In November, the American Valor Foundation hosted the annual Chris Kyle Memorial Benefit. As a U.S. Navy SEAL, Chris Kyle recorded the most sniper kills in U.S. military history. His autobiography, “American Sniper” is a New York Times best seller. The mission of the Chris Kyle Memorial Benefit is to raise funds to help veterans acclimate to civilian life and give them the support they need. Chris believed in helping those who have served and given so much.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the benefit got pushed back for months and then finally, it was scheduled for November 7. I was so happy to attend this year. It was held in Fort Worth, Texas, and I flew down to attend. The flight was really weird. There were people in every seat on the flight and there no was social distancing whatsoever. When I finally landed, it was a beautiful warm day and it just made me feel alive again. I had a purpose and it felt great.
Although the attendance was down a bit and most of the regulars didn’t show up this year, a few people did and it was great to see my friends and brothers and sisters in arms. They all live in different states and I hadn’t seen them in quite a while. This year’s benefit had modified the program from the last year because of the pandemic. While it wasn’t as exciting as previous years it was exciting to me because I hadn’t been to an event in almost a year! I’m happy with how things worked out and I’m pretty sure it worked out well for the foundation too.
About Bryan Anderson: Bryan grew up and resides in Illinois. Injured by an IED in October 2005, Bryan is one of the few triple amputees to survive his injuries in Iraq. He is an ambassador for the Gary Sinise Foundation and a spokesperson for USA Cares, which is focused on assisting post 9-11 veterans. Click here to learn more about Bryan.