Freedom Alliance
Tom Kilgannon is the President of Freedom Alliance, a non-profit that seeks to support America's military by assisting with the rehabilitation needs of wounded service members and their families, as well as care for the families of the fallen amongst other initiatives.
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Scott DeLuzio 00:00:00 Thanks for tuning into the Drive On Podcast where we're focused on giving hope and strength to the entire military community, whether you're a veteran active duty guard reserve or family member, this podcast we'll 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.
Scott DeLuzio 00:00:22 Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Drive on Podcast today. My guest is Tom Kilgannon. Tom is the President of Freedom Alliance, a nonprofit that seeks to support America's military by assisting with the rehabilitation needs of wounded service members and their families, as well as care for the families of the fallen amongst other initiatives that they take part in. We'll talk more about that in just a minute, but first, Tom, welcome to the show. Why don't you tell us a little bit more about yourself and your background?
Tom Kilgannon 00:00:51 Sure. Hey Scott, it's great to be on the program. Thank you for having me. The Drive on Podcast is a wonderful podcast. Lots of great information. So I'm happy to join. So many of your wonderful previous guests have just contributed so much to this important conversation. I'm a civilian. So, it's doubly honored to be here with you. I'm a civilian, but I have been working in this arena of helping veterans and military families for over 20 years now at Freedom Alliance. We're an organization and charitable organization that is committed to helping veterans. We were founded by a Vietnam Veteran and of course at that time in our nation's history, there was not the robust nonprofit community to support veterans as there is now. So, we always keep that in mind with what we do and we want to make sure that that never happens again in our country. And those who put on the uniform take an oath to support and defend the constitution, always have the resources they need in training in the field and after they come home.
Tom Kilgannon 00:01:59 and for the families of those who don't come home. So that's a broad way of explaining what we do at the Freedom Alliance. I'm happy to get into some of the specifics.
Scott DeLuzio 00:02:12 I think, you kind of touched on my first question that I had for you, where the idea for the Freedom Alliance came from. You talked about the Vietnam veterans, but how they came home without the support network. The benefit of having today with all the various nonprofits and the different support that are out there. But where did the idea for the Freedom Alliance come from? I guess, what was the objective in the early days when it first started?
Tom Kilgannon 00:02:52 Sure, we were founded right about the time of the first Gulf war. And at that time, we put together a really big care package drive. We put together tens of thousands of care packages to send over to the troops who are over there, but as Scott, that war thankfully did not last very long. And so the organization was in its infancy. The war was not on the front pages after a few months. And, and so from then we continued our programs, but it was, it was a little bit of a struggle. And then of course, years later, 9/11 came. And, we really went back to the playbook that was put together, at the start of the organization, and just arranged the programs a little bit differently to fit the current times.
Tom Kilgannon 00:03:45 And, we, we really took off from there. 9/11 was the start of 20 years of our nation being at war millions of Americans like you and your brother, who deployed, and who sacrificed. And, we have put together a number of programs to try and take care of the needs that you and your families have. One of those is our scholarship program. And, through that, we are providing college tuition to the sons and daughters of military heroes. Those who have been killed or permanently disabled in military service and Scott, I'm really,, it's, it's the kind of thing that you wish you didn't have to do, but given, the need, I'm proud to tell you that we have now since nine 11 worded over $20 million in college scholarships or the 2000 individual students have benefited from this program have been able to go to school, complete their education. And really this is the pursuit of a dream that their parents had for them and military parents are no different from us in the civilian community. They want for their kids a better opportunity, better education., and this is one way that we're able to do it.
Scott DeLuzio 00:05:08 Yeah. And that's incredible, I know, when you come back and I've known several people who've been killed, or have other disabilities and things like that after coming back home and, financially things are a little bit more difficult, for those families. In some cases because they're unable to do some of the things if you have a loved one who was killed you're unable to have that dual-income coming in and saving money. I have three children myself and putting money aside for their college education is a big responsibility. It's something that you have to think about.
Scott DeLuzio 00:06:01 So, that way, when it's invested correctly, it'll, hopefully, grow and be enough money for them, when they get to school. But, having something like that available to those families, reduces that burden and, and, and makes things a little bit easier for them. And, I think that's something that's important for us as a nation to, to come together and say what, this is a good thing. we should be supporting these families and, 2000, children, like you said, have been able to go to school, through these programs and, and all this money going to do their education is just an incredible, but there's other, other programs too, that you, And so I want to give you an opportunity to highlight some of that as well, and kind of highlight some of the benefits that Freedom Alliance offers to the military community.
Tom Kilgannon 00:07:03 Yeah. And I'm happy to do that at first. I just want to expand a little bit on that scholarship program and just let people know that there's a little bit more to it than simply the tuition or providing that check to the bursar's office, for that student. And what we try to do Scott is get involved in these kids' lives to the extent that they want us involved and allow us to be so that we can provide mentorship and guidance and help them out. And there's really is true when we're able to bring these students together in an event or a retreat that we have for them. There really is a bonding that takes place almost instantaneously because they have this very unique experience. And, as I think, for these kids, just like, with veterans, an incident or a loss, a profound loss that happened 10, 15, 20 years ago, just because it happened so long ago, it doesn't mean that it's gone away or that it's erased from their memory or that it doesn't still impact them in their heart, 20, 25 years later.
Tom Kilgannon 00:08:07 And that's true with these students. So we really try to bring them together. And we have a very similar philosophy with what we do for our veterans. We do a lot of healing retreats for combat veterans to help them to discover the root causes of their emotional injury that they're dealing with many years after they have returned from combat. And so to bring them together and have them in each other's company, whether it's on a fishing trip or a hunting trip or ski weekend or whatever it might be and to facilitate conversation that helps them to, mentor one another, be accountable to one another really helps them along in that emotional rehabilitation by this point, most of our veterans, not all but many have, progressed in their physical rehabilitation to the extent that they're probably going to, but the emotional rehabilitation. And what I mean by that is the moral injury, the memories, the feelings of guilt or responsibility for things that happened overseas, which don't necessarily belong to them, but they feel nonetheless, those are the kinds of things that we're trying to work with and help veterans get through, on, on many of our, retreat programs at freedom Alliance.
Scott DeLuzio 00:09:36 Yeah. And that's a big thing too. There are a lot of those veterans who come back with, like you said, the moral injuries and working in an environment where there is that, that comradery at some of these retreats. The hunting and fishing and skiing, you, type events you, get these, these people together and, that, that you get that comradery almost instantly, it's funny when, when I am interviewing another veteran on, on this podcast, we'll, we'll start talking and we may never have spoken before we started the interview. And by the end of the interview, we're talking like we're world friends, and a lot of times it's only a half-hour conversation.
Scott DeLuzio 00:10:27 And So we have that, that kind of unique bond, I think, amongst the military community and understanding, with each other. And I think that's, it's important to be able to bring that together and, and that, that should help with the healing process I would, I would think. And, so, it's great that events like these are available to veterans and, it's something that, that we, we can look forward to and, look to expand our healing, not just the physical healing, but the mental and the emotional healing as well, with
Tom Kilgannon 00:11:10 It's socialization. We see that all the time, whenever you have an event, whether the two vets that have met previously or not, you're right there is that, that instant comradery. And, and that's very important. And, and what people should understand about that is,, when, when a veteran comes back, having been wounded, when they come back immediately and I'm going back now, 15, 20 years, and, and they go into a hospital or a rehab center, they have around them, this community of support, they have doctors, they have nurses, they have counselors, and they have other veterans. There was a time at Walter Reed and Vamsee, and the Naval hospital in San Diego. And so many others were, they were filled with veterans who had experienced combat injuries. So they were able to talk to one another and families were able to talk to one another.
Speaker 2 00:12:10 And we civilians that have been experiencing this loss of socialization for the last two years, with this whole COVID and social distancing and shutdown. But what's important for the civilian community to understand is when those veterans leave those hospitals or those rehab centers, those natural communities of support, they go home to a community in which they might be one of the only, or, or the only combat-wounded veteran, in the area. And it takes organizations like freedom lines and so many other great organizations to create those communities temporarily though. They may be where they can come together and be with one another. And it's important, for civilians to the extent that they are able, if they can experience this, to see how much that means to them, how important it is, because every, almost every veteran will tell you, hey when I was in the military, I loved it. I loved being around people, people with great spirit and, and optimists, and that team mentality, we're going to, we're all in this together. And misery loves company, whatever it might be. And they don't have when that goes away, it is very difficult to find a similar replacement. And that's what we do at the Freedom Alliance. That's a big part of it, because what they're dealing with is a feeling of loss and despair and a lack of purpose that they need to rediscover, and we helped them do that.
Scott DeLuzio 00:13:57 One of the things that I like to do on this show is to highlight the different organizations who are working to support the military community, by highlighting, different organizations, like Freedom Alliance and others, like you, you mentioned earlier you're giving the veterans the opportunity to learn about, other programs that are available to them, ultimately, giving them options and, and providing hope to, to those, those veterans who might be in a community where they're the only one who may have even been in combat or Ben, disabled by their experiences in combat or, or anything like that. So, I think it's important to highlight organizations like Freedom Alliance, talking to you and finding out more about the programs you offer, the events that you put on.
Scott DeLuzio 00:14:54 It's going to give the listeners, the veterans and their supporters, their families, then people like those who are listening, it's going to give them more options. And more options is always a good thing, I think. And, providing this type of environment for veterans to get together and heal together, is, I think, a great way to do it. And, so, know what are some of the other things that Freedom Alliance does, some of the other ways that they work with the military community and other programs that you might offer?
Tom Kilgannon 00:15:32 Sure, Scott, so as I said, we've got our scholarship program and we started the organization by sending care packages overseas. We still do that. at one time we were very, heavily invested in doing hospital visits and rehab visits, but because we don't have a lot of combat veterans in there now we've shifted, towards the retreats., we're als, in some cases providing mortgage-free homes, vehicles, altering wheelchairs, and programs of that nature. And it's through those retreats in that personal interaction with the veterans, we're right. We are able to get to know them a little bit better, find out where they are in their rehabilitative stage and what they might need. So we have a continuum of projects and opportunities with which veterans can get involved with us at different stages. And, it's not unusual that we'll have different kinds of support to a veteran over many years.
Tom Kilgannon 00:16:35 There are some that we've worked with for a long time, and that's important too. We don't want to be an organization that just says, here's what we're able to do and take it or leave it, to the extent possible. And it's not always possible, but when it is, how can we help you, what is it, where are you? And if we can't help, perhaps we can refer you to somebody else who has an expertise in that area., but knowing where the veteran is in that rehabilitative stage, they're going through the life stage, just like all of us, where you grow up, you change jobs, you get married, you have, your, your struggles along the way, and putting war injuries on top of those natural struggles that we all face, just exacerbates the problem and that's where the help is needed.
Scott DeLuzio 00:17:28 It is. Absolutely. And I think that goes back to, what I was talking about before with the financial piece of your, your children's education and, and things like that, where, where that's, obviously that's something that, that we're all, you responsible for. We all have to look into that piece as well, but, we're possible where we can assist the people who have sacrificed for us and given so much for fighting for our country. I think it just makes sense, to be able to provide that opportunity through scholarships, donating, homes or vehicles, to combat wounded veterans. I think that's an amazing thing, given the opportunity to be able to do something like that.
Scott DeLuzio 00:18:23 I mean, that's such a huge relief to these people. It really does make a world of difference. And, when you look back, look back to the Vietnam era where our troops were coming home and they were getting spit on and called names and all this other stuff. And that was a level of treatment that they received versus the level of treatment that the troops are receiving now after 20 years of war, now, it's just a night and day difference. And it's because of organizations like Freedom Alliance that you're, you're working to provide this. And I think that that's just an incredible thing that, that, that you're doing in that, that the country is kind of rallying behind as well, because he wouldn't be able to do this without the support of, of the people who, are, are supporting the military through fundraising events and, and other initiatives that you might have as well.
Tom Kilgannon 00:19:26 Yeah. And I, and I'll tell you, Scott, I think it's important to reflect on this point, because if you go back, what was it, 50, 50, more years ago, during the Vietnam era, there was a very difficult time in our nation's history. And, we made a lot of mistakes. One of them was equating the conflict with the combatant and not being able to distinguish between, controversial wars or things we don't agree with those who are willing to serve their nation in whichever way they're called. And, and so we've learned a lot from that, but even 50 years later, the Vietnam injuries are still being ill. Congressman Dan Crenshaw who represents a district in, near Houston, Texas, has just recently introduced a resolution,, asking the president of the United States to apologize on behalf of the nation to Vietnam veterans.
Tom Kilgannon 00:20:33 It has wide bipartisan support. And even though it's obviously symbolic, it will mean a lot when we do our events. I can tell you when I stand up in front of an audience of veterans, invariably, as I'm talking about the kinds of projects and outreach that I just explained what freedom Alliance does, there's always at least one Vietnam veteran in the audience who has a tear in his eye, and who might come up to you afterwards and say, I want to thank you so much for all that you're doing. So seeing this support for OEF and living among IFA veterans means as much, if not more to the Vietnam veteran, as it does to the current generation and the current generation appreciates it. And I think we'll appreciate it even more as time goes on, but it's the organizations that are doing it.
Tom Kilgannon 00:21:26 And now with this new technology, Scott, the podcast-like drive on podcasts, also brings so much value because it provides an opportunity for veterans to talk to one another to help each other, to share information through this medium that is extraordinarily helpful to all of them. And so we've made a lot of progress. We have more to do, but we've come a long way in this area. I think it's a historic change. I mean, I'm proud that we've played a role in it, but so many, so many great organizations have played a role in it.
Scott DeLuzio 00:22:05 Yeah. And, going back to that point about the Vietnam veterans who see this support for, even the more recent wars, the veterans of the more recent wars, it kind of makes me think about, some of the soldiers who have gone overseas and, and were, were killed and, and, sometimes we, we think, what was the point? Was it all for nothing? You know, what was the reason behind it, was there a sacrifice made in vain and all that kind of stuff, but, but when you're, you're in that position where you weren't treated all that well, when you came back home the Vietnam era, and they look at that and they can probably think to themselves that, that mistreatment, that, that we had paved the way for future generations to be treated with the respect and the care that they deserve. And so all of that was not in vain, all of that, that mistreatment that they endured was not all for nothing. There is some good, there's a silver lining, and while maybe it didn't directly benefit them, they can see that now, and, and see that the benefit is there for their, the brothers and sisters who came after them.
Tom Kilgannon 00:23:33 No question about that. You're spot on. And I think we have it's not, the same, it's not a perfect analogy, but just this year, just, a little ago, United States left Afghanistan in a way that I think left a lot of veterans, especially those who fought in Afghanistan, feeling less than satisfied, to put it mildly. And we saw at freedom lions, a spike in the outreach, the phone calls, the emails, the longer phone conversations, the longer meetings that we add with veterans, just to help them through that time. And it's still going on, they're still feeling very hurt and angered and embittered by it. But this generation, those who are feeling those kinds of things today, they're going to help the next generation 10 or 20 or 30 years down the line because they have been through this.
Tom Kilgannon 00:24:32 And I think,, for those who, who were there and who are struggling with that, I would, for what it's worth I would offer, you should hold your head high, and you should be proud of your service and what you did, because you went overseas, you represented our country, you fought for our country, you put your life on the line and you did your job. And there were a lot of different jobs to do in different stages. So I think depending on when you deployed over there, you really accomplished a lot. If you were in that first wave that went over and in 2001, say to 2004, driving the Taliban out, getting out of al-Qaeda, just taking care of those who attacked us, you were successful. And then later on whether it was training the Afghan army or others, you did what you had to do and you did it well.
Tom Kilgannon 00:25:29 , and then there was the humanitarian effort to counterinsurgency trying to build relationships with the locals throughout Afghanistan. And Americans did that as well and, and saved a lot of lives, gave a lot of opportunity to women and children. but in the process they had to you, Scott, I mean, you and your fellow veterans, you encountered the worst of humanity. In many cases, you went up against ISIS and Al Qaeda and the Taliban people who don't value human life, the way we do it, you saw terrible things. You saw things that nobody should have to contemplate on, on this earth and, and having done. So you have, you carry those scars in your heart. You carry them in your memory, and they're still impacting you and all this, but I'm just really speaking to the civilians, who may not be as familiar with what we mean by emotional injury or moral injury.
Speaker 2 00:26:31 , just imagine seeing dynamite strapped to an innocent kid, or, having to witness a beheading, grabbing to smell the aftermath of the burnt human flesh or things of that nature. And, those kinds of images, those kinds of memories stay with the veteran for many, many years, and it's difficult to overcome. And that's why organizations like freedom Alliance and the programs we offer to work through that and, and get over it, are so important and so valuable because those memories really stifled the progress of what is often said of returning to civilian society or being able to work or being the most effective father or husband you can be, and, and so it's important to address it and address it in a way that is effective. And the VA is not able to do that. And that's not a knock on the VA they're ginormous bureaucracy, what we have to do in, in fixing these problems. It's very personal. It's one-on-one, it's small groups in half, a dozen or less. An, and that's, that's what we do at the Freedom Alliance.
Scott DeLuzio 00:27:51 Yeah, absolutely. And I just kind of echo some of what you were saying there, for the people who are having a hard time with, the way we, we pulled out of Afghanistan and how some of these, some of this ended over there, I feel like that one of the things that gets overshadowed and overlooked in all of this is that we took the fight over there to the enemy, to the people who attacked us. We took the fight there and we fought in their backyard so that we didn't have to continue fighting in our backyard. We didn't have planes falling out of the sky for the last 20 years. We didn't have buildings, crumbling, and thousands of lives lost in a single day, in our, in our country, after nine 11.
Scott DeLuzio 00:28:44 And that's because we were able to take the fight over there and, and keep the fight there as opposed to here in our own backyards. And so, that's something that I think anyone who served during that time period should be proud of, whether you deployed or not, you still did what your country asked of you. And, and that's, that was all part of the bigger picture of protecting the country in that. And that's something that you should definitely be proud of. But, on the other hand, too, there's some people who were saying, sure. We drove the Taliban out and we got them out, but they're, they're back now. So was it even worth it? And, from my point of view, I look at it as, let's say you're diagnosed with cancer and you go to the doctor and you get it treated and you go through the chemotherapy and, and you, you get rid of it.
Scott DeLuzio 00:29:40 And then 20 years later, it comes back and you go through the whole process again, and maybe even it takes your life 20 years later, but would the initial treatment be all for nothing, would that have been wasted? Because it gave you an extra 20 years of life. And so I think it was very much worth it. And so I think of the Taliban as, as the cancer, and I think of the people of Afghanistan as the patient who was struggling with that cancer, and, and we were the doctors we got rid of for those 20 years. And, that's something, we gave them that, that bit of life in that, that freedom for those 20 years. And I think that's also something to be proud of.
Tom Kilgannon 00:30:25 Yeah. It's the, our, our military armed forces are under civilian control and, civilians, the political leaders certainly have to take responsibility for the way in which we left Afghanistan and Ferrara, frankly, everything that took place in those 20 years, there were a lot of mistakes made. I know there's never a Congress to put together a commission. That'll, we'll kind of review that and see if we can avoid mistakes in the future. But for the service member, they have to understand that focus on what you're able to control and what you are able to influence through your actions. The decisions of the political leaders in Washington is something you cannot control in a direct way. And, you went over, you did your job, you did it well, you represented America. And, you should be proud of that because the public is proud of you.
Tom Kilgannon 00:31:27 We're going to debate for a long time Afghanistan and what happened, what didn't happen the way we left all of that, what there, I think there is no debate on, and why we talked so much about the comparison to the Vietnam era is because, you soldiers, airmen, Marines, sailors, you have the support of the public. You have it in ways that were never imagined during the Vietnam era. The people of this country love you and support you and appreciate you. And they're showing that through organizations like freedom lines, they're showing that in public opinion calls, they're showing that in sharing your frustration. And so know that there are people who care about you and love you beyond your immediate family and that you have a tremendous amount to offer to this country. It wasn't just your service in Iraq or Afghanistan, that for which you gave value to our country, the experiences you have, the training you went through, what you saw and what you learned and what you did needs to be brought back to the United States into our schools or businesses or corporations, or media or public discussion.
Tom Kilgannon 00:32:45 So that we, who did not go over, are able to learn from that and not make the same mistakes or to benefit from what you saw and what you experienced. So know that the value you have to your family, to your community and to your country is only just beginning. And, what you can offer is off the charts, and so much more, it's so much different, than we who did not experience that.
Scott DeLuzio 00:33:21 Yeah, for sure. And I think, just look at anyone's life. Look at your own life and think about any success that you had throughout your life. Even the smallest things, go You fell off the bike at one point and, and you skinned your knee, or, there were some failures along the way, but that led to success. And so you took the lessons learned from those failures and applied that to whatever it was that you're trying to do. And, that ultimately led to the growth that you had as an individual. And if we take a look, take a step back and look at the bigger picture and talk about the conflicts that our country has been involved in.
Scott DeLuzio 00:34:14 If we take the lessons that we've learned on an individual level, and we apply those to the bigger picture, you, we're able to learn and grow and maybe not make some of those same mistakes, going forward. And so that way we are more successful in the future. So even if you want to accept the fact that maybe this was a huge mistake, and we, we, we failed at this endeavor going overseas for the last 20 years. If that's your mindset and you want to accept that fine, okay. Deal, have that mindset, but, but, recognize that those failures that we may have had could lead to bigger successes in the future by applying some of these lessons. And, so even, even in that mindset, I still think that we, we have some, some success to be seen in, in the future based on everything that we've, we've done in the past.
Tom Kilgannon 00:35:15 No question. I'll just give one example. A lot of your audience probably heard of something called a veterans court and what these are. Special courts or special sessions of court In the legal system, in which, veterans who have been charged a crime or misdemeanor or things like that are, are able to go into court with, an advocate and a judge who,, take into account their deployments, their PTs, their anxiety, their traumatic brain injury, the stressors they have that, that they have because of combat and in adjudicating their, crime or their circumstance. they're, they're able to, consider those factors and come to a more just conclusion, because of the circuits. There are veterans who have come home and who have gone through the normal legal system and gotten a raw deal because of all of their experiences in combat, if some of the, what they were charged with was directly related to their TBI or stressors from combat and led them into, being before and judge.
Tom Kilgannon 00:36:38 But those veterans worked with the authorities, worked with the legal system, worked with practice attorneys and are creating and establishing these courts all over the country. So that veterans are able to get a, not necessarily more sympathetic, but more complete understanding of the circumstances around which these issues have occurred. And it is because of a veteran who had a heart for community service and, applying the lessons learned overseas that these courts are existing and, and multiplying throughout the country. That's just one example, but there are many more in corporate America, certainly in the nonprofit area where those who have come home from Iraq or Afghanistan are making tremendous improvements in our community through these kinds of systems.
Scott DeLuzio 00:37:36 And then I think all of that is really great. I think we need more compassion and more understanding, not just about, how to fight a war, but also how to deal with the troops who are coming back home, oftentimes with, physical, mental injuries that need addressing as well. So I think all of this is really great. and I, I really think that everything that the Freedom Alliance is doing, in addition to other nonprofits, is working to address some of those needs that we're just talking about there. So I really do appreciate you taking the time to come on and talk about the Freedom Alliance. it's been really great learning about some of the programs that you have to offer, for anyone who wants to, either take in some of the services or events that you have to offer, or who is looking to support the freedom Alliance through, donations or, or other, things like that, where, where can they go to find out more information, make a donation and, and find out more about the programs that you offer.
Scott DeLuzio 00:38:51 Sure.
Speaker 2 00:38:52 Thanks for that. The best way is through our [email protected], that's freedom alliance.org is our website. And on that website, you'll be able to find a place where you can make a donation. We exist on the generosity of the American public, by large, and you make it possible for us to provide these programs. There's also an application on freedom alliance.org in which the veteran and the military or the family member can find, it's a universal application that says, here are the different things that we do and what might, what kind of assistance might you be interested in? And so we'll look at that and find what we have available at the time and, and see what so, who were able to help, in what ways, so through freedom alliance.org, either donation or finding the application is the best way to go. We're also on most social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, our Facebook pages, our most robust,, day to day off, of what we're up to. And you can find me on Twitter and LinkedIn as well.
Scott DeLuzio 00:39:59 That's great. I will have links to everything that you just talked about there in the show notes, all your social media links, and your website. So, anyone who's looking to check it out, you can check out the show notes, click through on there. You don't have to jot all that down as you're driving in the car, because that would just be dangerous. So let's not do that. But again, thank you, Tom, for joining me and for coming on the show and talking about the Freedom Alliance. And, and I think the work that you do is very important. and I think, again, this is, this is another option for, for the veterans, for their families to get the support that they need and quite frankly deserve. So thank you.
Tom Kilgannon 00:40:41 My pleasure. Thank you. I appreciate all you do, and God bless.
Scott DeLuzio 00:40:45 Thanks for listening to the Drive On Podcast. If you want to check out more episodes or learn more about the show, you can visit our website driveonpodcast.com. We're also on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube to Drive on Podcast.