question. Yeah. Well, it's like when people ask you what your why is and then go three levels deeper, like everybody always wants to say their kids and their family, but then you go deeper than that and you go to a third level deeper like what is your driving force? Like deep down inside of you, what makes you go every morning? Yeah. Yeah. You know, another another gala that I um attended was uh 360 communities. Have you heard about them? Yeah. And um just listening to those stories, I was like, my mom and my brother lived in Burnsville for years and I'm like, how did I not how do you not know about organizations like this that's out here helping families um and domestic um assault cases and stuff like that? So, I'm actually on the board for that. I I applied to be on their board so I can get into the community and give back. Yeah, that's one of the nice things. I mean, [clears throat] we're part of a lot of different associations and being able to control which ones are helping certain nonprofits and get out there and make a difference. You start to know and see all the other nonprofits that are out there. I mean, just talking to different people from all different worlds, everybody has a common goal. They want they want everybody to succeed, but they want to make a difference. They want to help. They want to get to know people on a deeper level and really say, "Hey, if I've done my job today, I've made a difference in one person's life." Yes. Yes. And I'm that weird person that just talks to random people for no reason at all. Spark up a conversation. Elevator. Yeah. I just I feel like you just never know the connection that you can make, right? But you have to start with a hello, how's your morning? Yep. And those those basic questions, you never know what anybody's going through. So when you say how are you? Yes. And someone's just walking by, they're like, "Oh, I'm okay." And stop like, "Why are you just okay?" you know, like I want to know like something in that tone of voice isn't correct when it's the people, you know, it's not just a hey, how's it going? It's, you know, how are you? Yeah%. Yeah. There was this one case um up in Blaine. I was I don't know. I sit in my car a lot. This is where I get to think and I drive when I'm driving, I'm always thinking that. Yeah. That's where my wind I I tell people that my windshield get my ugly cry cuz uh you can just let it out. Yeah. But um there was this lady sitting in the car and she just looked out of it. And most people wouldn't do it, but I I went up and I like, you know, stood back a little bit and I was like, you know, went down the window. I was like, ma'am, I'm so sorry if you're okay, but it felt like you needed something. Can I help you at all? Right. And she like, what do you mean? I'm just like, I was sitting here for a while and I looked at you and it looks like you were going through something. If you're fine, good. I'll go get my Pepsi Cherry Zero and go on my day. And she was like, "I'm good. I'm dealing with some stuff, but thank you for checking." I'm like, "Yeah, we're good. Perfect. We're getting a nice day." Yeah. Cuz you just never know what their what their turning point is or what what breaking point they're at or what they're dealing with. And it's even the people that seem to be super happy and chipper, all of a sudden you like you see them go into their car, you see them go somewhere and take that deep breath and like, "Okay, I faked it till I made it. Now what?" like I'm going to go and drive around for a little bit and cry myself out or I'm going to go and take a shower so nobody can see or just be alone and Yep. All wish it would rain temptations, right? Um there was uh there's a lot of suicide um survivors, I think you call them, that had a plan, something like that, and someone said something to them and changed their mind. Right. So, I don't know. I just say say hi to everybody. Absolutely. be nice and be kind and you never know what battle anybody's going through. On the same end, if you're not agreeing with someone, take a step back. They could be handling stuff on the inside that you don't even know about, too. So, yeah, 100%. Yeah. So, what do you think is next for you? [sighs] I don't know. I applied for a couple positions through some networks that I that I've um recently tapped into. I start while I was working, I was starting a nonprofit for homeless veterans. Amazing. Um called um BS for Battle Buddies and I was going to get to the filing side and then lost my job and thought I should keep cash on hand until I start working again. Yep. But yeah, my goal is to land a job and then continue my nonprofit. Amazing. How has the nonprofit been going? Are you starting to kind of get it out there a little bit or are you just in the beginning process of it? I'm in a beginning processes. I I have the paperwork. I filed it with the state of Minnesota. I've told the veteran organizations that I work with like ETS, um the Eagle Group. Um I know I have to connect with like MACB and the VA once I get it up and running. I wanted to wait until I got bids before I actually told them like, "Hey, I I have It's better to say I have bids available than saying, "Hey, I'm thinking about this idea." Well, and it's it's a tough world because my brother's a social worker um in Rochester, but and he deals with a lot of veterans himself because he has one, too. But seeing the people that are out there that don't have a bed because they can't find one or living spaces, living quarters, or you have the opposite, the ones that could have it all but don't want it, you know, just because they're hopping on train and going train to train or doing whatever they're doing. Y it's it's a tough world, but you still everybody still needs help. like there's a reason that they're not mobile and they're not stationary. They're going from place to place because they're dealing with things themselves. So, yes. Yeah. Um I was in Hawaii um and I connected through I connected to a guy that was uh in the Navy, I want to say through the Eagle Group. It's it's it's connected. And he was moving back to Minnesota. That's how I connected with him. But it was a month before I went to visit my daughter for the first time. And they built like a tiny home community for veterans there. But they say that they're not overflowing. Like they're not um they're not to capacity because they don't want to follow the rules, right, that it requires to stay there. So you have to come back to civilian life and act like a civilian and kind of follow the rules to make it all work, too. I mean, there's a lot of there's a lot of good veteran groups out there, and then there are other ones that are just kind of questionable, [snorts] too, that people just do it to do it and get it started. But yeah, I mean, there there are rules, but it's hard for them to try to figure out how to get back to handling and dealing with rules every day, too. Yes. Yeah. There's there's a lot out there. So, you have your nonprofit, you're looking for work. Let's talk with all your traveling. What have been some of your favorite foods that you've ate along the way? Oh, favorites. Um, I will say I am very easy to please. Like I think everything's better than ME. So like I just like to try like the local dishes when I go to different places. Um like the uh crumble in Paris. I got pizza while I was in Paris and nice um what was it in London? I don't remember. But one that sticks out is the national dish for Iceland. Mhm. You know what it is? It's called It's fermented shark. Okay. Yum. I forgot what it was called, but you had to try it. You know. Oh, you do? Yes. Absolutely. Yeah. Me and me and my um my buddy Chris, I added to my flight benefits while I was with Delta and we tried it and it was not okay. And it comes with instructions say chew it and then once you taste the flavor, swallow right away. Oh boy. And I'm like, what happens if I don't? Almost like if you go to Florida and you have alligator, it's supposed to be like chewy chicken. It's like, well, uh yeah, I've had the gator bites in Florida um this year, actually. So, um I just I don't know. I I like food. Um I went to New Jersey for Tony Bologonius um Hogis or something like that. I'm just I don't know. I like the big things that people say, "Oh, you got to try jumbo or gumbo." What's like I see the menu, but what's the special? Like what's the good thing or what's good here? And finding the offbeat places when you go somewhere, not just the typical standard. Here's your everyday Applebees. Let's go down in that alley and go to the Arthur Bryants in St. Louis or whatever it may be. Uh yeah, we um I cruise a lot and you know like the first mile or so is taken up by the cruise line or something like that. So it's kind of hard. But once you get out of the compound and then you can find that little taco stand or something like that. So that's what I'll eat. So I can't really say that this was my favorite or this is my favorite. I just I really love pizza. Yep. So if there's pizza somewhere Where's the best pizza you've had? What's the best pizza you've had? Ah, [sighs] the best. I don't know if I could pick one. Yeah. Well, they're all different. There's all different styles, right? I mean, there's like the Chicago style, there's the New York style, there's Yes. My son, when he turned 18, he wanted to go to No, it was 21. 18 or 21. No, it had to be 18. We went to Chicago. He said he wanted and all that stuff. Yeah. He said he wanted to try deep dish where it was originated. And um we did Gyroano's and Gino's East. I've done both of them. They're very different. They are different. Which one do you like? I think I like East better than Gerardanos. You know why? I I just the I had more flavor. I think when I had it. It's been a long time. But I think that that's Yeah, we liked Girardados versus East. And East seems like the I think it was like a cornmeal crust, something like that. It just didn't It didn't stay together, right? Like I feel like you had to eat it with a fork. Yep. That could be. I mean, ours was ours was staying together and it was like one piece when you had it. You could eat it and it wasn't falling apart. But I can see where if it wasn't made the right way, it would all kind of just crumble and be there, too. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They're both really good. But yeah, but we drove to Chicago for that a 24-hour trip. And then we drove back and then somebody was like, "There's a Gerardanos in in South." And I was like, "I did not know that. It's not the same." No, it's not Chicago's Groanos, but Yeah. And now they're opening in a location in the Mall of America. I just saw recently. Oh, that's cool. So, what about Blaine? Are there any good pizza places in Blaine that you've had? Um, yeah. Well, straight up raising four kids, like Domino's [clears throat] was it? Yeah. Right. 6.99. Yep. Absolutely. They do that once or twice a week. I mean, it's Yeah. Yeah. And then they have like the toppers up there. That's a veteranowned location. And um I've been there a couple times and they have the same 5.99 6.99 deal. Um, it sound like there was a piece of man that's up there that um is under new construction and they're looking to get business up there. Um, I just can't justify spending the extra money for people don't No, people don't understand once you have kids and it's like a simple going out to eat with all the kids versus like going on a trip. It's the same price that it used to be. Like it's it's crazy. Just going to Taco Bell for five of us or six of us or however many are there is going to be a few hundred. Yeah. It's insane. [laughter] And I just I tell people like it's not that I'm cheap. It's just like I don't taste the cost difference between like the the the box chain. It's not significant right now. Yeah. Yeah. And you can buy all of it frozen in the in the store, too. I mean, and it's just as good. You can get some of the Hedges ones or whatever else. And they can be good if they're cooked right. I do I do support the hedges when they come around. I think it's a Boy Scout or something like that. Like, yep, I want the little sixack. Anybody that comes by that is willing to try to sell younger person these days and try to go door to door. Absolutely. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I just I stopped on the side of the road. It was like a like a family with like a um slushie shop or ices or something like that. I was like I'll take a lemonade. Yep. The kids with the lemonade stands are out there. Yeah. That's fun to see. It's good to see. So, you have all that planned. You live in Blaine. You're looking for a new possibility. Do you think you'll be doing any other traveling anytime soon? [sighs] So, that's funny. I was trying to get um Carnival's changing their Yeah. their rewards program, and if you obtain um platinum or diamond, then you can keep it for longer or something like that. And I need 12 days. Oh, there you go. And but I feel like it's just so irresponsible to be like traveling while you're not working to like save the save the money, but when you're working, then the travel cuts down. Then the travel stops cuz you're too busy working. Yeah. Yeah. It's uh So if anybody wants to pay for me to go on a cruise, [laughter] I'm all for it. Absolutely. Where do you think that you would go or where have been some of your favorite cruises? Um I've really hit up like the Mexican and the Caribbean. Like I haven't done the Alaskan cruise. I haven't done like Australia or any of those other places. It's just kind of like, you know, port down of Miami or Jacksonville or something like that. Yeah. When you've gone to those places, do you get off the beaten path? I know like when we went to the Bahamas, we went and saw the castles and we got under the actual ground and went and ate at some of the regular places like that or do you stay more right in their areas where they tell you to go and where all the um festivities are? I just walk outside the compound and then I'll just walk and I'll just try to find some kind of store, some kind of restaurant that doesn't look like it's been commercialized by Carnival. Yeah. Y um Jamaica, we went there and um the tour guy was just like, "Hey, I have a itinerary that Carnival wants me to follow." Yeah. But I can actually show you Jamaica if you but everyone has to agree to it. Yep. So the bus Thank goodness. Oh, thank goodness. They agreed to it. Nice. And he took us to like the um farmers market where you just have like the fish and the fruit just like it's not the farmers market like you think here. It's not where it's just a couple things. And yeah, that's and then everyone's under like a newspaper stand, [laughter] stuff like that. And it's uh [clears throat] I don't know. That was like probably one of the best cruises cuz you're actually able to like see what the locals, shop with the locals and things like that. I know when we went to Ireland, we had a taxi cab service that they they're like, "We'll drive you wherever you want to go, but if you want to go the back roads and see, you know, the things that not everybody wants to see." I'm like, "That's what we want." Like, we don't want to just go down the main road and see like the ring of carry and, you know, the the mother and all that stuff. We want to see the old churches and the old restaurants and all the cool stuff. So, yeah. Yep. You have to experience life a little bit. Yes. Yes. Well, we appreciate having you on. We Is there anything that you would give advice for people listening or anything that you think would be great advice for them if they need anything? Yeah, I will say um if you are someone that finds that you lean more negative than positive, I feel like it's a choice both ways. So, I feel like if you just try to have a more positive outlook on life, it'll just it'll it'll make living a lot easier. Like I I feel like people that are just negative, it's just it's just hard to be around them. It's hard for them to it's hard to give them advice because every time you try to like help them see like a positive thing, they they always have a negative negative connotation. It's hard. I mean, to go off of that really quick, I mean, you notice that when you start hanging around people that are negative all the time, you can't help but be negative yourself. So, it's like you got to have that five rule. You hang around five people and a majority of those five people are positive or are trying to make a difference, then you're going to make a difference. If you hang around five people that are, you know, struggling or making bad choices, more than likely, you're going to end up making that bad choice. You've got to like that. You've got to make the difference and be that one. Be the person that someone comes to and says, "Hey, you know, let's do this. Let's grow together. Let's win together. Y Yeah. Well, thank you so much for being on. How can people get a hold of you if they're looking to hire you or just have a chat with you or they're a veteran needing help? Yeah. Um well, I'm on LinkedIn at Jason Lee um what is it? MS. MS. I think it's MS. Yeah. And Facebook is just Jason Lee or you can look up B I G L E Z A Y. It's uh Big Le. It's a nickname I got from the military. [laughter] Yep. Perfect. Well, thank you so much for being on and we hope you keep shining light like you always have. Thank you very [music] much. Yep. See you later. See you later.