Van of Valor

By Dr. Kevin P. Wallace
Van of Valor cofounder

Note: also a Purple Heart recipient, and Bronze Star with Valor recipient

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M. – I was here, in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, this Veteran’s Day, leaning against the side of the Van of Valor’s rented substitute. 

The sun was warm on the metal, and I imagined my hand resting near that row of names near the passenger’s window — Lauren’s window — where I took the time to etch permanently, sacredly, into the very vehicle the names of at least a dozen fallen brothers and sisters. 

We carry their memory across the country. I started recording a message, speaking from the heart about what this day finally means to me.

For twenty years of service and many more after, I’ll admit, I never quite understood the ritual of the free cup of coffee, the free donut. 

It felt like a gesture that was unnecessary in my time in an all-volunteer force, and I didn’t quite understand why I deserved such a notion. 

But now, after 20 years in service, 11+ abroad, and now all this time on the road with this Van of Valor mission, meeting a whirlwind of veterans from every war, every branch, both genders — all who answered the same call — I finally get it.

It was never about the coffee.

And here in this quiet town, I wasn’t even sure if that offer would come. Not that we need it or want it. 

But the understanding finally crystallized for me. 

Veteran’s Day isn’t about what you did, or when you did it, or whom you did it with. That’s all part of your story, and your story matters. As my friend Marine Sgt. Ingrid English said in her interview with the Van of Valor, “You’re it. Keep fighting the good fight, people.”

But this understanding of mine is now etched in more than just memory; it’s etched in steel. On the side of this van, we carry over 400 names. Four hundred-plus fallen service members. 

They’re not just names; they are stories interrupted. 

They are the reason the rest of us got to come home. 

When I say “everybody’s service matters,” and that “it’s all part of a machine,” I am thinking of them. They are the crucial, irreplaceable gears of that machine who gave everything, whose sacrifice we are still trying to fathom. But also, I genuinely mean that everyone’s service did matter, and this is the perfect day to recognize that.” 

This Van is a rolling memorial, but it’s also a story-teller. 

We’ve written nearly 100 print stories, posted at http://www.HelpVoV.com under our Blog section, because a name without a story is just a word. We say their names, and we tell their stories, so their service and their lives are never reduced to a line on a wall.

I think of the heroes we’ve highlighted, like Army SPC Kamisha Block, a vibrant young woman whose story we shared to honor her life and service, cut tragically short.

 I think of Marine CPL William Kyle Middleton, who left a legacy of leadership and love for his family. 

And I remember Navy PO2 Joseph Minucci, whose dedication and spirit live on in the memories of his shipmates. 

These are just a few of the hundreds. 

They are why we drive. 

They are why we write.

I wasn’t forced to learn German or Japanese or Italian growing up. Now, I have friends in those countries, our allies. I chose to put the uniform on. And so did every one of those 400+ names on the Van.

So this Veteran’s Day, and every one to come, my perspective has shifted. I won’t second-guess the free coffee. 

That coffee isn’t payment; it’s a connection. 

It’s a small, tangible way for a grateful nation to look a veteran in the eye and say, “I see you. Thank you.”

And so, from now on, I will simply say, “You’re welcome,” and take it.

And to every single person who has ever put on the uniform, from any branch, any era, any job — if you even care what I think, because most likely you don’t, and that’s the beautiful, stubborn independence I love about us — I want you to hear this from me, from the road, from beside this Van that carries our fallen:

I believe in you. 

I am out here serving you. 

And right now, I’m going to tell you, you are worth it!

Thank you. Happy Veterans Day. 

We love you.