You Couldn’t Pay Me Enough

Brandon Stoddard

Army veteran Brandon Stoddard reflects on the satisfaction of tackling dirty jobs for free.

One phrase I heard repeatedly from members of my team on Operation Fox Yeah was, “You could never pay me enough to do this job.” I said it myself once out loud and at least 20 times under my breath. That is the truth of it. Cleaning up after a disaster is dirty, rough, and exhausting work. However, someone would always chime in right on time with a huge smile saying, “But I’ll sure as hell do it for free!” We all laughed in agreement every time that was said. It never got old.

Brandon spent a week in July providing flood relief in Illinois and Wisconsin on Operation Fox Yeah.

For many of us, this experience, as veterans, allowed us time to reconnect with what it means to truly make a difference in the world. We felt honored to be given the chance to be invited into someone’s home to help. We each worked to our limits every day to prove that together, we could accomplish massive feats of kindness, for people and a community we will likely never see again. In return, the smiles, tears, and heartfelt thank you’s gave us a type of healing that we can’t find anywhere else. We all helped each other recover.

Over 150 volunteers deployed to McHenry, IL to donate their time and sweat to helping homeowners recover from flooding.

To the supporters of TR Nation, your time and donations go further and make more of a difference than you could ever imagine. I want to personally thank each and every one of you for supporting our cause and in turn, supporting my friends and I at Team Rubicon through our transition from service and war to helpful and valuable members of the community.

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