-Ever since I started meeting Vietnam veterans, I've gone up to them and I've asked, first, the spouse, "Would you mind if I gave your husband a hug?"

Then the Vietnam veteran would look at me like, "Why would you want to give me a hug?"

And then I tell him my story.

I said, "It's because of you that I'm here in this country.

It's because of you that I'm serving in the Army.

And it's because of you that my family has the freedom that it has today."

Because of you.

Thank you so much, Mike.

May I give you a hug?

-Sure.

-Thank you so much, Mike.

You mean so much to me.

It's so sad to know that they came back from a war that a lot of them had no choice but to go.

They had to because of their country, but a lot of them did want to volunteer and serve.

A lot of them volunteered and served when they were underage and they pretended they were 18 years old and they joined because they wanted to fight for America.

So that American spirit, that heart that they had at the time, I just want to give them a little bit of that back.

I think I give them a little bit of purpose to say, "You did something, whether you knew or not.

You did something for this little girl who grew up that looked up to you.

Look at me now.

I'm a colonel in the Army.

You did that.

If you didn't save me and my family from Vietnam, I never would be here."

And I try to do everything I can to get that message out.

Please honor your Vietnam veterans.

Please honor all your veterans because they were willing to fight for the liberty of this country.

♪♪♪ -♪ Like a bridge ♪♪♪ ♪ Over troubled water ♪ ♪ I will lay me down ♪ -♪ I will ♪ ♪ Lay me ♪ ♪ I will ♪ ♪ Lay me ♪ ♪ Down ♪ ♪ And I will ♪ ♪ Lay me ♪ ♪ Down ♪