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A loud motorcycle, a quiet plaque, and a promise: we will remember. Maria sits down with Token Squid—executive director, veteran, storyteller—to unpack a mission that’s as simple as it is hard: show up for Gold Star families in person and keep their loved ones’ legacies alive. No scripts. No bureaucracy. Just miles, presence, and the right words at the right time.

We explore what a Gold Star family truly is and why visibility still lags, illustrated by a father who learned his own status in a parking lot. Token shares the moment a grieving mother heard, “That was a sniper’s bullet from 7,000 miles away,” and tore up her suicide note later that day. The conversation tackles PTSD without euphemism, challenges the “22 a day” statistic with lived examples of misclassified deaths, and explains why he refuses to call it a disorder. We also address Stolen Valor, how seasoned vets identify impostors, and why protecting the integrity of service matters for real families in pain.

Road stories keep the stakes human. A miracle engine code forces a 15 mph crawl across empty New Mexico, likely saving his life when a rear wheel bearing had failed; a tow driver named Alex donates a $3,000 haul after hearing the mission. We zig into history—Vietnam’s homefront loss, Desert Storm’s tempo, and an ancestor pulled from a Civil War mass grave who limped home and built a life—because memory is the work. Along the way, humor keeps the sadness from taking over, a patch (“My DD214 can kick your MBA’s ass”) becomes a fundraiser, and a plaque with Lincoln’s words becomes a bridge between grief and pride.

If service, sacrifice, and remembrance matter to you, join us. Listen, share with someone who needs hope, and help the Gold Star Ride Foundation keep riding: donate at goldstarride.org. And if this conversation moved you, subscribe, leave a review, and tell us which story stayed with you most.

Connect with Token Squid:

Facebook Page: @Gold Star Ride Foundation

Instagram: @goldstarride

LinkedIn: @AnthonyPrice

Website and Donate: https://www.goldstarride.org/

YouTube: @cafceo

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