American Real’s goal is to promote personal growth by delivering enlightening stories of our guests, told in their own words. The long format video broadcast provides each guest with a platform to offer their unique perspectives in a way that and empowers and ultimately inspires our viewership. Our tagline is, Everyone Has A Story… and our goal is to invoke, elevate and enrich humankind, so that any individual, at any age, can identify their own unique abilities, as they strive to become the best version of themselves in hopes of making a contribution to the world.

Although American Real is in its infancy, we have managed to touch tens of thousand of lives though the stories of our first ten guests; Anthony Brunelli, Edmond Cotton, Senator Fred Akshar, Kevin Oates, John Conroy, Kevin Hines, Al Downing, Bess Greenberg, Ty Muse and now our latest guest, Rick Yarosh. Thanks to social media, these stories have been watched, shared and commented on by people like you and we thank you for being apart of and sharing in our journey.

Rick Yarosh

As a 21-year-old, Rick Yarosh enlisted in the US ARMY to defend our freedom after the attacks of 9/11. Three years after enlistment, at the age of 24, Yarosh was on a routine mission in Iraq, when the vehicle he occupied was struck by an IED (improvised explosive device). The date was September 1, 2006.

Rick Yarosh honors the day of his new beginning, as shown here on his custom license plate — 1SEP06 — the day that forever changed his life.

In this remarkable episode, Yarosh describes in detail his surviving miracle after the fuel tank of the Bradley armored vehicle he occupied was struck by an IED.

Retired US ARMY Sgt. Rick Yarosh shown before and after he sustained life-threatening injuries from a roadside bomb explosion in Iraq in 2006.

When selecting the title for this episode, it came to me with ease: Rick Yarosh — A True American Hero. After you listen to his story, I think you will agree. Yarosh’s story and his after-story, all fits the qualities of a truly defined hero:

he·ro /ˈhirō/

a : a person admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities

In some ways, we all strive to be heroes, meaning we all strive to become our best selves. Innately, we are here to lend a helping hand, guide with advice and provide hope to those we interact with every day. Yarosh defines HOPE as — Hold On Possibilities Exist — a message he delivers through his Sweethearts & Heroes platform.

Unfortunately, most of us get caught up within ourselves and our own lives and don’t take time out for others as we should. Rick Yarosh could easily sit home and do nothing. He could very easily stay inside and drown in his sorrows, but he does not. In fact, he does just the opposite. He is out in public, five days per week, spreading his message of HOPE — mainly to our youth.

Thanksgiving

It’s no coincidence this episode of Rick Yarosh is being released on Thanksgiving Day—exactly one year after he proposed to his wife, Amy.

Rick Yarosh with wife Amy. Watch the trailer to the American Real episode here.

Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving and what are we truly thankful for? This Thanksgiving in particular, I’m thinking about all those who give us the freedom to live in the greatest country in the world. I’m thinking of those who put their lives on the line each and every day so that we are able to safely celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday and every other day throughout the year. It’s because of men and woman like Rick Yarosh that serve and have served in the US Armed Forces, as well as every level of law enforcement, including firefighters, first responders and all those protecting our civil liberties—for which we should be thankful. I’m thankful for each one of them and I hope you’ll join me. It’s because of them we are able to spend time with our family, friends and loved-ones… to carve a turkey, taste an apple pie, or even make time to watch a little football.

The National Anthem

I asked Yarosh how he felt about the NFL players taking a knee for the National Anthem. Here’s part of his response from our conversation.

“Am I offended? No, I’m not,” says Yarosh. “Do I wish they would stand? Yes, I do. It’s a tough subject… but in the end, when you kneel for the National Anthem, it’s disrespectful.”

Thank you for your service, Rick Yarosh. Thank you for defending our freedoms and thank you for having the courage and the honor to stand proud each and every day, educating our youth and providing an incredible message of HOPE. I’m hopeful on this Thanksgiving that we can all give a little more of ourselves to others, focus on what’s really important in order to try and make the world a better place.

Roger Brooks is the Founder & Host of American Real. He can be reached at [email protected]

If you want to learn more about how to Become the Hero in Your Own Story, visit: www.americanreal.tv