I did not make a mistake.
I was recently sitting at the dinner table with my wife. We were casually looking up the salaries of professional athletes, what they earn in a year, what they’ve made in a decade. Some had earned hundreds of millions in less time than I’d spent serving my country.
As the numbers appeared on the screen, I felt my heart drop. I looked at my wife, and with a lump in my throat, I apologized. Not because I regretted my life, but because a part of me wished I could have given her that kind of financial abundance — that kind of ease. In that moment, I felt like I had fallen short.
I did not make a mistake.
My profession gave me purpose. It demanded everything I had — my blood, my sweat, my tears — and it gave me experiences that most people can’t begin to imagine. I stood for something bigger than myself. I served the American people with everything I had, and that is something no paycheck, no contract, no dollar amount can ever replace. If I had the chance, I would do it all over again.
The Honor Foundation may not turn me into a professional athlete or make me a millionaire — but it has done something far more meaningful. It has given me hope. It has given me direction. It has given me the belief that my second career can be just as impactful as my first. THF is a second chance… one I never expected, but deeply needed.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who makes The Honor Foundation possible. You have changed my life.