Meet our Award Winner
January 21st, 2008 (8:57 am) by You Served Editorial Staff-To wrap up “Honor Your Hero,” we’ve put together a Q & A with our winner, Sergeant Brian Horn.
You Served: What was your inspiration for AnySoldier.com?
Brian Horn: The inspiration for Anysoldier.com was a simple need to take care of my team in a tough situation. A few of my guys weren’t getting anything in the mail, and here I was getting excessive amounts of food, etc from my parents to supplement a less than ideal feeding situation. As I requested more and more support from my parents to help more and more soldiers, the idea of anysoldier.com came through a rare, chance phone call home to my Dad. We believed that as many troops needed help, there had to be some way of getting them connected to the outstanding supporters who had no idea just how to send their support. Seeing as how my parents financially couldn’t support our entire fighting force, we needed to come up with a vehicle to connect the supporters to our troops. Thus, Anysoldier.com was born.
You Served: What do you feel has been your greatest accomplishment through AnySoldier.com?
Brian Horn: My greatest accomplishment through the duration of Anysoldier.com is simply knowing that my Dad and I have had a lasting impact on so many lives, be it soldier or civilian. Thanks to the tireless supporters, Any Soldier has become a true force multiplier. And to think that we’ve really only just begun…
You Served: What was your most memorable experience as a Soldier?
Brian Horn: I had alot of memorable experiences as a soldier, but in the end there is really only one true goal of any war or deployment. Ask anyone in a leadership position and they should tell you the same. It is to bring all of your men home safely. No matter the cost, it was not an option to ensure that everyone found their way home.
You Served: What are your plans for the future?
Brian Horn: My future plans are to complete my degree in business while continuing to further promote and establish the Anysoldier.com organization. A book is also in the works!
You Served: Any plans for your award?
Brian Horn: I plan on donating a portion of this award money to anysoldier.com, as this organization is a non-profit website and stays alive strictly on donations alone.
In closing, I would just like to send a very heartfelt THANK YOU to all who voted for me and to the VA Mortgage Center for holding such an honorable ordeal! Thanks again guys, and please be sure to check out www.anysoldier.com if you haven’t already. All you have to do is try the site once, and I promise you will be hooked, and know that you are doing a great thing.
We also wanted to share this statement from Brian’s proud father, Marty Horn:
WOW! Thank you!!!!
It is really hard for me to put into words the pride we have in what Brian is and has done. His time in the military was full of action. He experienced a wide range of events, from terribly horrible to the very touching.
He has grown a lot and we appreciate every day that he is with us.
Our hearts go out to all the families who have lost a loved one. We are the fortunate ones, and we know it. We pray that this continues as Brian now has a sister in the war. She has a tough act to follow, and she knows it, and we do believe she is up to that challenge.
We thank everyone who shared their pride in Sergeant Horn and voted for him.
January 23rd, 2008 at 7:07 pm
As I read these profiles I was in awe of the metal to which these individuals were made of and proud to call these folks my neighbors fellow veteran . The selfless dedication to their unit, men and their country was very inspiring. Today when I think I have it rough I simply have to think of my friends the Ryan’s and their son my friend Sgt Eddie Ryan, my brother and fellow American Patriot. Every last one of these folks that were entered all deserved to win, but they are already winners. They are my hero’s and they are the reason I keep fighting here at home since they deserve to return to a nation that will honor them, respect them and take care of them in their simple needs. Their needs are so simple since they are all contracted with the party of the first part doing their duty often beyond what was asked for they each bought our freedom for all Americans and honored their commitment to their senior brothers and sisters by serving honorably often in the face of extreme hazard to their own well being. They complete a circle of freedom bought by brave men and woman who preceded them in their service with complete honor. Besides that that Ryan boy sure can do some funny things once in a while. It was my pleasure to hear him tell one very liberal writer that despite this writer being a (lib) he was alright. The same sentiment was expressed to his own Congressman Maurice Hinchey who had to be prodded into helping Sgt. Ryan. I feel what ever I can to help Eddie now that he is home is an investment. I am hoping he will one day run and win that Congressman’s office and fully complete the circle of victory of American life as it should be lived truly free with the right people being taken care of. Multiply Eddie with all these others in this contest and we have a very formidable weapon against the liberal communist way of life that the liberals would lead us into. I voted for Sgt Ryan but in reality my support is too all of them where ever they may be tonight keeping the wolf at bay. God Bless the warrior the true peace maker.
January 24th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Congratulations, Brian!
I’ve been a hands-on supporter of our deployed troops for nearly two years now, using the Any Soldier website for the mailing addresses of my selected soldiers, Marines, airmen, and sailors. Once in a while, I’d have a problem with the site, and following a simple email to Marty Horn, Sgt. Horn’s father, would have it quickly resolved. This site is amazing in how it is designed, the sorting/filtering options it offers, and above all else, the hub it offers for our courageous men and women in hostile territories on the other side of the world to request aid and morale support. I’ve sent hundreds of letters, cards, and care packages using this site, and have been rewarded many times by the unexpected friendships I’ve made with men and women serving our country. I’m not from a military family - I’m just a regular, patriotic US citizen — a wife, mother, and career woman who wanted to “reach out” to our troops to tell them they were not forgotten. To let them know Americans care about them, and support their missions, and that the liberal press was painting a biased, unsupported picture of the situation in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait. I was desperate to keep this generation of troops from being subjected to the horrid treatment received by our returning troops during Viet Nam. I was just a child during that time, but still remember how chilling and deplorable it was when our soldiers were taunted, ridiculed, and spat upon in airports. These brave men and women asked for so little but gave our nation so much.
I looked into other troop-support websites, and this one was the best in how it permits the soldier to upload information about his/her team’s needs and appreciation for the support, and how I, as the supporter, don’t need to go through a middle-man organization to adopt a soldier or platoon. Brilliant, actually… too many other sites micro-manage their supporters, and Any Soldier does not. While the site has specific rules, these are reasonable and easy to follow. Excellent, amazing brainchild, Brian and Marty!
January 26th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Congratulations Brian!
This is well deserved. You and your family have enabled so many others to be helped through this site. We as supporters appreciate the ability to help our troops with so much ease. The other nominees are true heroes and deserving as well.
Thank you so much for your past and continuing service to our military and country.