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Rides mountain bikes and drives his daughter to School Every Day except on days when he is inspiring folks like us. I want you to know he has a better introduction for himself. I am proud and honored to welcome travis mills. Thank you so much. That was a great introduction. I tell people when they come out and see me and someone introduces be i say what do you call a guy without arms or legs in the ocean . Bob. Travis mills. Nice meeting you guys. Let me start off with my thank you to the savannah book festival. Thanks for having me. My father in law and brother drove down so we are happy. The hosts are the most phenomenal people. If you dont know them you need to. A couple things about me Everybody Needs to know. One, i am awesome. Two, i am humble. In that order. You get the idea there . I have pretty cool tricks. Yup. And i wrote a book so im an author, too. What . [applause] i know you are not supposed to read from your book so luckily i didnt bring one up on stage. I was told not to do that. They said dont do that. This book, tough as they come, documents what happened to me, my family and what why did to get through it. But random house took a chance on me. Random house publishing, crown, penguin, took a chance on me telling my story and i was able to tell it in a positive way. I am not a pity story. I live life to the fullest and i am thankful for being alive. I have been able to do some pretty cool things with this being on the top of the list. Being here is awesome. I want to express my gratitude for everybody that serves. The first thing you will read is thank you for your service if you served. I didnt serve anymore or harder than anybody else. I just had a case of the mondays. Rough day at work. Bomb. Oh, no, monday. The next thing it says is i dont think my problems are worse than anybody elses. We have thinks to deal with. Visu visually i like different. If i catch you starring i know what you are going to do. But it is a train wreck so you wait for me to look away. Oh, no, he caught me. Everybody thinks i am a great person which most days i am. I am not above anyone else. The worst thing i did with this injury is a little seven year old was looking at me drinking a subway cup, she looks and keeps starring, i didnt want to be starred out and her mom looked in. And i leaned in and said you know who did this to me . The boogie man under our bed or the monster in the closet. It gets worse. I said and they are coming for you next. Granted i dont know if i would do that again. Well, no, if i didnt do it in the first place i still would. It is a great story. But no, tough as they come documents everything. Let me tell you a little about myself. I am from michigan. Go blue. Anyone from ohio . It is impressive it takes ohio with two people. Someone says oh you think of ohio. Michigan is an eight letter world and i can tell it for you. 18 years old i went to play a little bit of college football. I had a girlfriend who vinced me i should move home and thought it was a great idea. I met her boyfriend collin randomly. I wasnt supposed to. He was a secret. It got awkward after that. So i joined the military in 2006 and i was in basic training in fort benning, georgia. I wanted to come back as it was the only time i was here. I hated coleslaw. All they wanted me to do was eat it and i could not say no. Sorry, it takes me back there. I went to fort brags in North Carolina and served three deployments. My first deployment i met a girl here on my space, i know crazy, and we decided she was 18 and i was 20 that we were going to mexico first time we ever met. I have a little girl i would kill that man. But luckily my brotherinlaw, who was my a medic overseas, chased me with a knife and wanted to kill me. How do you get a medic who wants to kill you when he is a medic . We got married shortly after and i only took four showers that year by choice. All right. You guys are with me. We are still doing this. A lot of fighting, came back, bought a house, had a baby well my wife had the baby. I was part of the process but we will not get into that. Nobody . Okay. Whatever. I will keep going. I just talk. My wife gets really annoyed at me by it. But on my third deployment you guys can probably guess i was wrestling sharks and not at all what happened actually. Stepped on a bomb. Became a triple amputee right away. Two days later they cut my left hand off and on april 14th, 2012 i woke up for the first time in germany who my brotherinlaw who is in the room and explains what happened. And my mom and dads favorite day of the year this day because their middle child was born. Me. Let me tell you about the process. First kid was born, whoops, lets try it again. That is my older sister. Not that great. Next kid, me, perfection. Right . No, it was. And then they were like lets have another one. Third kid whoops. Lets drag these two along until 17 and the middle is our favorite. They will not admit that but it is definitely true in my eyes. But, no, i hit a bomb, had to recover. On april 17th i went to walter reed, on april 18th, i told her to take everything we had and go. I had a four month old at the time. I said i will support you anyway i can. I will pay for everything you need but i cannot i dont know what to do about this and she said that is not how this works. She wanted that close parking. Yeah, no. She is like you are going to try to deprive me of close parking . I am part of the vip team. Little blue tag front row wherever i go. I love it. You know, i said you saw me on facebook you might have saw i stepped on a bomb for 10. I came out ahead. If you didnt see that you will come across it maybe. No, i am thankful for the opportunities i have. My recovery was 19 months long. The first thing for my first wok out was i got in an argument with my doctors and said i wanted to work out and they said i couldnt. There is a wheelchair next to my bed. A powered one. I was trying to make a statement. I went over to my Occupational Therapy and after four hours of calling him every half hour, he let me lay on the table and stretch out and i fell asleep for 20 minutes. Best regimen every. I keep it to this day. Check it out. And i do karaoke. I can step up here and ramble and tell jokes. First time i met george bush i was so nervoused i pulled a forest gump. I was like i am so nervous i could pee right now. As i am leaving to go to the Library Walks ms. Bush. And she said you are coming in. Had you are you . I love your work, barbara. And she said the name is laura. No, i didnt mess that up really. Maybe i did . I dont know. But i really am very appreciative of the exposure i get. I tell people it is all about perspective with me. People wonder how i have such a good attitude and keep smiling and i have had a lot of friends not make it back home. If you are in the service, you know what i am talking about. Seven months after i was hit my buddy got hit in a hum vee and all five people died. He had a three year old and a wife. He will never hold his wifes hand again, take his daughter to school, or see his mother for the holidays. I think it would be selfish if i didnt keep going forward. I have the ability to take my daughter to school, go to the gym, take my wife on dates. Nobody wants to hang out with me because i lost my arms and legs that is a joke. The book is neartime best seller. Khloe kardashian is beating me in my bracket right now. And i am all about winning. We can do it all together. Remember when you buy tough as they come we are beating khloe kardashian. So lets only talk for 20 minutes. If you have questions nothing offends me. I am setting the precedents. Ask whatever you want. No . Okay. Keep going. The book is not politically based. It has an underlining tone of faith but i didnt push it. It is about overcoming what happened to me. Surgery, nine doctors, seven nurses and two nurses are seven hours pumped air into my lungs. I met 69 doctors and thanked them for their service and what they did for me and my family. I dont considered myself wounded. I have scars, awesome scars. Ladies, i am married. Gentlemen, i am married. I am sorry. I have had really need experiences. I am a peer mentor and people through situations. I run a nonprofit that was supposed to start off just giving care packages overseas. They want peppered beef jerky, peanut m ms, and orbit gum. As the president , i dont pay myself and i will never pay myself or Board Members a salary. We bring people up to maine, where we live, which by the way i am grateful to go in the south. We raised about 900,000 and we can bring families up for 12 weeks of summer, more like eight but whatever, we are doing great things. Check out travismills. Org. I guess i will take questions now if anybody has any. If you dont, it will hurt my feelings. If anyone wonders why i am dressed like this think about if you take these legs off they are pants. Yeah, i know. That is a long sleeve right there. Any questions on how this works . When you want to take questions you have to call on somebody and force them you have a question . Yes, maam, what is your question. You and i have met before and shared a commander in chief. I wonder if you could tell everybody more about meeting president bush when you came back. And also a little bit about your foundation. It is doing great work and there is a lot of different foundations doing great work but what do you think would be the best way to try to streamline that work so we are reaching the most amount of Wounded Warriors who need our help because it feels like some are falling through the cracks. President bush is thankful for our service and took the sacrifices are being hard. He hung out until i said i have to go, sir. And he said you dont have to go but i said no, i have other plans. He is helping with moral. We brought all of the nonprofits together to fix things. My website has a bunch i am a believe in. Separate five fund and garrison niece, by the way, if you text him, he does a lot of emojis. I am an ambassador for him. In new york city, i just walked a 5k, and this is five months after my exposure. I fall on the ground. A body guard picks me up and he is trying to help me stand and he is doing the heimlich. And my legs dont lock unless someone does it. Then i said buy me dinner this is getting awkward. It is no big deal. And gogo there for anything i am not on any medication i was second in the nation for experimental drug and that worked out very well so my prosthetics ardennes somewhere else so they support the there in the negative stories that you hear i dont see that riot matt also keep paying your taxes. [laughter] suntimes that joke works but ecologists it doesnt. [laughter] at a college it doesnt. How quickly did you have the medevac . It was around 5 00 in the afternoon within 10 minutes dianna helicopter mine medic put us tourniquets made the left leg was hit in england the others were by the need the left he and but the figures were gone but the and rest was blown out for a guy hit the ground with the left side of my face the rolloverhem is said i just hits a bomb. I said leave me alone. Get away from me. I wasnt suicidal but he said let me do my job. I kept trying to set upon. The bed. Then they would knock me out. Rge but from that time and a ship to death tuesday and then went into surgery and i woke up on the 14th to find out whatnto happened but then five weeks into a that was outpatient with my lefty and then i was taking my first death seven weeks later. [applause]er i of am from ohio. I have to get to miami in the morning but i love those stories. My but i can run away because my legs are of so that is okay. But i will come back to show my wife this great city. It is amazing seven we wouldam love to hook you i up. Will i be scared . I want to be. Good. I love the red. You lookank lovely. O happy valentines day. I am married but fate q. B [laughter] you said you dont get paid through youreti foundation . Dif i am retired from the military but kelsos do some speaking but the foundation is all about getting back data want a salary we paidio the staff but the Board Members arensut never paid. I appreciate that. [applause]now your coach at university of michigan is say but i. Speeleven they made a greatge switch. [laughter] on a serious note, on behalf of everyone here exid like to thank you for everything you have done for this country. Thank you very much. I appreciate that. [applause] thank you. I appreciate that. I was just fortunate to serve my country. I love my job. I would never get blown up again but would still sign up for the army. It was a great ride, and i am happy with the way the government takes care of my medical needs and my family and things like that, my retirement and my wife and stuff like that. So we have been blessed with living in a great nation. Not to keep blowing smoke, but also build me up. I love it. Miss perino said earlier, im really impressed be the fact of your foundation and you take nothing, especially after reading a recent New York Times piece about the Wounded Warriors program and how little money is going the warriors versus what is helping make it go. But my big question is, do you have another book . Not right at the moment. Were thinking of what i can do for the next book. Aim a mentor with a lot of ptsd guys in the army. I take a different spin on it so were thinking of a hard truth bit or fitness by forecasts, where we eat a lot of cheesecake. Some barbecue, and then figure out how we can make this work into our diets. Spoiler alert. Never works out. Except for happiness, thats what you get when you eat cheesecake and barbecue. Were work that out right now. Maybe you get excited and well have a movie and then you can play me in the movie. You look like you got it . You stand in the mirror and flex and then eventually it comes. I actually ripped my skin open lifting weights. Now its my soon to be girlfriend, i never met in person, so i had to look good. Not the brightest guy right here. I got a truck big enough where i couldnt get into it from the ground. I had to put run can boards on it to get into it. Idiot. I know. No one claimed i was the smartest, but i love chess. Who wants to play me in chess . Let me no. Im that good. Just kidding. Im trying to hustle you out of money. I have a couple questions. Just because i didnt introduce you the way you wanted me to. You nailed it. I was just giving you options. All right. As you travel for speaking engagements, to different states what are the best ways you see communities helping local vets . Having vet centers, getting where they have job fairs and they understand what the veterans have done overseas and understand their jobs in the military and how they can plug them into society and having resource officers that are veterans that know what the balance is between the militarys civilian life. When people get out you would never guess i had great custodial duties. I could cut grass like nobodys business, with scissors. Management skills. I was in charge of 700 lives and told them where to go and how to do it and if it made a mistake it was their life on the line. So how somebody knows military speak and i have seen communities in the u. S. Trying to do that more and get veterans back to work and understand how to plug them in. Can i ask you another . You got it. Everybody is like, oh, my gosh, aim going to catch what he has some. We talked about that the foundation is raising funds for national retreats. Are there other Foundation Projects going on . Right now were doing the programming for to raise 2. 7 to have programming for five years. Kayaking, boating, tubing, fishing, bro pro bass and they catch fish. We want to build a network that people can get back out there and do things and chris everyday activities with their families because i do it every day, but someone might be less inclined to try something new if theyre not around people in the same situation. So the foundation is very has been very helpful in showing people what they can still achieve and building confidence. We have had two proof of concepts which made us decide that this was a direction we wanted to go, and we had four families and then we had seven families come up to maine, the last two years, and just been such a great support from everybody around maine and the nation, plus the people that get to come benefit from it, can go away a skill, they can go and do things. We dont just show them how to do and it send them home. We give them tools to night their own house and their own area. Im out there hopefully encouraging people, and they know they can call me if they have an issue or problem. The wives are in this together. My wife and i Text Messages with six other wives. They talk about nothing in general. Theyre all, bling, bling, bling. Im like, its 11 00, but she said, Daniel Danielle and page sis this im like this, stop. That the right ones. Good style. Its a joke. Well, its not. I really do impressed. I was just trying to tell jokes to keep everybody entertained. Uhoh. He found me last night so i know its coming. An easy one. We spoke last night, and i know your agent pretty well. I wondered, just share with the audience the process of how you sold the book and your reaction when it actually was sold. Absolutely. So, we went to a couple meetings where we had five meetings scheduled, random house, and simon some schuster and other big names and went to random house and my literary agent said there will be one or two people here to interview. I walked in the room and there was seven elm he said dont talk to fast, which you can tell i do already. When i shake peoples hand is tell them, our, it hurts or i spin it in a circle. And he said, dont do your slapstick humor, and i did. He said dont talk too long. We were there for an hour. And then i left and when i crossed the street, and as he was telling me what i did wrong, we got an offer to talk all the other offers own the table. I said what did i do wrong . He said literally everything but you can get away with it. I play golf and my handicap thats how it went. When i went to another meeting the next day i met with the sales force and with barnes noble and amazon and walmart, and a bunch of other people. No one liked me until i cried, and then they said, whatever. Want to have your book. It was pretty cool process, seeing how it comes together. Took eight to nine months in total with editing and revisions and i had someone help me with my writing because i used to be righthanded. Now im left. But its a fun process. The worst part before the the process is when i had to narrate it. That was the worst three days of my life. Nine hours a day in a hot booth. Talking too fast. It was a fun process and looking forward to future projects with random house or anybody that wants to partner up and see what we can do. Im originally my name is m. J. Learner and im originally from michigan. Thats right. Wolverines. Thats right. Go blue. I get it iim al from maine and i heard you speak at a rehab hospital several years ago, when i was there rehabbing from something, and you were with you look familiar. You withwith the governors wife and had just gone skydiving with her. You should tell about that. The governors wife is onboard wife verns in maine and is a great friend. You call her first lady but a she wants to be call anna banana. And i got an option to skydiven into event and i said ill only it if ann does it, thinking i would get out of it. Ann said, sure. So the next big event im going to challenge her to go great white shark diving in a cage with me. They cant bite my arms and legs off. Im not that worried. Because theyre gone. But ann is a very great supporter of the foundation, an Advisory Board member, and im thankful to have them six miles down the street from hi mouse. I go in the service entrance, not the front door. Wanted you to know that. And then they come out and treat me like im family, i guess. Theyre like, sit down, quit. Theyre great. Yes, maam. I like your boots, by the way. My name is mary alice and i used to work my old boss used to have he had lost his arm im not sure how but in army, trying to detonate a bomb, and he has im curious how your arms work, john used to wear a vest and had hooks and they would open tom come on up here. I need your help. I remember he couldnt get coins or come on up. Demonstrate. Ladies and gentlemen. Mary ellen, right . Right. My demonstrator. Ladies and gentlemen, how this works. Ever rode a motorcycle before . No. Moped . Okay. Make fist like this now. Rev the engine on a motorcycle. Thats down go up let them here the noise. I need you right now. I need you right now. Vroom vroom. The muffler right here, i have my arm up to right here, so the muscle right here on your hand, when i you flex it toward the ceiling slow it flexes and opens. Now rev it up fast. I cant hear you revving it. Fast. Vroom, vroom, vroom. Right. So you picked it up fast, rotates to the left until i stop the flex. Now make a fist and drop your hand to the ground the other way. Make a errr. So the mussel down here, you the muscle down here hit he brakes hard. I cant here it. Crash . No. Thats why i dont ride a motorcycle. Dont forget the brake. Dont just crash. Errr. Hitting the brakes. So thats how fast and slow i switch the muscles. Thats one way. Ladies and gentlemen, theres new technology out there, so this technology is actually horrible. Walter reed has three guys trying to step out wait, wait. You cant go anywhere now. You have to hang out, mary ellen. So walter reed has all this technology and voice activated control, like, hey, siri they have voice activated control. So click this button, blue light is on. Its engaged. Now im like, open. Close. How cool is that . Super cool. A cup of coffee with shorts on. And someone says close spills all over you in your white shorts. To be fair i said close, and i was cover anyway, my mom and dads house at my daughters birthday pear, we were living in michigan, and she had a big remodel done. We had a machine and i was like, open that window. And it was beige carpet that came out. How bad do you think i felt. I want to show you, give it a close. I just did it. Your hand worked fine. [laughter] just saying. Im opening. Open. One more time. Open. Usually works. Give a little growl. Baritones are you kidding me . No,. Open try one more time. Do a little growl, raspy, ike open. Open. Really loud. Really loud. Ready . Open open so ladies and gentlemen, you realize i said open three times. So, mary ellen, i appreciate you coming up. This button right here, onoff switch. This one, thats my battery charger i have left. Its not voice activated. Thank you for playing. [applause] i have to be honest. Ive gotten Peyton Manning with the same thing. He kept yelling, ohama. He didnt get it. And a couple other people thank you for playing. We have a two rows. Craig, my fatherinlaw right here. Yes, sir. Hi, travis, drew brook. Ptsd is a huge problem with guys coming back from the war. Whats your take on that . What do you think will help . I know its definitely out there definitely real. Account call it the invisible i dont suffer for it but i do counseling and instead of asking for feelings im like, look at what you have in front of you, your wife and two kids, why are you dwelling on the past, and see them what their future holds instead of dwelling on the past, i reminisce the past but as soon as theres more studies done and people nor more about it well open up programming for that at our foundation. Im fortunate and i know that, not suffer from anything with ptsd or flashbacks or traumatic brain injury. So right now, try to mentor and counsel the best i can with my limited knowledge on what the situation is. But i definitely hope that people that need help, get help. That a big problem. Very prideful and dont want to ask for help. And anybody can email my web site and reach out to me, but i dont suffer so i dont know the symptoms of causes well enough to have people come to the camp and try to help them reform right now. Were hoping in five to ten years when more research is done, we can help people in those kind of situations. Thank you for the question. Hello, sir. Hows it going . One statement. Im from bangor, myself. My one question is, why did you move to bangor . Oh, yeah. Its not cspan so i cant tell my normal jokes. Actually we had the ability to build a house anywhere in the nation we wanted. My body, when the heart boats it pushes the normal people get to fingers and toes and comes back cooled down mitchell goes to residual limbs and comes back warmer. A thirds of my body has three layers and its caps off so i overeat very fast. Also last week you really see from your body, head, hands and feet. Im missing four of the five. You cant tell that but i am. So my wife and i moved to texas because she grew up at texas, at age 11. Wanted to go to dallas and that would have been great but i didnt want to have six amongst a year i was in ac and crying all the time. Im a whine. Then she is originally from maine and i told my wife to leave me, sell everything we had, and she didnt. She has huge family base up there, 140 people met in one day. Had item press them. Thats the first time we met, back in 08. They loved me. Just like you guys do. But if she could sacrifice everything and help me through my recovery, sit by my bedside, i was in a medically induced coma for five days and she sat there until she was forced to go back to the room and come back itch thought my family is great, love. The. I i can fly out and see them. My mom and dad are retirement stage can visit me as much as ill see them. Were meeting up in miami tomorrow, and my wife deserves to be around her family and we want to have more children. Like i said no problem there. So, how great would it be if she had that. Not every day is roses in this situation she faced with, that she has decided to be in. She married me but that was in 2008 when i was 63, 250 pounds, and a different man. Same person upstairs but she stuck with me and knew it would be a long road to recovery. So i thought why not move to mississippi for her move to maine for her . And we did. Now im thinking, oh, crap. Its like, what, 40 below tomorrow or something. Im not there, though. Hahaha. Pick tiers of me on the pictures of me on the beach. Yes, sir. Since youre up there now, do you find that you get great support from the politicians, the public figures, and also, since youre up there, do you find that you can bring more support, more encouragement to the vets that are currently living up there . Ly. The politicians are very gravity. I have no probable are very great. Everybody is nice to me because im so pretty. On top of that, with helping the vets out and things like that, im able to be a voice because right now in this society everybody says, youre a veteran . And you must have the ptsd or problems or issues, and im hoping to get on the platform and stay not all veterans have issues weapon dont need a negative, whats wrong with this one . Im here with a positive message, telling people never give up and never quit and keep pushing forward. Its anywhere i go. I feel thankful that im able to have the stage to tell people, dont pity me. Im not a substory. I know i sound like marco rubio, repeating myself. Im sorry. [laughter] thats not a good job . Trump 16 . No . I like to help vets throughout the night. I travel quite a bit. We were just in san antonio at the alamo and now were in miami and then st. Louis, vegas, and orlando if you want to catch my next show. I was joking about the trump 16. I dont know if i was joking. Whatever. Yes, sir, a commanding voice. Faced with the do you still interface with the active duty military . Talk about that and absolutely. I talked to my old soldiers, my friends. We still get along. But the military has asked me to do a few things and ive been able to accommodate that. General odierno asked me to stay in the military and go around with him. I said i appreciate that about i dont want you to move me. Im building a house in maine. He said we wouldnt move you. I said, i know because im moving. I broke down and said i cant do my job anymore, which i love, infan tri. I enjoyed my job and i said if i cant do my job i dont want to put the uniform on anymore. Im going to retire out with what i have and be thankful what i was able to do. Im still active with supporting, still counseling soldiers. If they call me up for an event i can make, die it, and i talk to my friends regularly. Throughout the nation. Matter of fact one guy two guys got hurt with me the day i got blown up and they went home with me, and ryan has since had a child and named is phoenix travis after me is that correct was cool. In the book, you can see that there is a nice letter written from the flight medics after i yelled at them. I was yelling really loud and making them take their helmets off. I told them to take care of my buys and they couldnt believe it, the situation i was in. I hope everybody buys the book, and check it out on travis milts. Org. I am not going toforyou to buy it but you should feel awful if you dont. Im not an orthodox. Buy it. I can see the timer is going youre in charge, not me. Well, speaking of your book that we want everyone to buy dish jive you want, to dont feel obligated. Travis will be out in fair square at the author book signing as soon as we leave here. Hes going out there and signing books. Just want to say, i am very honored and blessed to be here today, and i want to thank you for being here with us. Thank you so much, everybody. I appreciate it. Have a great day. Dont forget to be back for dana. She is phenomenal. [applau finigan our collections hear we have everything from manuscripts and to contemporary books that is between 50600 years of print. We have specialized collections but one of the major ones connected to the university is the baptist historical collection. So what i have vowed to look at today

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