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The Fog of War and Humanity | Ep. 667: Bill Byrne: No Veteran Left Behind (Part 1) | HMTC
As a boy watching the Vietnam War end, Bill Byrne saw how returning veterans were treated and made himself a promise: if he could help it, that would never happen again.
In Episode 667 of The Fog of War and Humanity, host Richard Acritelli welcomes Bill, a veterans advocate and president of Rolling Thunder, New York Chapter 6, for Part 1 of a conversation about military service, remembrance, and helping veterans in crisis.
Bill traces his journey from Queens Village and an Irish immigrant family to the building trades and a lifetime of veterans advocacy. He recalls the 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut and learning that his cousin’s reconnaissance unit had been transferred only days before the attack. That narrow escape became what Bill calls “the match that lit my fuse.”
The conversation explores the Patriot Guard Riders, whose members shielded grieving military families from protesters, and the origins of Rolling Thunder’s Ride for Freedom. Bill emphasizes that Rolling Thunder is not a motorcycle club. Its primary mission is to keep the POW/MIA issue before the public and remind the government that no American service member should be left behind.
On Long Island, Bill and his chapter also focus on PTSD, veteran suicide prevention, and helping former service members navigate available resources. When a veteran calls in crisis, Bill does more than provide a telephone number. He answers at all hours, offers to meet in person, and sits down to listen.
Bill’s work demonstrates that honoring veterans requires more than gratitude on Memorial Day. It requires presence, persistence, and a commitment to ensuring that no veteran faces the battle alone.
The Fog of War and Humanity on hmTv | Host: Richard Acritelli | Guest: Bill Byrne
Executive Producer and Director: Bernie Furshpan
A production of the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County
🌐 hmtcli.org
🎙 buzzsprout.com/2449781
▶️ youtube.com/@hmTv-hmtc
─── CHAPTERS ───
0:00 Introduction
0:19 Welcome and guest introduction
1:19 Richard’s Army and Air National Guard service
2:04 Growing up in Queens Village
3:03 Irish immigrant parents and family roots
4:22 Returning to Ireland during the Troubles
5:11 Choosing a career in construction
6:02 Entering the plumbers union
7:18 Moving to Nassau County
8:03 Witnessing the treatment of Vietnam veterans
9:19 The 1983 Beirut barracks bombing
10:05 America’s complicated military history
11:32 Iran, Operation Eagle Claw, and military readiness
12:30 The Patriot Guard Riders protect military families
14:38 Becoming president of Rolling Thunder Chapter 6
15:11 A mission that never stops
16:01 The origins of Rolling Thunder
16:44 The Ride for Freedom and the POW/MIA mission
17:19 Confronting veteran suicide on Long Island
18:47 Answering veterans in crisis
20:02 Navigating the VA and finding additional help
21:27 Turning a career-ending injury into purpose
22:13 Discovering Rolling Thunder
23:30 Riding through Washington for veterans
24:46 Part 2 preview and closing
25:15 hmTv outro
──────────────────
#FogOfWarAndHumanity #BillByrne #RollingThunder #VeteransAdvocacy #POWMIA #VeteranSuicidePrevention #PTSD #PatriotGuardRiders #RideForFreedom #LongIslandVeterans #MilitaryFamilies #HMTC
Support the show
View all episodes
By HMTCSend us Fan Mail
The Fog of War and Humanity | Ep. 667: Bill Byrne: No Veteran Left Behind (Part 1) | HMTC
As a boy watching the Vietnam War end, Bill Byrne saw how returning veterans were treated and made himself a promise: if he could help it, that would never happen again.
In Episode 667 of The Fog of War and Humanity, host Richard Acritelli welcomes Bill, a veterans advocate and president of Rolling Thunder, New York Chapter 6, for Part 1 of a conversation about military service, remembrance, and helping veterans in crisis.
Bill traces his journey from Queens Village and an Irish immigrant family to the building trades and a lifetime of veterans advocacy. He recalls the 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut and learning that his cousin’s reconnaissance unit had been transferred only days before the attack. That narrow escape became what Bill calls “the match that lit my fuse.”
The conversation explores the Patriot Guard Riders, whose members shielded grieving military families from protesters, and the origins of Rolling Thunder’s Ride for Freedom. Bill emphasizes that Rolling Thunder is not a motorcycle club. Its primary mission is to keep the POW/MIA issue before the public and remind the government that no American service member should be left behind.
On Long Island, Bill and his chapter also focus on PTSD, veteran suicide prevention, and helping former service members navigate available resources. When a veteran calls in crisis, Bill does more than provide a telephone number. He answers at all hours, offers to meet in person, and sits down to listen.
Bill’s work demonstrates that honoring veterans requires more than gratitude on Memorial Day. It requires presence, persistence, and a commitment to ensuring that no veteran faces the battle alone.
The Fog of War and Humanity on hmTv | Host: Richard Acritelli | Guest: Bill Byrne
Executive Producer and Director: Bernie Furshpan
A production of the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County
🌐 hmtcli.org
🎙 buzzsprout.com/2449781
▶️ youtube.com/@hmTv-hmtc
─── CHAPTERS ───
0:00 Introduction
0:19 Welcome and guest introduction
1:19 Richard’s Army and Air National Guard service
2:04 Growing up in Queens Village
3:03 Irish immigrant parents and family roots
4:22 Returning to Ireland during the Troubles
5:11 Choosing a career in construction
6:02 Entering the plumbers union
7:18 Moving to Nassau County
8:03 Witnessing the treatment of Vietnam veterans
9:19 The 1983 Beirut barracks bombing
10:05 America’s complicated military history
11:32 Iran, Operation Eagle Claw, and military readiness
12:30 The Patriot Guard Riders protect military families
14:38 Becoming president of Rolling Thunder Chapter 6
15:11 A mission that never stops
16:01 The origins of Rolling Thunder
16:44 The Ride for Freedom and the POW/MIA mission
17:19 Confronting veteran suicide on Long Island
18:47 Answering veterans in crisis
20:02 Navigating the VA and finding additional help
21:27 Turning a career-ending injury into purpose
22:13 Discovering Rolling Thunder
23:30 Riding through Washington for veterans
24:46 Part 2 preview and closing
25:15 hmTv outro
──────────────────
#FogOfWarAndHumanity #BillByrne #RollingThunder #VeteransAdvocacy #POWMIA #VeteranSuicidePrevention #PTSD #PatriotGuardRiders #RideForFreedom #LongIslandVeterans #MilitaryFamilies #HMTC
Support the show