Episode 426 Robert Hess Rally 4 Vets Healing Through Racing Transcript
This transcript is from episode 426 with guest Robert Hess.
Scott DeLuzio: [00:00:00] Thanks for tuning in to the Drive On Podcast where we are focused on giving hope and strength to the entire military community. Whether you’re a veteran, active duty, guard, reserve, or a family member, this podcast will share inspirational stories and resources that are useful to you. I’m your host, Scott DeLuzio, and now let’s get on with the show.
Hey everyone. Welcome back to Drive On. I’m your host, Scott DeLuzio. And today my guest is Robert Hess. Robert is an army veteran who, after retiring from the army, uh, turned his considerable talents and expertise towards founding DVEN and Rally for Vets. Uh, both offer unique resources for veterans coping with PTSD and other stress related issues.
And today we’ll. Look into the programs that they have to offer, the functions and how they can be a helpful resource for the military community. But before we get into that, uh, [00:01:00] Robert, uh, wanted to thank you again for taking the time to come on the show and, uh, and welcome you, uh, to the show.
Robert Hess: Scott, thanks very much. It’s a, it’s a pleasure and honor to be here. I’ve looked at, uh, you know, some of your past, uh, podcasts and, you know, they’re great material there. I know you’re helping, uh, uh, you know, a lot in the veteran community and, you know, I love the, um, the name Drive On. Now, um, from way back in my early army days, we had a slogan, Drive On with Darvon.
So, I don’t know if that’s where the, where the name came from, but it popped right into my mind.
Scott DeLuzio: Well, it is. It did come from the military. Um, we didn’t have the full, uh, the full saying that you, you just gave there. Um, but drive on was, was the, the saying that we use when, uh, whenever you’re faced with a difficult situation or you’re just facing the suck, right? And, and it’s like, well, you know what, this mission has got to get accomplished.
So just drive [00:02:00] on and, and, uh, Get through it. And, um, you know, that’s, that’s the goal of the show really is to, uh, help people get through those difficult times in life and, and make it through to that, uh, to that breakthrough moment where they, they accomplish their, their mission of whatever it happens to be, maybe it’s overcoming, you know, mental health related issues or, you know, financial related issues.
Relationships, you name it. We talk about all these things, but the idea is driving on, drive on through all these, these issues. And, and that’s why we have people like you on the show to talk about the, the work that you’re doing to help people out because, um, you know, sometimes there’s organizations out there and if people don’t know that those organizations exist, they don’t know to, they don’t know what they don’t know sometimes.
And they don’t know to look for an organization like yours, uh, to, To get the help that they might need. So why don’t you tell us a little bit about [00:03:00] like Rally for Vets and all the work that you guys are doing and, and help. Uh, you know, just make sure everybody understands what Rally for Vets is all about and explain how it supports, uh, the veterans.
Robert Hess: Yeah, so let me, let me give you a, you know, a little bit of background. Uh, you know, I love the, uh, drive on through, you know, periods of problems. Uh, so, uh, when, uh, I got out of the army, uh, spent a couple of years, um, you know, working for a French aerospace company and, And then got the urge to come out to California, I was back in Virginia, you know, to go through business school.
I did, I went through business school, connected with a couple of, uh, uh, classmates and we decided we would start a software company. And so we built this great little software program for community banks. It would help them track their loan portfolios, their loans as they went through the, the approval process.
And so we spent, spent three years doing this. [00:04:00] You know, we got to the point where it was making money, not enough to really pay salaries. And then we realized that we had developed something that was nice to have, but not critical to have. And so we had this great little program. We found out that we really couldn’t scale it.
So we sunsetted the program. One of my partners went off and did the Other great stuff, and I got into, um, the consulting world, and so I’ve been, uh, consulting, you know, for software companies, um, since then, and so that was back in, like, 2005, you know, but the charity Those activities came, you know, for two reasons.
Number one, um, back in 2003, I was, uh, uh, diagnosed with prostate cancer. And so, um, I’ll, I’ll go into the story. We can cut it if you don’t [00:05:00] want it, but,
Scott DeLuzio: It’s,
Robert Hess: you know, I was pretty young. It was 58. You know, it was one of those times when my PSA numbers, my doctors said, well, everything is normal. Don’t worry about it.
Um, but in reality, You know, I had two tumors, okay, that couldn’t be detected during the physical exam, and I found out about this only because I’d gone through this period of night sweats, you know, and I thought, oh my gosh, malaria coming back from my Vietnam days, what are we going to do? So long story short, when we finally got through this process, you know, I realized that I was one of those guys that had prostate cancer at an early age.
So, Just being out of business school, what do you do? You’re good at Excel, right? So I went back, got all my, all my numbers, my PSA numbers, put it in an Excel sheet, put a, you know, a trend line on it, and lo and behold, you know, there was the indication when it started to develop. [00:06:00] So, um, so I took that and I created, uh, you know, I had some programmers in India.
We created a simple, uh, online tracking system. It’s called Prostate Tracker. It’s still operating on the internet. Uh, it’s called ProstateTracker. org, it’s anonymous, a guy goes in, or more to the point, his wife goes in, creates a free account, puts in, you know, his PSA number, then they put the, when the next year, and it sends a reminder, it says, hey, time to, to do your next test.
When that second data point goes in, then the software connects it. If it’s going up, you go to your doctor, wave this thing and say, hey, It’s going up. You know, why is, why is that? So prostate cancer, you know, kills a lot of guys simply because they don’t know they have it, you know, in time to, uh, for early treatment. So, so that was my entry into [00:07:00] Um, a couple of things. Number one, into cancer advocacy, you know, but also, uh, into PTSD advocacy, because most, uh, you know, of us, you know, the military veterans, we associated it, um, associate PTSD with our country. you know, service, mostly combat service, but it doesn’t need to be that. But PTSD affects, you know, people across the spectrum, you know, this any serious emotional thing, you know, can, you know, cause this reaction. But, you know, for me, so it was back to my, you know, Vietnam service. And, um, and so I looked at the intersection of, You know, uh, the need for, you know, guys to take a closer look, you know, at tracking prostate cancer and the emotional impacts of that.
And that kind of led me into, um, you know, working and looking at PTSD with [00:08:00] veterans. And then I wound up in 2017. They’re actually 2016 being diagnosed myself with PTSD from those, you know, by Vietnam service and, you know, one of the things that I would recommend to guys, you know, is, um, uh, I don’t know how many Vietnam veterans are, you know, we’re, we’re getting kind of old, you know, but all the Afghan and, you know, Iraqi guys, you know, if they’re feeling any kind of.
You know, this emotional stress, you know, it’s really worth going to, you know, to the VA because the VA is open to this, you know, and they will have someone, um, you know, provide some counseling and, and just a little note, what they, what my counselor made me do was sit down and write down details of every single action, combat action I’d been in during those two [00:09:00] years.
And, you know, that was a long, painful process, I mean, you know, I was actually, yeah, I don’t know if this, maybe this is beside the point of the, you know, recession, but, but I actually spent the time going back looking at maps, you know, of Vietnam and recounting, you know, all of that. And strangely enough, rather than, um, causing more trauma, it’s like it lifted this huge weight, you know, off my shoulders, you know, that I’ve been carrying all this time.
So that’s just me personally. But, you know, for the guys, the men and women that, you know, have been in these more recent contexts, you know, if they’re feeling any kind of, you know, trauma, stress or, you know, emotional connection to it, I would just suggest they go in and really just talk to someone, you know.
So anyway, so, so, so that’s a long way to getting to DVEN and [00:10:00] Raleigh for vets. So, um, and, you know, and Scott, stop me if I’m talking too, too
Scott DeLuzio: Oh, you’re good. No, go ahead.
Robert Hess: But, um, you know, so, um, from the cancer stuff, as I, you know, we’re still doing that, but as I started to focus You know, PTSD and Veteran Suicide, you know, that’s where, uh, DVEN came from, and as we were talking before the podcast, it’s the world’s worst name, the Disabled Veteran Empowerment Network.
You know, but the goal of this was to create basically an internet hub, you know, where we try and stay on top of the, the current issues and current resources that are available to, uh, Um, you know, veterans and we act, our goal is to act as kind of an information hub, you know, to then people come to us, you know, then they find, and we point them to, to the [00:11:00] organizations and the institutions that really provide the services.
You know, so think of us, I kind of think of it as a communication central. So what DVEN is all about.
Scott DeLuzio: So, so it’s really just that, that hub that, that connects people to the resources that they’re, they’re looking for, right. Um, where, where they, um, you know, kind of like what I was saying earlier before with the, the purpose of this podcast is, is essentially what you just described is. To get people aware of the resources that are out there, um, that, You know, have, um, uh, that have the op, the ability to help these folks.
But if they don’t know that they exist, they aren’t going to use them. And some people, uh, do exactly what you said earlier. They go to the VA. And maybe they didn’t have a great experience with the VA and they [00:12:00] get discouraged and they, they, they turn away and they throw their hands up in frustration and they’re, you know, they’re, they’re no, they’re no good.
They’re not going to help me. Blah, blah, blah, all that. We’ve, we’ve heard that, that story before from countless people, uh, who are out there and I’m not saying this to discredit the VA or, or knock them down or whatever. It’s just the experience that some people have had. There are. Lots of other organizations out there, um, that will provide similar services to what the VA has to offer.
Sometimes services that the VA can’t offer just don’t work. Do not offer and they will provide, uh, the stuff oftentimes free of charge to the veteran. And, um, I, I just had somebody on the other day. Um, they, they have a organization that they’re all over the country, but, um, you know, sometimes if you’re in a little more remote.
Uh, of an area, you may [00:13:00] not be near where they are, but they’ll fly you to their, you know, closer destination. They’ll, they house you for the week that you’re there. They feed you. They provide all like, you just need to be there. Right. Um, and that’s, that’s something that. allows a veteran to get some healing outside of the VA.
Maybe they don’t want to be in the VA for whatever reason. Um, and they, there are other resources. So DVEN, um, and you, you, you’re joking about the name. Uh, we kind of joked about it a little bit before, but, um, it’s, It’s an acronym and we’re, we’re good with those in, uh, in the military. So I think most people will be able to figure it out, but it’s D V E N.
Uh, and, and that’s, that’s what we’re, we’re talking about here. Um, and, and so that, you know, basically just gets people in touch, right? With, with these. that provide the services that they’re looking [00:14:00] for. Right.
Robert Hess: You know, it’s, uh, you know, there’s no one organization that, you know, can provide everything to everyone. And, um, you know, uh, and as you pointed out, even the VA try as they, they might, you know, they, they, they can’t reach everyone. And um, you know, I personally have had, you know, good experience, you know, with the you know, with the VA.
Um, uh, I know there are people that haven’t, but I’ve also had some unpleasant, some, some less than, than great experiences with civilian doctors too. So this is, you know, this is just a case where we all have to kind of advocate for ourselves, right? And,
Scott DeLuzio: That’s right. Yeah, no, absolutely. And I, I’ve had, you know, very similar to what you’re saying. I’ve had good and bad experiences within the VA. I have good and bad experiences outside of the VA. And so I guess it just depends on the individual. You know, [00:15:00] the provider that you’re, you’re seeing, maybe you just don’t click with that provider.
Okay. No, no big deal like that. I don’t think there’s any provider out there who’s going to, you know, they’re going to, they’re going to feel, um, like you’re sliding them or something like that by, by not continuing to see them. Cause you just don’t, You know, drive with them or whatever. Like there’s no problem with that.
Um, you know, go find another provider. Um, and, and one other good thing with the VA is if for some reason you’re not connecting with that person, that, that provider that you’re seeing, or if it’s too far away or they don’t have appointments available, they can connect you with somebody in the community, uh, with a civilian provider for, for that.
You know, whatever the issue may be. And I’ve, I’ve done that for mental health. I’ve done that for other physical health related things. I’ve, I’ve gone to a bunch of civilian, uh, folks who it was just as if I was going to the VA, um, you know, all the, [00:16:00] All the paperwork and all that stuff was just kind of handled by them.
And like, you didn’t have to really worry about it. You just have to make the appointment. So, um, and sometimes they’d even do that for you. They, they’d reach out and, um, and they, they call you and just make that appointment. So, um, so. Yeah. So we talked about the, the DVEN, the disabled veteran empowerment network.
Um, and what about rally for vets? Uh, I know we, we briefly mentioned that. Could you, could you tell us a little bit about that?
Robert Hess: Oh my God, Scott, is this, this is a two hour podcast, right? No, I’m just, I just, so Rally for Vets, one of my favorite programs ever. So, um, you know, first of all, Rally for Vets, the program right now is focused on motorsports. And so, um, amateur motorsports. Um, and. God, I’ve, I’ve loved roadsters since I was a kid, um, I bought my, uh, first Porsche 911 on my, [00:17:00] uh, first tour of duty in Germany back in, uh, the late 1960s.
Now you’re learning how old I am. But, so Rally for Beds. And so, Hey, you know, if you like drive cars and you like driving cars and you’re trying to, you know, create, um, an event, you know, that would connect, uh, the motorsports community, okay, meaning all those manufacturers and sponsors, you know, to veterans in a practical way, okay, you know, um, what do you do?
Well, maybe you try and create, um, a motorsports event. So, um, I live in L. A. but I, I grew up and all my family is back in Washington, D. C., Northern Virginia, actually. So, um, There’s this place called Summit Point Motorsports Park, which is in Summit Point, West Virginia, which is just about 65 minutes west of Washington, D.
C. and the [00:18:00] Pentagon and all those veterans. And it’s a great, um, it’s a great motorsports track. So in 2021, we created A, uh, motorsports event to, for veterans and, you know, anybody that wants to support veterans, you know, with the goal of raising funds to provide service dogs to vets. So I’ll talk more about that later on.
And, um, but for anybody that’s listening, that’s part of NASA or the Sports Car Club of America, you know, they’re familiar with autocross and, you know, time trials on the track. So, I didn’t want to recreate something that was that, you know, was the same as that. So, what we’ve created is the only inter service motorsports competition in the world.
So, every year, You know, we have spots for, um, about 85 racers, drivers, [00:19:00] and those drivers compete as service teams. So they compete individually within their class, you know, for first, second, and third. You know, but really, you know, they’re competing as a team. So think of this as the traditional Army Navy.
Football rivalry? It’s played out on a motorsports park, on a racetrack, with the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and even the Space Force.
Scott DeLuzio: I was going to ask if you managed to fill a slot for the space force.
Robert Hess: So we, you know, we had, we had 10 slots for, you know, for, uh, you know, for each service, but you know, the Space Force, uh, they’re still kind of small. I think they’re still trying to recruit people from the Air Force, but, uh oh, but, um, but anyway, so, so that’s what we do. And we’ve got this great, uh, trophy. It looks like kind of a little mini version of the, uh, of the Indianapolis [00:20:00] 500.
Trophy, we had it manufactured for us in, in England, and it’s a rotating trophy. So the service team that wins, that gets the most points, um, you know, at the events, you know, their name goes on the trophy. And I’m working on, um, establishing the tradition that, you know, after the event that the trophy is presented to the chief of staff of the winning service in the Pentagon, who gets Who, who then gets to keep it on the credenza in their office there in the e ring.
Um, so we’re, we’re working on that. I’m, this, this, uh, history wise, uh, Army, Go Army, won in 2021 and 2022. Uh, mostly because they had most boots on the ground. Uh, the Marine Corps took the trophy last year. Uh, and, uh, and our event is coming up. It’s on the [00:21:00] 12th of October at Summit Point this year. So, uh, the Marine Corps, uh, you know, they’ve, they’ve tasted victory and they now have the most drivers registered,
Scott DeLuzio: Oh,
Robert Hess: for the October event.
Um, so anyway, but, so, uh, the format of the, uh, of the event is super simple. We use half of the racetrack, and then we send cars out on the track at 30 second intervals. So it’s basically a time trial, but because it’s not wheel to wheel racing, you know, it’s safe. So, um, probably 60%, you know, of the drivers, you know, that compete with us every year, they’re just driving their daily driver, you know, the car they drive to work.
And that’s how we structured it. So if you happen to have an F1 car sitting in your garage and you want to tow it down and drive it, hey, you can, we have a class for [00:22:00] you. Um, you know, as long as it’s not a pickup, uh, or, uh, unfortunately an EV now, anything else you can drive. And we have classes for every kind of car.
So, you know, drivers are only competing, you know, um, for points in a class that’s appropriate for their car.
Scott DeLuzio: Okay.
Robert Hess: then we went further and we said, well, we have experienced drivers and we have novice drivers. Okay. So we, we doubled the classes. So anybody that shows up is going to be, you know, uh, playing on a, a level playing field, you know, for points.
You know, for the overall trophy. So that’s the format for this. And the whole goal of it is really to raise awareness for veterans issues. You know, suicide awareness. Um, you know, we partnered with, uh, you know, the, uh, the Columbia, uh, protocol, Columbia university on their [00:23:00] suicide awareness, um, uh, screening tool.
Um, so, uh, so it’s, it’s a raise awareness, you know, and it’s, it’s really been for inter service fun, right? You know, uh, inter service smack, uh, you know, win the trophy, you get the, you get the talk smack for, for 11 months. Um, and then the, the funds we generate, we give to another charity, um, uh, to train service dogs.
So, and this is a charity called Veterans Moving Forward, and, you know, they’re one of the charities that exist. There are, there are many, you know, that are training service dogs for veterans. You know, just the, you know, the, the need for trained service dogs and emotional dog service, emotional dogs is just, it’s just great.
So, we partnered with these guys. We have, we made a commitment, um, for 40, 000 over two years. [00:24:00] So, when I first, you know, heard that somebody told me, they said, well, it takes two years and 40, 000 to train a service dog, I was shocked. And then, I went over and met with the CEO and the trainer and we went through the program.
You know, what it takes to train a dog like this and what they can do. You know, once they’re trained, it was amazing. We were all in. I talked to my board and said, okay, we made, we made the commitment. So, so that’s, um, so that’s what Rally for Vets, the motorsports part of it is all about. Um, on the track, um, we’re having lots of fun and we have a couple of things going.
Um, we’re going, we have created, uh, a virtual racing league. on the iRacing platform. Okay, so, you know, uh, [00:25:00] DVEN, Rally for Vets is, is me and a couple of volunteers and one part time staffer. So we’ve created this, this virtual league. It’s in place, but we’re looking for somebody to run it for us. So, um, you know, we talk about volunteers, so if there’s somebody out there that’s a sim racing, you know, um, fan that you know, or participant that would really like to, you know, help some vets, um, uh, we have, we have a spot for him or her and once we get it going, you know, then um, the virtual race, you know, the points there will combine with the physical points for that overall top dog championship.
Scott DeLuzio: So how does, how does the virtual racing work? That, that seems like an interesting thing. I kind of wanted to look into that a little bit more, and I’m sure some of the listeners want to know a little bit more about the virtual races as well.
Robert Hess: Uh [00:26:00] huh. So, uh, so it’s, it’s, it’s really, it’s really kind of interesting. Um, um, you know, I have done it, but I’ve actually only done it at the, um, the local Porsche Experience Center. All right. And, uh, you know, you go over there, I, I have a Porsche Boxster, so occasionally, you know, we have one of their driving experience centers right here in LA.
So occasionally I go over there for, you know, for breakfast and they have. Um, I think five simulators set up, so you can get into this thing, okay, and you, you know, it’s basically the cockpit of a race car, okay, and you can choose any Porsche, you know, because it’s, Hey, it’s a Porsche place, right? You’re not, you’re not going to drive any, no Lotus here, but pick any Porsche they’ve ever made, pick any of the major, um, race courses around the world, you know, Spa, [00:27:00] Laguna Seca, uh, uh, Le Mans, and they drop in and then away you go.
And it has the same, the same tactical feel. I mean, these things have all the force feedback, you know, it’s just, it’s just like, uh, just like driving a car and you can change the tires. If you select different tires, you get different, but anyway, okay. So, what iRacing is, uh, it’s this huge platform. There’s, there’s a couple of them, but it has, uh, uh, iRacing, they have.
Programs for like Spec Miata, okay? And this is a race where everybody is driving a Mazda Miata with the same specification, okay? Computer wise. And then, so then it’s all driving skills. And then they just have this full range of stuff. Um, and there’s many, many people do it during COVID. All the, uh, the F1 drivers, the pro drivers, they were competing [00:28:00] in iRacing because they couldn’t get out on the track.
So they’re doing their, and then. Then I find out that, uh, you know, most of these drivers, before they go to a, uh, a track, they’re practicing virtually before they ever get on the physical track. So the idea here is that, um, you know, there’s probably many more vets that would join us on the virtual podcast.
You know, platform, you know, then, then could actually make it to a physical site or, you know, it’s a lot easier to convince your wife. Say, do you mind if I, do you, do you mind if I, sweetie, it’s your choice. I’m going to do this virtual race. So I’m going to take the family car over to some point. So,
Scott DeLuzio: Right. Right. Well, and that’s why I wanted to bring it up too, because there’s, there’s some people who, like, like you mentioned, uh, that they could just drive their, their regular car, the one that they drive to work every day, um, could be the car that they race, uh, every day. Uh, [00:29:00] you know, in, in person doing, doing in person racing, um, or they can try to convince their wife to buy a really expensive, uh, race car.
And that’s probably not going to go over too well. Um, and that, uh, leads us with the virtual racing and that’s, I, that’s why I wanted to look into it a little bit more because, um, that. Would be something that I could see, like, I don’t, I don’t race. Like, I’m not going to race my Honda pilot. Like that’s, that’s just not a thing that’s going to happen.
Um,
Robert Hess: Oh, Scott, it would be perfect. It would be perfect. We have a, we have a class for you.
Scott DeLuzio: Oh, okay. Okay. Well, it’s not something I had considered. However, I can wrap my head around the virtual racing and being able to, you know, get the, get in, into it and do that type of racing. Um, and I’m sure that would go over a whole lot better with, uh, with my wife, if I was to say that, right?
So, [00:30:00] um, And I know it, since it’s virtual, you can do it from, uh, you know, all over the place. Um, if someone was looking to get involved with this and they’re in Nebraska or something, what do they need to look for to, uh, to find a place in order to do this sort of virtual racing? Because I can’t, can’t imagine it’s, um, you know, All over the place.
So they probably have to look for a specific, uh, uh, locations. Right.
Robert Hess: So the answer is great question. The answer is no, you can do it right on your desktop. So,
Scott DeLuzio: Okay.
Robert Hess: so Now this of course Scott is is one of those things Hey, probably most of us listening to this podcast are guys and we know what happened You know, you start playing golf and the next thing, you know, it’s like God, you know, it’s It’s not my swing, it’s the driver.
The next thing, you know, you know, we have four [00:31:00] drivers in our bag and, you know, that, that short iron. Okay. The bottom line is it would be how much you get into this and how much you want to spend. Um, but I personally, um, I have, I, I think I paid about 10, 000. 500 bucks for it. A couple of years ago, one of the, it’s a little steering wheel, okay, that literally bolts onto my desk, you know, connects to my computer.
I mean, you know, you have to have a graphics card that’s fast enough to, well, I guess it depends. If you have a slow graphics card, you’re just going to lose.
Scott DeLuzio: going to be slower.
Robert Hess: But, you know, if you have a decent graphics card, it would be good enough. And so you get the steering wheel, and you get a pair of foot pedals, you know, that sit on the floor, and that’s the basic thing.
And you could, you could have fun, and you could compete. Or you could go up to where you have a [00:32:00] 15, 000, you know, man cave downstairs where you literally have a rig with a race seat in it and three screens. So, so that’s just to
Scott DeLuzio: That’ll be a little tougher. So,
Robert Hess: it’s a much tougher sell. But, um, you know, to, to literally to, to just have fun, you know, and participate.
It is an investment, you know, but you could do it right on your desktop. All you need is, you know, uh, a decent, um, uh, computer and a high speed internet and, and, and you would be in, and the iRacing, it’s, it’s iRacing. com. And if anyone goes over to that, excuse me, that website, they have all the. know, the data you need, they have, you know, um, links there to different levels of equipment, they tell you what the, you know, what the best thing would be, and, um, so I’m, [00:33:00] I’m not an expert in that, but, uh, I, I, I can say it’s, you know, it’s, it’s fun.
So, so that hopefully is our 2025. Um, we’re doing that now. We do have one other thing we’re going to do. And this is for anybody that’s in Washington D. C. Um, there is the annual, um, 24 Hours of Le Mans, okay? For anybody who’s a race fan, you know, it is the classic, um, road race in the entire world. Um, it’s done in Le Mans, um, Le Mans, France, and it’s on this open road course, and it’s, uh, literally 24 hours, and, um, so, uh, F1, you know, for F1 fans listening, um, F1 has started to open.
Um, some facilities, some, um, virtual racing facilities, and they’re opening one in Washington, D. C., [00:34:00] you know, so it’s, it’s kind of like, uh, Topgolf, if anybody is familiar with, okay, I see you’re smiling, so, my grandkids introduced me to Tom, uh, Topgolf back in, uh, Um, in Washington, D. C., just out in, in, in Leesburg, and they just built one here in L.
A., and it’s, you can never get in it.
Scott DeLuzio: Oh, I know.
Robert Hess: It’s mobbed, and so it’s, it’s, it’s basically virtual golf, but it’s got a bar, and it’s got a restaurant, and it’s great. So, F1 has opened one of these in, um, Washington, D. C., and we are in the process of creating a 24 hour, um, military service based race on Memorial Day of 2025.
You know, Again, raising, you know, for our service dog program. And so this’ll be an [00:35:00] opportunity for people to get on a team and we’ll be putting information on this up on our website, on the Raleigh for Vets website. They’ll be able to form teams. They’ll be able to come in and, you know, drop into the seat, drive there, you know, 30 minutes or whatever they want, and the next guy gets in and.
Go have a, you know, a sandwich, a beer, whatever. Um, so anyway, so, so, so this is all about, you know, this part of the program is connecting with, you know, the people that are automobile enthusiasts. Right. And, uh, you know, there’s a lot of us, and if we do it right, we’re going to be able to, you know, connect with those sponsors and those companies that want to, um, engage and sell, basically sell the veteran community, and, you know, Those guys then are going to start paying for service dogs, and our goal is if we could, you know, spit out, you know, four, uh, four a year, I think, [00:36:00] I think that would be a great program.
So, um, so anyway, so that’s what, you know, Rally, the motorsports part of this, you know, I have, we, I have some other thoughts about what we want to do with, you know, Rally for Vets.
Maybe that’s for later.
Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, but I think just by hearing what you’re saying, uh, the organization is bringing folks together, even if it’s virtually, it’s bringing people together, uh, across different branches and they’re, they’re competing, they’re having fun, they’re, they’re doing things. Uh, And building kind of that camaraderie that we, we all used to have when we were in the military and they’re, they’re doing it with people who, uh, are, are like my, or yeah, I guess like minded and, uh, you know, their interests are, are shared amongst, uh, each [00:37:00] other, you know, within the, the racing kind of community.
Um, and they, you know, They come together and they form those, those connections, which for a lot of times, people with PTSD, it’s hard for them to get out to go places. I mean, hearing that virtual option might be like, Hey, I can participate in something and I don’t have to leave my house, sweet, sign me up.
You know, that, that type of thing might be going through somebody’s head right now. And. You know, they’re not wrong. Like they, they can do that. And that’s, that’s like one step towards getting out and, and eventually getting back into, uh, you know, in person type stuff. If, if they’re not quite comfortable with that yet.
Um, and then they, they can, they can figure it out, you know, along the way, but that, that just provides that community that, that, you know, Maybe they were lacking all these years after getting out of the military. [00:38:00] Um, you know, you, you do, you lose some of that connection, some of the camaraderie and all that.
And it’s nice when you get people who have shared interests together doing things. And, oh yeah, by the way, they’re veterans. So there’s also that connection, uh, to together as well. So you, you have all those people coming together, um, across the different We like to compete, you know, our, we’re always going to say armies, armies, better than Navy.
And, you know, we’re always going to say that type of stuff and, and we’re going to, you know, rag on each other and everything just because of the branch that we, we joined. But at the end of the day, you know, we. are there to support each other. You know, we, we know it’s all in good fun. And we know, uh, that, that everybody is, is here for the same reason.
It’s, it’s here to build those connections, build that camaraderie and get, um, you know, Back [00:39:00] the stuff that we feel like we’ve lost, right? As far as those connections go in the camaraderie. So, so it’s great, uh, to have, uh, this, this type of organization where, where people can come together and do fun activities, uh, you know, and, uh, and make those kinds of connections too.
Um, and, and just going back real quick again to, uh, DVEN, the Disabled Veterans Empowerment Network, um, It’s bringing people together to find the solutions that they’re, they’re looking for and find those organizations, make those connections, get people in touch with the right people. Um, and I think at the end of the day, you’re, you’re in the connections business, what it seems like, right?
Um, you’re getting people, uh, connected with each other, connected with organizations. Um, it’s, you’re, you’re a matchmaking service, I guess.
Robert Hess: You know, I know you’re Scott, you’re spot on. And I, you know, I, [00:40:00] you remember from your army days, you know, uh, everything is a combined team effort. Okay. And that’s the way I think about this. And, you know, we’ve started doing, um, you know, little driver profiles from some of the drivers that have competed with us and, um, Uh, and, uh, we, one of the guys came back and, uh, you know, one of the questions is who do you think is going to win?
Okay, this year. And of course, you know, the Army, Navy, and yeah, you know, we start getting these great answers. But this, uh, you know, this one young guy came back and he, he wrote this very funny thing and he closed it out. He said, but at the end of the day, he said, it’s one team. One fight, know, against veteran suicide.
And, you know, to me, that really sums up, you know, what we’re doing, you know, cause it’s like you said, you know, we all served in [00:41:00] a, in a different branch, but we’re all part of the same community, you know, and at the end of the day. You know, we’re all trying to do the same thing, you know, we’re trying to, uh, help the community, um, help somebody that’s, you know, that’s struggling, that needs a hand, and, um, what we’re doing is just one, we’re just one organization, one small organization, you know, there’s so many, you know, out there, and they’re each, you know, reaching a segment that is drawn to them.
Um, and so it’s, it’s, it’s kind of that old, it takes a village, you know, thing. But, um, if we, if each and every one of us just do what we can, okay, then we’re going to make a difference. And it’s like when, you know, I guess we were speaking before we came on, you said you never know how many people you help, but if you help just one person, okay, it’s mission accomplished.
[00:42:00] And. And so I think, uh, you know, that’s the same philosophy we have. Um, and I’m assuming we, you know, we bring all these people together. When they get together, they’re going to interact. And, um, you know, if there’s somebody that needs a hand or needs to support, somebody is going to see it and somebody’s going to extend and help.
And then. Mission accomplished and, you know, hopefully ARMY wins the trophy again this year. We get it back from those, from those, uh, those jarheads.
Scott DeLuzio: Well, hopefully, hopefully Army does win, but, but you’re right. It is one team, one fight, one, uh, one mission. We’re coming together to help each other. Um, you know, I don’t, I don’t care what uniform somebody wore when they were serving this country. Uh, whether it was Air Force or Army or Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Space Force, I don’t care what, [00:43:00] uh, branch that they served in, if I see that there’s somebody struggling and another veteran, another service member who’s struggling with something, I want to help them.
I want that person to get the help that they need. I don’t, I don’t care really where it comes from. I don’t care if it’s the VA, I don’t care if it’s, uh. You know, this organization or that organization or, or whichever organization, there are so many of them out there. Pick one, you know, and, and find the help that you need.
Um, because that, that’s, um, that’s just what we do. I think we, we help each other. We, we’ve, we’re trained from, you know, day one in basic training to look out for your battle buddies. And we all, are, uh, in this together, like, like you were just saying, and we all need to be able to look out for each other and help each other.
And, and that’s, you know, it seems like that’s what you guys are doing. Um, and, and helping [00:44:00] raise money for the service dogs, uh, is definitely important because you’re right. Super expensive to, uh, uh, to train those dogs and takes a long time, a lot of, a lot of energy, a lot of dedication to be able to do that.
Um, but. You know, without that. That money, without that training, without the resources that they, they have, uh, there’s some veterans are going to go without a service dog and may not end up, uh, you know, very well. So, uh, so we want, we want more of those and that’s more of those service dogs, uh, to help out where, where they can, um, until all the veterans who are out there who need one, uh, they have, they have the dogs in, in place.
You know, that they need and, um, you know, they get the training and they get the resources and all the, everything else that they, they might need. We, we gotta make sure that everyone has what they are, [00:45:00] are, uh, needing to, to win their piece of this fight.
Robert Hess: Exactly.
Scott DeLuzio: Robert, uh, man, it’s been, um, You know, really interesting kind of learning about the, the different stuff. I’m not really involved in like the, uh, the racing side of things on my end, but it was interesting to me anyways, to find out, you know, that this is a thing that exists for, for folks to get involved in.
Um, and it’s great to know that there’s, there’s just one more community out there that veterans can be a part of. And, and. able to find those people with those similar interests. Um, we wrap up, uh, the, the, this episode, could you tell people where they can go to find out more information about, um, you know, Rally for Vets, DVEN, um, you know, anything else that you have [00:46:00] going on and, and you know, what they can do to either get involved themselves, uh, with, with any of the races or any of the stuff that we talked about, or, um, uh, how they can support these organizations.
Robert Hess: Yeah, no, absolutely, uh, you know, thanks, uh, you know, thanks for having me on. It’s, it’s been a delight. My wife, we’re in the home office here, and I get my army voice going, and she’s working on the other side, and I had incoming pieces of paper saying, hey, tone it down. But, yeah, for, you know, for DVEN, for that information, everybody just pop on over to our website, it’s delta victor echo november.
org. Okay, and for our motorsports saying, it’s Rally for Vets. And it’s rally, uh, the number 4 vets.com. Rally4vets.com. And, uh, [00:47:00] you know, I would also encourage anybody who wants to, that’s on LinkedIn, you know, reach out, connect to me with, with me on LinkedIn and you know, that’ll show you the rest of.
You know what I do, but, uh, I really would love to connect with people. And, you know, if there’s somebody out there with another organization that we can help promote, um, you know, we will absolutely do that. And, uh, I’m on LinkedIn a whole lot more Robert Hess than I thought existed in this world. When you go to LinkedIn, it’s Robert Warren, W A R R E N, Hess, and then I’ll come up.
Um, but volunteers, um, you know, like I said, we are the small, maybe the smallest, uh, veteran non profit out there. And if somebody is looking for some, uh, you know, to help with us on the, uh, the virtual thing, or Um, you know, at the on site event in Summit Point, or just help us with marketing and PR. We, [00:48:00] we, we have spots.
Scott DeLuzio: excellent, excellent. Well, I will have links to all of the websites that you mentioned, uh, the, the DVEN Rally for Vets and you know, your LinkedIn and, and all that, uh, and any other social media stuff that you might have just so people can connect with you, find out more information about what you, you guys are all up to.
Um, But again, thank you so much, Robert, for taking the time to come on the show and, uh, sharing everything that you do. And thank you for the work that you do, um, for helping out veterans, because I think it’s, you know, anyone doing this, this type of work, um, you know, sometimes it, uh, it, it’s gotta be a labor of love, but sometimes it’s a lot of work.
And, um, you know, thank you for putting the time and effort in, in, in showing, uh, the veterans out there that there are people who, who still. Care about, you know, their, their wellbeing.
Robert Hess: Scott, uh, no, thank you very much. Thanks for all the work you do. And, uh, as we, uh, [00:49:00] exit, hoo ah, go Army.
Scott DeLuzio: All right. Thanks so much.
Robert Hess: Thank you.
Scott DeLuzio: Thanks for listening to the Drive On Podcast. If you want to support the show, please check out Scott’s book, Surviving Son on Amazon. All of the sales from that book go directly back into this podcast and work to help veterans in need. You can also follow the Drive On Podcast on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and wherever you listen to podcasts.