Uncle Si Has a Dramatic Health Turnaround & His Doctor Knows Why

Summary

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Duck Call Room

Episode: Uncle Si Gets an Unexpected Diagnosis

Hosts: Si Robertson, Justin Martin, John Godwin, Phil, Jay Stone, John-David Owen
Date: February 19, 2026

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Episode Overview

This lively episode brings Uncle Si and the Duck Call Room gang back together to share wild hunting stories, reflect on brotherhood and faith, and engage in some classic “Duck Commander” banter. The episode’s anchor is the visit from Mark Newman of Life Camp USA, which leads to a heartfelt discussion about supporting kids who have lost a parent in military or first responder service.

Meanwhile, Si’s recent dental saga becomes a centerpiece for laughs and real talk about getting older and newfound appreciation for health. Listeners are treated to hilarious anecdotes, generations-old tales, and an inspiring look at how the Duck Dynasty crew uplifts each other and their community.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Duck Hunt Recaps & Old-School Stories

• Si's Duck Hunt Woes and Classic Antics

  • Si starts by lamenting a rough duck hunt that tore up his fingernails, joking about old age and physical wear: “Hey, everything's going south, boys.” (02:14, Si)
  • The boys recount pranks involving placing blanks in Si’s shotgun, but somehow, Si still “kills” ducks:

    “I killed three green winged teal at 15ft, and I killed them with the wadding of a blank.” (04:14, Si)

  • Classic Duck Commander storytelling about “strapping” ducks and classic misunderstandings.

• Wildlife Tall Tales

  • Si holds court with his infamous black panther theories, firmly defending claims of big cats in Louisiana:

    “A panther don’t come out full grown. They had to have baby panthers.” (06:31, Si)

  • The group banters about strange wildlife encounters – panthers, coyotes, and mountain lions – poking fun at each other’s beliefs and memories.
  • More laughs as Si and Phil reflect on hunting, and Godwin tells about getting sprayed by a skunk and still using the shoes years later:

    “I dug them up and wore them playing basketball. Coach would be yelling at him, get on that boy. He stinks like a skunk.” (10:13, Si)

Shotgun Science & Hummingbird Story

• Si on Choke Tubes and Patterns
  • Si humorously details pattern-testing all the chokes on his new Benelli shotgun, “science-style:”

    “Science at work... anything in that circle? A hummingbird can't fly through my pattern.” (16:07-17:52, Si)

  • Breaks into one of his signature longwinded, colorful anecdotes about making sure he gets the most ducks by picking the right choke — brings in the hummingbird as the ultimate test of spread.
• Aunt Irene's Hummingbird Feat
  • Si shares a wild family story of his Aunt Irene catching a hummingbird barehanded while working in the garden, driving home the Robertson knack for unique experiences:

    “When he went on that flower, she grabbed him. When she grabbed him, she closed her hand. Hey, his beak is sticking out the back side of her hand.” (20:20, Si)

Si’s Dental Ordeal & Health Insights

• “Unexpected Diagnosis”: Si’s Dental Journey

  • The guys get personal about Si’s challenging year with his teeth, including dealing with a major infection:

    “There was a lot of infection in your teeth... It was infecting his whole body.” (29:54, Martin)

  • Si’s humor surfaces as he recounts getting all his teeth pulled and getting implants, joking about auctioning off his extracted teeth:

    “I got 'em in the house…they're for sale, auctioneer in the house.” (30:10, Si)

  • He describes the whole process, including being cared for by his dentist:

    “He said, ‘I want to give you your smile back.’” (29:36, Si)

  • Recovery gives Si a new lease on life, with the group marveling at how much better he feels post-surgery.

• Learning to Eat Again

  • Si amusingly reports learning how to eat with new teeth and discovering two “Dracula sharp” canines:

    “I had to learn how to eat all over. I really did... two of them are like Dracula.” (33:12, Si)

Brotherhood, Legacy, and Mentorship

• Life in the Duck Call Room

  • Si, Martin, and the others reflect on the long journey from humble hunting stories to writing best-selling books.
  • Si credits 95% of his tales as true, “5% I spiced to kick it up a notch.” (26:15, Si)

• Ammo, Bubblegum, and BS

  • Si's military stories make a return, boasting about always carrying more ammo than required:

    “When you got to me, they issue you two ammo pouches. I had six.” (28:13, Si)

  • His three essentials: “Bubblegum, bullets, and BS.” (29:09, Phil and Si)

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Feature Segment: Life Camp USA – Healing Kids Who Lost a Parent

[34:06-56:55]

Introduction to Life Camp USA

• Guest: Mark Newman (Founder, Life Camp USA)
• Man camp evolved into a faith-based wilderness program for kids who lost parents in military/law enforcement/first responder service.
• One-on-one, week-long wilderness experiences, plus ongoing support and mentorship.

“A camp for kids who lost their dads in service to the country... to give them hope, give them purpose, tell them God still got a plan for their life.” (38:30, Mark Newman)

Real Impact and Need

• Challenges are not only from deaths in action but also PTSD, suicide, and transition difficulties.

“Most of them are after they’ve come home and they couldn’t readjust... and decided to take their own lives” (41:13, Martin)

• Life Camp helps both kids and their surviving parents, including extensive outreach and follow-up.

The Mentor Model

• Each camp has 10 kids, 10 adults (uncles/aunts), forming meaningful lifelong bonds.
• Many mentors are veterans or law enforcement, but dedicated civilians too.

  “Every uncle gives the kid their cell phone number. You call me anytime,” (49:14, Mark Newman) “It’s a tough gig for a lot of them, but we’re here to be there.” (50:01, Mark Newman)

Emotional Reflections

• Godwin shares why he and his wife are signing up as mentors:

  “I have so much respect for the military and first responders. Those people are servants at heart. … It takes a village to get your kid raised.” (40:10, Godwin)

• Si relates to the deep need for belonging and support:

  “You’re never alone…all they want to know is, ‘is there anybody out there that loves me and cares about me?’” (45:00, Si)

• Mark emphasizes the life-changing impact on both mentees and mentors:

  “You and Paula will get more out of what y’all do for the kids than the kids are gonna get. It will teach you things that you will—you’d be shocked.” (51:02, Si)

Program Details & Call to Action

• Full cost covered for families; multiple camps throughout the western US.
• Monthly virtual meetups continue after camp; Bible study and personal ongoing support.
• Get involved or refer a family at LifeCampUSA.org.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I just killed three green winged teal at 15ft, and I killed them with the wadding of a blank.” (04:14, Si)
• “A panther don’t come out full grown. … Where the baby panther go across the road…” (06:31, Si)
• “Hey, everything's going south, boys.” (02:14, Si)
• “There was a lot of infection in your teeth... It was infecting his whole body.” (29:54, Martin)
• “You’re never alone…all they want to know is, ‘is there anybody out there that loves me and cares about me?’” (45:00, Si)
• “It takes a village to get your kid raised.” (40:10, Godwin)
• “Best advice I can give you is…everything is about relationships.” (54:16, Si)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:06] — Si’s fingernail and duck hunt story starts
• [04:14] — Blank shell prank story
• [06:31] — Si’s black panther/baby panther tirade
• [13:00] — Hummingbird and shotgun choke story
• [19:01] — Aunt Irene’s hummingbird catching
• [29:36] — Si’s dental journey and health revelation
• [34:06] — Life Camp USA introduction and discussion with Mark Newman
• [41:12] — The reality of first responder deaths (including suicide)
• [45:00] — Si on helping children overcome loneliness and trauma
• [51:54] — Where to find Life Camp USA and program details
• [56:15] — Wrap-up, how to get involved, and closing thoughts

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Tone & Style

The Duck Call Room crew maintains their trademark down-home humor, gentle ribbing, and big-hearted sincerity throughout. Even when diving into heavy topics—loss, trauma, healing—the message is one of resilience, faith, and the power of a supportive community. At its heart, the episode is as warm and lively as a family gathering, with lessons and laughs in equal measure.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode of Duck Call Room blends classic storytelling, laugh-out-loud moments, and heartfelt insight into family, faith, and service. Si’s personal health journey, the group’s legendary brotherhood, and Mark Newman's moving account of Life Camp USA all highlight the value of connection—whether it’s the camaraderie of the duck blind or showing up for kids in need. Authentic, funny, and deeply inspiring, it’s an episode that captures everything fans love about the Duck Dynasty family.

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Transcript

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[Si Robertson]

That duck hunt was rough on my fingernails.

[Martin]

Hey, hey, I want to talk about

[Godwin]

that duck Collins bad On your fingernail.

[Si Robertson]

Yeah. 28. That brand new 28 gauge it Hart gave me. Yeah, I tore this one off.

[Godwin]

I can't hear you.

[Martin]

Put your mic on. Si.

[Si Robertson]

Yeah, I tore this one off putting in 28 gauge shells. And now I looked, I was sitting, I looked at, hey, this was same way. Now I don't know how I tore this one.

[Phil]

Well, if you wouldn't have shot so many shells, you wouldn't have tore it all.

[Martin]

Well, hey, when I saw sigh, I said, hey, did y' all kill any ducks? Because we had all of our friends from Wisconsin come in and from life camp. And yeah, he said, son, did we strap them? I said, now what really happened? He was like, no. Hey, we strapped him.

[Phil]

There you go.

[Martin]

And apparently he got his finger strapped. What's wrong with him?

[Si Robertson]

Hey, cracking.

[Phil]

They cracking. He's old.

[Si Robertson]

Hey, old man, old age.

[Godwin]

Release the cracking.

[Si Robertson]

I want to know if you're either or just falling down or starting to crack.

[Godwin]

Falling down.

[Si Robertson]

Hey, everything's going south, boys.

[Martin]

I want to know if you really shot those ducks. How many did you kill?

[Si Robertson]

I have no idea.

[Phil]

Enough.

[Si Robertson]

I just. I just know that when they come by me, they tried to go out this way. They didn't make it.

[Godwin]

That's what I did.

[Si Robertson]

The next day you'll hear a bam and then splash. Somebody said, did you just shoot something? I said, well, of course, I just shot something. Did you hear the splash?

[Martin]

Hey, I was telling them boys from Wisconsin about. About size shooting when they put blanks

[Phil]

in his gun, you know, and he still killed.

[Si Robertson]

That's the best story there ever is. Wait, look, because, hey, I was one of microphone. I was wondering what they was doing because they said, hey, Let me see your 20 gauge a minute. So like an idiot, I said, okay. You know, I handed my 20 gauge. Well, five minutes go by, you know, that we start calling a little old bunch of grain wing teal, you know. And I said, hey. They said, what? I said, hand me my gun. I said, we're gonna get these in. They said, well, I said, hey, hand me my gun. Well, I did. And I checked it, make sure it had rounds in it, because I know they bad about, you know, they want to do me in. So they come by one time, you know, and Jason, you know, they turn around and come back again. Well, the third time they come back in, and then they done this right in front of the decoys. And when they did, I just raised up bam, bam, bam three times. You know, I was looking at them. When everything cleared, all the smoke cleared. I said, well, boys, I don't know about y'. All. I said, I was three for three. Well, they all busted off life. Yeah. No, we got you this time, boy. And I said, what are you talking about? He said, we put blanks in your gun. I said, see, that's what y' all don't understand. I suppose y' all ain't no ever top me. I said, I just killed three green winged hill at 15ft, and I killed them with the wadding of a blank. And I said, hey, try again. Just keep trying. You may pull it off one of these days, but I doubt it.

[Martin]

You can't catch him, Martin.

[Phil]

You ain't gonna get him, man.

[Si Robertson]

Get me.

[Phil]

They was fine, man. Sitting there watching the old man do his thing. I was behind everybody.

[Martin]

Yeah.

[Si Robertson]

I was like, look, we're going to the Duck Hole. One morning, Phil pulls up, you know, and he said, hey. He said, you'll say you like this. He says, guess what happened yesterday when you didn't come. I said, what? He said, hey, right here. When I was unlocking the gate, he said, when I opened and drove the vehicle through, he said, black cat run across road. I really. Yeah. He said, I had my man from South Carolina with me, you know, paying him back for the hunt I had in South Carolina, you know. And I asked him, I said, hey, what did you just say. And he said, I saw a black cat. He said, yeah, but tell me, you know, give me the details. He said, well, I think it was a little house cat, you know, somebody's house cat, you know, or a baby one. Yeah. And I said. I said, what are y' all getting at? Yeah. And Phil said, well, you. If you would have been here, you'd have said it would have been a black panther. I said, I would have. Yeah. And I said. And he. I said, here's the difference between me and you. I said, y', all. Don't. Y' all see. I said, you're ignorant. I said, both of you showing you ignorance right now. I said, look, I said, you know, when. When you talk about, you know, you see a woman in her belly swollen, you know, that. That woman, you would say, hey, that woman is with child and it's biblical. You know, she's. She's fixing to have a baby. I said, see, y' all don't understand. I said, you're showing your ignorance. Okay? A panther don't come out full grown. They had to have baby panthers. I said, you two dummies, I see where the baby panther go across the road. And then you just wrote him out. Oh, no, it was the little house cat. No, it wasn't. It was a wild baby back panther. And if you'd have looked around, hey, mom was somewhere around there to take care of it. Y' all feel. Feel hooked at that Old boy from South Carolina. He said, hey, you might as well forget it. The boy ain't gonna get off of the black panther.

[Martin]

He ain't getting off of it.

[Si Robertson]

I ain't getting off of it. They exist.

[Phil]

Hey, Martin, I got nothing on that.

[Godwin]

I don't know what to say.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Godwin]

Ain't gonna change his mind.

[Phil]

No, and that's fine. Look, hey, having conviction about something is good, you know.

[Si Robertson]

Well, I've seen too.

[Godwin]

Well, he's got faith.

[Phil]

Yeah, he got a lot of it. Don't.

[Si Robertson]

Hey, I've seen two actually. I've actually seen a mountain line on Phil's property.

[Phil]

I can go with that.

[Si Robertson]

Because Phil. Phil was telling me, he said, hey. He said, we're going. Coming around on the back of what's dog bow.

[Phil]

Oh, okay.

[Si Robertson]

He said, hey, look, I was coming around here yesterday. Check the water. He said, right over here. He said, I saw coyote. And I said, yo, so I've got coyote on Coyote on the brain. So he said, hey, be looking, you know? So I. I grabbed the 22. Yo, he had his 22 and I grabbed it. Yo. So we went around there and I said, hey, hey, stop slowing. Back it up, back it up, back it up. Something back at you. And that's coyote. He backed it up. And I said, he's gone. I said, no, it wasn't a coyote. I said, what I saw was two toned, two tone. Yeah, he was looking like a deer. Part of him had deer, but then there was a part of his body that was red. And I said, hey, what I just saw was it wasn't a black panther, wasn't a deer. I said, it was a mountain lion. Well, about what, two days later, somebody said something about it. Oh, yeah, they run over one of them down there in Bossier City. Bossier, you know, strip club area. Yeah.

[Martin]

No.

[Godwin]

Well, hey, from Phil's land.

[Si Robertson]

Yeah.

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[Si Robertson]

To the strip club. But, hey, you know, so they, you

[Phil]

know, they do it like every other redneck down there.

[Martin]

Oh, no, I got nothing.

[Sponsor Announcer]

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[Si Robertson]

I go with it.

[Godwin]

Hey, hey, you know what you call an old snowman?

[Si Robertson]

An old snowman.

[Martin]

An old man.

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[Si Robertson]

That is true.

[Phil]

There you go.

[Martin]

Okay, welcome back to the podcast

[Phil]

with black panthers and everything else.

[Godwin]

We do have some of them up there in Arkansas where I hunt.

[Phil]

What, the big cats? Oh, yeah, there.

[Godwin]

And I think three of them up there.

[Si Robertson]

Bears, I like. That's. I reminded about the tropical size on one. Yeah.

[Martin]

He's drinking the coffee that Godwin made him, and he's ready to go.

[Si Robertson]

Jason Robinson run a trap line in high school.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Si Robertson]

Okay. Hey, you ought to hear some of the stories that boy tells about his trap line.

[Martin]

I have heard some of them.

[Si Robertson]

Hey, they're wild.

[Martin]

Who is the. Who got sprayed by a skunk running?

[Si Robertson]

Hey, we're all in the house. And hey, he comes back from running his trap line, and he was telling us all what he got. We said, we know what else you got. Mama said, get out of the house.

[Phil]

Done kicked him out.

[Si Robertson]

Take them clothes off, throw them, bury them and all that. And he had. Look, he had a brand new pair of tennis shoes on that he done it with. Okay? He buried them. Look, I dug them up like two years later. Stop. And hey, I'm serious. I dug them up and wore them playing basketball. Stop. Yo. And everybody would say, hey. The coach would be yelling at him, get on that boy. He said, get, coach. He stinks like a skunk.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Si Robertson]

No triple double.

[Phil]

That boy had a triple double. He went for 20, 10 and 10.

[Si Robertson]

Hey, I scored about 14 points. At that. And it was layups. Oh, goodness. It wasn't. Guard me.

[Phil]

God, when you ever make a layup?

[Godwin]

I played basketball one time.

[Phil]

Have you ever watched Benelli Presents Duck Commander?

[Si Robertson]

Yeah.

[Godwin]

I went out there and everybody took off to the other end. So I took off to the other end. Then they run back to the other end. Well, I just sat down there and waited. They're gonna come back.

[Martin]

You figured it out. Yeah.

[Godwin]

I'll just sit here and wait on short.

[Si Robertson]

Yeah. All right. There you go.

[Godwin]

Yeah, they'll be running back and forth.

[Si Robertson]

I ain't running myself deaf.

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[Si Robertson]

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[Phil]

Sigh.

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[Phil]

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[Phil]

I Yesterday after we got to go down duck hunting, you told one that I ain't heard yet. I and I think the people at home would appreciate this about a hummingbird.

[Si Robertson]

Oh yeah. Hey hummingbird, here we go I don't

[Martin]

know that I've heard this story.

[Phil]

Okay, well, buddy, buckle your seat belt.

[Si Robertson]

And I've heard a lot, and I've

[Martin]

heard a lot of them.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Martin, buckle your seat.

[Martin]

I can finish most of them.

[Si Robertson]

We got sponsors, okay? Benelli Shotguns is one of our sponsors. So they send all the Robertsons and you and Martin, all that. We all get a brand new gun. And with that brand new gun, there comes five chokes. Extra full, full modified, improved cylinder and open bore. So I got go and I find me some cardboard, and there's two foot square. So I give me five of them. Then I get out, I find me a measuring, you know, tape, tape, and I run out 25 yards. And then I put up five of them. Two foot square.

[Martin]

25 yards?

[Si Robertson]

Yeah.

[Godwin]

25 yards, 35ft.

[Si Robertson]

So grab it, load it up. Okay, that new Benelli extra full. Boom. Put another shell in it. Go to the next one. Okay, Full choke. Boom. Put another shell in it. Boom. Modify. Okay, Put another shell in it. Boom. Yo, improve cylinder. Now I'm down to the last one. Open bore. Put a shell in, boom. Then I go down there and inspect what. What my pattern is. I had a dove. Like, in my mind, I would look at that, that pattern and said, okay, a dove would fit here and could live. Another dove fit here, could live. Three doves on the extra full. I said, that ain't no good. I ain't gonna use the extra full. Goes a full. Okay, Only one dove fits on that one. Yeah. But, hey, you got a dove. He get. He get away. Nope, ain't gonna use that one modified. Okay. Oh, goes great. Four doves. You talking pitiful. Yo, improve. I said, okay, we're gonna get somewhere, buddy. Here. We're going to improve cylinder. That's like a barn door. Okay, Well, I look there and all good. A whole flock could go through there. I said, I ain't got one more choke. And that' open bore. And I don't really even know what. How to describe what an open bore is. Why didn't it just say, hey, just. No, we just made a. Just a straight barrel with no choke.

[Phil]

Well, because you got threads in there, you got to protect the threads.

[Si Robertson]

Oh, is that what it is?

[Phil]

Yeah. So it just. It doesn't really change nothing.

[Si Robertson]

It just.

[Phil]

It's a thread protector. Best way to think of it.

[Si Robertson]

So anyway, I went down to the last one open bore. So look, I look like that and I said, wait a minute. I said, hey, I'm gonna get a small. I'm about to get a smaller bird.

[Martin]

The dove wasn't gonna live.

[Si Robertson]

Hey, the doves. Hey, no. Everything that tries to fly through this is dying. I said, I'm gonna have to get. I said, let's see, what, what bird? I said, a house friend. I said, no, that's a little too big. I said, oh, I know the one I need to get. I said, hey, hummingbird. I said, hey. So look, I got going through all that, you know. And I said, hey. So the next time we was in the blind and there were Green Winged Hill come in there, a bunch of them, yo, I raised up boom, boom, boom, three times, yo, about 18 of them fell, yo. Well, hey, yo, they all got to run their mouth. And I'm over laughing because they all run their mouth. Oh, boy. I killed five, you know, out of three shots. You know, I killed four out of two. And I said, wait a minute. I said, hey, hold it. Question. They said, what? I said, what did you idiots got in your. Your shotgun? What kind of choke? You know? Jay said, oh, I got extra fool. I said, you didn't kill nothing. You know, Phil said, well. I said, phil, what are you shooting? He said, modified. I said, you killed a couple. I said, well, you bought some more. Hey, extra fool. I said, you're like Jace. Yo, y', all, the. The no kill. The no kill bongoish. Y' all ain't killed dude squad. I said, Hey, 18 ducks fell out of that bunch. I said, you know what? I'm shooting the rest of them. They said, what? I said, I'm shooting open boar. I said, when I shot, hey. And I said, hey, I've science will prove me wrong, right? Okay, I said, I patterned my shotgun all five patterns, okay? Four of them are threw away. I've got one choke, an open bore. I said, because, hey, here's science at work. The green wing teal come in, it was 25 of them, okay? I raise up, shoot. One shot right in the back of them. Move it one foot, shoot again, move it one foot, shoot again. I said, now you put that together on them two foot square cardboard targets I got. And what I'm shooting is I've got a 54 inch circle. 18 inch circle, okay? That's about the size of this table. I said, anything in that circle? I said, hey, a hummingbird can't fly through my pattern. I said, so, hey, look, if a flock hummingbird, I'd kill them all. Good, great.

[Martin]

No, I have not heard that one.

[Phil]

Y' all know that 24 times 3 equals 54.

[Martin]

Oh, yeah, everybody know that from Louisiana.

[Phil]

I thought it equals 72.

[Godwin]

18.

[Si Robertson]

18. 18. 18, 18.

[Phil]

Okay. Oh, we went from 18, 18 each circle.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Okay.

[Phil]

There you go.

[Sponsor Announcer]

And then we had to clarify the

[Si Robertson]

math a little bit.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Okay, I got you.

[Si Robertson]

Is 54 inches, boys.

[Martin]

And I will say that s right about a lot of this stuff. When we think he's wrong, he's right.

[Sponsor Announcer]

But didn't you have a.

[Phil]

Didn't you have an aunt catch a hummingbird?

[Si Robertson]

Oh, yeah, there it is. She was not. Yo, there we go. The one that looked.

[Phil]

That was the one I was hoping for.

[Si Robertson]

Every time she. You would eat at Irene's house, my aunt's house, we'd all be around the table, you know, like she's cooking fried chicken, you know, and everybody'd be chickening down. And then all of a sudden, you'll just. It'll be just everybody smacking. And then.

[Martin]

Ah,

[Si Robertson]

well, ain't Irene has done slipped her tennis shoes off and raced over. She could. She could lay her big toe on top of the other one and cut you. No, she could actually. She had actually grabbed you like this and then just twist it and cunchy.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Yeah, but she called her.

[Si Robertson]

She was out in her yard one day with her flowers, y'. All. That's good cutting and trimming and all that. Getting her bouquet to put on the dinner room table. Yo, and she plummet bird come up there and said. And got him some nectar. Well, when he went on that flower, she grabbed him. When she grabbed him, she closed her hand. Hey, his beak is sticking out the back side of her hand.

[Phil]

Oh,

[Si Robertson]

she's.

[Godwin]

Yeah, what was that last part?

[Martin]

I guess.

[Si Robertson]

Hey, you got a hummingbird's beak through your hand.

[Martin]

That's retribution.

[Si Robertson]

Hey, that's pain, boy.

[Phil]

Like, it's a nail.

[Si Robertson]

Hey, that's one of the things. Hey, don't ever grab a hummingbird. Yeah, you think you do you think

[Phil]

you could ever catch one?

[Si Robertson]

I've shot him with a baby gun. Well, hey, let me. Let me back up. Yeah, I shot at him there.

[Martin]

Okay, okay.

[Si Robertson]

Because, look. And I mean, I'm. I'm slipping into the flower bed. Okay. Is up there. I literally stick that. The barrel of that baby gun on it and say, punk. Well, hey. Well, I had a little pump. He just. He dodged it. He dodged that bb. Okay. I shot at a mini one. I'd never kill one. Okay. He had actually dodged the bb.

[Martin]

And he's owning up to shooting and missing. Yeah, I've never heard that.

[Si Robertson]

And I mean, that's when you might

[Phil]

Stick it to him and he can still jump.

[Si Robertson]

That was one of our pastimes. His children. Christmas time rolled around. Well, I guess what we get Me and Phil, Daisy bees gun. And then he upgrade one year, he got actually a. One of them pump pellet guns.

[Phil]

Yeah, like a Benjamin rough.

[Si Robertson]

Yeah, we went froggy at one time, you know, we took the pump pellet gun with us. Well, Phil had. Had the. He got the. The pump, you know, that thing. Shooter. Okay. Tommy bought him a 5 battery frog gigging light. So we'd been frog gigging. We was going. We had a toe sack full of them going back to the house, you know. Well, Phil has got the light in ahead of us and he won't wait on us.

[Martin]

Oh, God.

[Si Robertson]

Well, Tommy's got the. The pump pellet gun. Well, he warned him about two or three times. Hey, you better wait up. Wait for me or I'm gonna pop you in the back with the.

[Phil]

With the.

[Si Robertson]

With a pedal. Well, hey, he warned him about three times. Hey, finally, Phil just will start walking faster. Well, Tommy just. I'm giving you the last warning. Bill was just. You hear.

[Martin]

Was there any screaming?

[Si Robertson]

Oh, yeah. Well, hey, look, the first thing that happened was, hey, the lights went out because, hey, when he got shot, the first thing he did was, look, this headlight. Wham. On the asphalt. Batteries, you know, flashlight, glass, lens all busted. Run. And then, hey, Phil's gone. When we come in there, mama was taking a. Took. Took one of daddy's razors, opened it up, took the. The blade out, y'.

[Martin]

All.

[Si Robertson]

She was on working on Phil's back. That pellet had went in. Well, hey, you know, she just had tweezers, had a holter and just cut it a little slit, pull it out.

[Phil]

Field surgery.

[Si Robertson]

Yeah.

[Martin]

Your brothers were rough. Sigh.

[Si Robertson]

Oh, no. Hey.

[Phil]

Goodness. God.

[Martin]

Oh, goodness.

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[Si Robertson]

I'm about to be one of them. Martin, are you. A piece of. Our property's got a substation right next to it, and it has been destroyed by the ice storm. So I'm finding me some privacy trees, and we're gonna make that sucker look.

[Phil]

There you go.

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[Phil]

I didn't know that taking us out on a duck hunt would charge his battery like it has, but that boy been on one here for the past.

[Sponsor Announcer]

No, no.

[Martin]

Ever since I was 72 hours. I ain't seen him in a while. And I saw him and he told me about going.

[Si Robertson]

Well, it reminds me how close that was when they finally. The guy from New York City. Every time we'd go to New York City, he had come over and sit down beside me. Hey, hey, will you go write your book? And I said, hey, my life ain't been that, you know, that exciting. He said, look, Phil wrote the first one went, you know, number one. Willie wrote the next one went number one. He said, hey, you allow your book will outsell both of them. You need to write it. So he kept doing this for like two years. Well, I finally. Okay, all right, let's write a book.

[Martin]

That's a good book.

[Si Robertson]

Hey, it's a good read. Yeah, look, and like everybody already knows because I put it in the book. Hey, the stories in this book are 95% true. 5% of it is okay. You spiced it up, throw it up to spice it up, kick it out, kick it up a little knot.

[Godwin]

Kick it up a notch.

[Si Robertson]

Cause that's like when we. We thought they was wolves, okay? We thought they was wolves. We would get on a school bus and drive our 30 miles to go to school. Okay? The bus driver would. And we'd look and, hey, there'd be 350 wolves. Yeah. On. On the fence line.

[Martin]

Were they really wolves?

[Si Robertson]

No, they was coyotes, but we thought they was wolf. Look that things got after me and Phil one night, we was killing ducks. Had a Toe sack full of ducks. Okay, so we're done. It's got dark, you know, so we're trying to. Hey, they got on our trail of the blood trail. Bill said, hey, how many. How many shells you got? I said, I think I got two.

[Martin]

Oh, this is getting mad, yo.

[Si Robertson]

So we're, we're. I got two shells and he had like five. Wherever once a while they get started getting close. We were just boom, boom, kid back. Son, you'll get back. Loretta. Loretta, get back. But they followed us home.

[Phil]

Didn't get none of your ducks.

[Si Robertson]

No, they get no ducks with, you know. Hey, we had to conserve our ammo. We shot.

[Phil]

You ain't very good at that.

[Si Robertson]

Shot the last.

[Martin]

No.

[Si Robertson]

Hey, about a mile from the house.

[Phil]

After up with you yesterday, you shell conservation is not something you're into?

[Si Robertson]

Oh, no, no.

[Martin]

So Martin, he did pretty good, didn't he?

[Sponsor Announcer]

Oh, he shot great.

[Phil]

Yeah, no, he shot great. But if it went off once, it went off all three times,

[Si Robertson]

you would see us.

[Martin]

I'm the same way.

[Si Robertson]

Here's our company formation.

[Godwin]

Boom, boom, boom.

[Si Robertson]

In combat gear. Tell them that would be something different about me. When you got to me, they. They issue you. Okay, Two ammo pouches. I had six.

[Martin]

Where did you put them?

[Si Robertson]

Where'd you get the other? I put them on my belt because, hey, this what's holding up the belt. They used to train us a little bit on hand to hand. Yeah. I said, hey, I ain't in the hand to hand. I said, yeah, you go get shot if you fool me.

[Martin]

You in the lead.

[Si Robertson]

I said, because, hey, yeah, I don't put out number lead. You know, I usually carry two or three things with me. Bubble gum. Great bubble gum. And hey. And like when I was in the military, I run out of bubble gum a lot. But there was one thing I wasn't going to run out of. That was bullets. Okay, because you ain't going to see me hand to hand. I'm gonna shoot yourself.

[Phil]

What was the other thing you carried? You say you carried three things, Bubblegum bullets and bs.

[Martin]

Well, you got a lot of that.

[Si Robertson]

You're overloaded.

[Phil]

Oh, man alive.

[Martin]

No. I'm glad you're feeling so good. That's. That's great.

[Godwin]

Yeah.

[Martin]

Got to go hunting.

[Phil]

Do you think it's your teeth?

[Martin]

Hey.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Has been charged.

[Si Robertson]

Dr. O did say. He said, hey, look, I would like to do something for you, Mr. Robertson. I said, what's that? He even called me Uncle Sigh. He said, hey, Uncle, I want to do something. I said, what's that he said, hey, I want to give you your smile back.

[Phil]

Yeah. I just wonder if it had you feeling bad, like, if there was some kind of weird.

[Si Robertson]

I realized one thing.

[Martin]

There's a lot of infection in your teeth.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Martin]

And it was. Yeah, it was infecting his whole body.

[Si Robertson]

He didn't know. It was making my gums go down. Yeah, they was pouring out.

[Phil]

Okay.

[Si Robertson]

But, hey, you know, here's what I learned after I got the bag of teeth that he pulled out of my head, what I had left.

[Phil]

You still got him?

[Si Robertson]

I got him in the house. Yeah.

[Martin]

And they're for sale. We got an auctioneer in the house.

[Si Robertson]

You wouldn't believe the pain and the. Not pain, the. For what, 78 years on a teeth?

[Martin]

Yeah.

[Si Robertson]

Well, that's rough on them.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Oh, yeah.

[Martin]

Hey.

[Si Robertson]

Yeah. All this is grinded down. There's a hole there that needs to be filled and all this stuff. So.

[Mark Newman]

Yeah, so.

[Martin]

So we.

[Si Robertson]

He did give me a smile back,

[Martin]

and it is awesome.

[Godwin]

They took all your teeth out of your head and you got all.

[Si Robertson]

Hey. He pulled them. Okay. And then, hey, look like somebody beat me up as Black Eyes.

[Martin]

I remember that episode when he got on here, and you had the black eyes. And his wife, she laughed at him. She was like, what happened to you? He's like, hey, it was rough.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Martin]

Teeth were rough on me.

[Phil]

I wouldn't stay asleep.

[Si Robertson]

Hey, here's the thing, doc. Pull my teeth. Hey, put the implants in all this. Go. And then that night, I stayed at his house, and he was my nurse, you know, he had come in during the night, you know, touched me. Tell me, are you okay, Mr. Robinson? I said, oh, yeah, I'm fine.

[Godwin]

Waking me up?

[Si Robertson]

Yeah, he kept waking me up. He come in there one time, he woke up, and he said, you all right? I said, nope. I said, hey. I said, you remember when I saw Philip told you that, hey, you had to make sure that this was pain less? I said, well, the pain start. He said, hold that thought.

[Martin]

Hold that.

[Phil]

I'll be right back.

[Si Robertson]

I'll be right back. So you come back in with a glass of water and appeal.

[Martin]

So you're the only one that can go stay with the doctor who's doing the surgery on you. And he's your chauffeur, he's your cook.

[Si Robertson]

Yeah.

[Martin]

He's your doctor.

[Si Robertson]

Yeah. Cook me a big steak.

[Martin]

He did.

[Si Robertson]

Oh, yeah. And it was good.

[Martin]

He did.

[Si Robertson]

And he asked me, he said, how you want? I said, light pink in the middle, medium plus. And, like, he said, hey. He said, I know what he said. Hey, got you covered. There you go. When he brought it up to me, he said, okay, cut it in the middle and see if it's like, boy,

[Godwin]

cut your teeth out.

[Phil]

Yeah, that was like his last meal.

[Si Robertson]

Yeah, yeah, that was my last meal before.

[Martin]

And hey, one of like death row man the night before s made me count my teeth on the way to the dentist. He was like, how many teeth you got in your head? I said, I don't know.

[Si Robertson]

I didn't know how many teeth I don't had.

[Martin]

I'm driving down the road trying to

[Si Robertson]

count what you're supposed to have. 32.

[Martin]

I had to ask Siri.

[Si Robertson]

Yeah, okay. So we had to ask. I found out and then I got to looking and I said, holy. The doc didn't a. Good grief. I lost 20 teeth. Hey, got 77 years.

[Martin]

77 years. They're rough on somebody.

[Si Robertson]

I said, you talk about rough.

[Martin]

Well, we were walking through the. We went. Me and the guys from Wisconsin, we went all through the duck tour and we saw a big picture south there and when he was young and he had a beautiful smile, you know, and

[Si Robertson]

I said I had big teeth.

[Martin]

This is size smile. He got his smile back. So.

[Godwin]

Yeah, there you go.

[Phil]

There you go. Well, you want to.

[Si Robertson]

Hey, I had to learn how to eat all over. I really did.

[Martin]

He said he didn't have. He never knew he had so many places.

[Si Robertson]

Well, no, no. And I didn't know that they made these so sharp. Yeah, two of them are like Dracula. Pointed, canine. Real. Yeah, real sharp.

[Phil]

Yeah, canine.

[Si Robertson]

And hey, I'd bite wrong and then chop it. Hadn't had that look. I told you, go all the way through. Yeah.

[Godwin]

It makes you want to eat rare meat now you steaks, you eat them rare now.

[Si Robertson]

Oh, no. Yeah. It's total different.

[Phil]

Well, Philip, you want to tell us who we got here?

[Martin]

I do. You know, Mark Newman and all the guys from Wisconsin are here and Marcus with life camp and we've done a couple of events for those guys going up to Wisconsin and go ahead.

[Si Robertson]

I want you to tell them what. What they're. They're. They do with the kids.

[Phil]

Well, we're going to let Mark tell.

[Martin]

Yeah, we're going to bring.

[Phil]

I just want to fail to make a little quick introduction for we before we swap out.

[Martin]

Yeah, so. So we've known Mark for a lot of years and it's an awesome program. They take care of a lot of a lot of kids. And this last time when me and Martin Godwin and Si went. We Got to meet a lot of interesting people and some of the actual kids that have gone through their program and it's awesome. And look, they've got so many good people in Wisconsin.

[Si Robertson]

I was thinking that's one of the biggest hearted people in the world are in the state of Wisconsin.

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[Phil]

This is going to be a regular thing around here.

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[Si Robertson]

Me and Christine had them last night. Two filet mignons that was cooked with an iron skillet on top of the oven and it was medium plus.

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[Si Robertson]

Got the, the ribeye, the prime filet mignon, the New York strip that's got the marble in it.

[Phil]

Oh, oh, yeah.

[Si Robertson]

Goodness. Look, all of them are good.

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[Si Robertson]

Okay, here's, here's my question for you, Mark. How did you get into where you're at now and what you do for your. For the people, for kids?

[Mark Newman]

Well, you know what? For a bunch of years been working in middle school age ministry focus. It was a big time in my life growing up that was just figuring it out. Grew up in a church family and so don't ever remember not having faith as part of my life and wanting to Follow Jesus. So it's been a special time in my life when I look back at it, and I just know it's tough today. You think of middle schoolers and the challenges. We all look back to when we went and we think, man, I was uncomfortable. There was a lot of stuff that was challenging. Well, today I can't even imagine, you know, with the social media and all the, all the stuff that. How are they defining things and telling these kids what's reality? It's almost like a lot of. Not truth speakers.

[Si Robertson]

No, no. Most people don't realize. Okay. How. How tough it is for a kid to go. What he goes through. Oh, yeah. Whether you're a female or a male. Okay. Because there's. There is no rule book that you can go to that will help you overcome everything you're going to run into.

[Phil]

Well, there's one.

[Si Robertson]

Well, yeah, that's why he said his foundation.

[Phil]

Oh, I know, I know.

[Si Robertson]

His foundation is Jesus.

[Mark Newman]

Well, that was big growing up and my parents led me that direction and we just started wanting, I wanted to have like a man camp for young men. I just thought that's missing, you know, how often are you talking about the tough stuff with kids and how they hear where they hearing it? You know, even in church, sometimes you're not hearing stuff that are the real challenges in life that, you know, every kid's going to face. It's like we dance around them. So we wanted to build a camp and a program for young men that teaches them the reality of life. So that's how we got into that. I knew it was a big. A big time of my life. And so we just said, let's build a man camp for young boys. And that's turned into an amazing ministry called Life Camp USA. And we do programs for one week, wilderness programs for 10 kids at a time. Both boys and girls separate and basically stand in the gap for their fallen fathers. So it's basically a camp for kids who lost their dads in service to the country. So US Military service, law enforcement, or first responder. So these kids have lost their dads and we want to stand in the gap for them and give them hope, give them purpose, tell them that God still got a plan for their life, you know.

[Phil]

Oh, yeah, man. Which is why, you know, whenever the opportunity came to us, we were always so happy to come up there and help because it is kind of a. It's something you don't really think about, I guess, like, is because, you know, for a lot, lot of us, you don't necessarily get touched by that, by loss of the father at such a young age, especially in this room. Like, we've all had our. Had our fathers for a large period of our lives. I think all of us be dishonest. We said we didn't want them here more, but we had them for a large period of our lives. And you know, the proofs in the pudding on that stuff, like, I've never. We've done a lot of fundraiser stuff in our life and since the show hit. And we're. We're always happy to help on any of that, but I've never seen God 1 sign up to be a part of it, like, outside of the actual event and the night. But I know Godwin and Paula are going to do the, you know, I think y' all call them a summer. Yeah. Call. And y' all call them aunts and uncles. And so Godwin, the Godwin family will be aunts and uncles. So that's really cool. Thank you.

[Mark Newman]

Amazing.

[Phil]

Yeah. And what made you do it? Go.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Now that you're a granddaddy, I got

[Si Robertson]

a feeling I know what made you do it. But.

[Godwin]

Well, I just like you say, the father is so much. Daddy taught me so much stuff and just spent so much time with me and made it fun for me. And I have so much respect for the military first responders. Those people are servants. Amen at heart.

[Si Robertson]

And they are always doing something.

[Godwin]

For some, they made the ultimate sacrifice. So I got to do something to honor them. And why not help? I mean, it takes a village. Get your kid raised. It took a village to get Johanna raised. And any little bit that helps is just. You just got to do it.

[Martin]

Yeah.

[Godwin]

So it makes a big difference.

[Phil]

Well, incredible part is, like, what I didn't understand or even necessarily realize before we got involved was, you think about it, they lost their, you know, military first responders. You think about the.

[Si Robertson]

The.

[Phil]

Them losing it when you hear that in the line of duty. And most of them aren't like, most of them are after they've come home and they couldn't readjust to life as we know it and decided to take their own lives. I mean, you see the kids who's. Yeah. I mean that now some of them are definitely combat related or, you know, other things are in the line of duty, in the line of service. But there's so many of them that they're just, you know, I'm not even going to pretend I know what those people went through and the choices that they make, but then they. They take their life and leave a family behind and such a gaping hole there that, you know, and I think if you're listening to this and you know somebody like that, and you've always wondered if there's a program for that. Look these guys up, man Life Camp usa, they cover all the cost of it. You're not out anything. And they. I know you guys and you can talk about this a little more because you know more about it. But y' all do training for the parents, too. It's not just for the kids. Y' all invest in the parents to help them of adjusting of a team to now a single parent, whether it be a single mom or a single dad, whatever that looks like.

[Mark Newman]

So, yeah. Yeah, thanks, Martin. I think, you know, reaching out and finding these families, it's not easy to find the family. So like you said, if anybody knows a family who's involved in losing a father because of their service to the country. And last year, Martin, at our camp, half the kids that were there were there as a result of their fathers taking their own lives after service. About half of them were killed in action, training, accidents, law enforcement. Right now, I'd encourage anybody out there to look up. It's actually an app called Officer Down Memorial Page odmp. And you look on there, my phone, unfortunately, is dinging every couple days with law enforcement guys dying in action, going to serve us right. They show up at a house and. And they're getting taken out. So to find these families, they're kind of under the radar. You don't hear a lot of. Of that, especially on the law enforcement side. So we are on a mission to reach out to the military and law enforcement families who have given everything for us. And then the struggle afterwards, like coming John, to. To camp with us is so special.

[Si Robertson]

I would look at it and just for me, I wouldn't know what to ask anybody. I wouldn't even know how to ask for help. That's like my mother, she was a riveter on a B52 bomber.

[Phil]

That's crazy to think about, ain't it?

[Si Robertson]

No, I'm serious. When I think about that and then I look and I actually think about, well, wait a minute, hold it. That woman gave birth to seven kids.

[Phil]

She didn't have Netflix.

[Si Robertson]

Yeah, well, I just, I look and that's why I always tell young ladies, I said, hey, you don't see it right now. I said, you're a future mom.

[Mark Newman]

Yeah.

[Si Robertson]

So you're in. You're so. You're so important. You don't Even really realize these, these

[Mark Newman]

moms, this where my wife is in the midst of talking about 80 moms who have lost their husbands in the last. In, in this next couple months to talk about the kids coming to camp. Can you imagine talking to 80 ladies who, who have lost their husbands? I mean, it's gut wrenching, heart wrenching, lots of tears. But as you said, we're reaching out to help the families background real quick. We do. For anybody out there that knows someone, it's a, it's a one week wilderness experience. Just 10 kids and 10 adults. So at the boys camp, and that's what we wanted to have is a close, intimate week where we can get real around the campfire, talk about the challenges that are going to be coming their way. And young men in middle school, they're wanting to talk. We just love on them. Si. A lot of times you don't know what to do. You hug them and they melt and they're looking for someone to come around and then just show them you care and then be talking about. I'll touch on the topics we cover, which are amazing. And the moms are so grateful.

[Si Robertson]

So I always tell the people I said, hey, look, Jesus talking. Jesus has told each individual that you're never alone. If you know me and have relationship with me, you're never alone. Well, hey, the kids, I mean, I can't even imagine, you know, all they want to know is, hey, is it anybody out there that loves that he cares about me.

[Godwin]

That's right. And they probably mad at God too. Well, no, no, but I mean, that's okay. You can be mad at God.

[Si Robertson]

Yeah.

[Godwin]

But I mean even, even God fearing people, life happens. We just got a love. Like I say, it takes a village. You just got to love on them.

[Si Robertson]

That's why I told market all these guys that are involved in this, okay? And especially with me since I consider myself a child anyway. I just, you know, you're showing people that, hey look, you've got some rough, rough roads ahead of you, okay? I understand that. But hey, you're not alone. There's people that care about you, okay? And like when they get one on one, they don't know what to do. Yeah, that's like our veterans, okay? A vet that is seen and been involved in what he's been involved in, okay? It affected him, okay. And he don't know, he don't know what to. Where to turn.

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[Godwin]

Man, it's Going pretty good. It's been about a week and a half and I'm down about £12 already.

[Phil]

There you go.

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[Godwin]

With this, you got a coach that you get to talk to and she helps you and gives you great advice and tells you how to do the eating. You can eat this with this. And. And she keeps telling me I need to be sure and snack. Be sure and snack. I can't believe you got to eat to lose weight.

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[Phil]

£12 in a week. What else you got?

[Godwin]

You know, I ain't but a week and a half in and I already dropped down my medication.

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[Godwin]

You'll see it too.

[Phil]

There you go.

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[Mark Newman]

These boys say. I'll tell you. We tell them, you know, that one of the main themes of life camp is though, although you've lost your father, you have a heavenly father that still loves and adores you. And he's going to always be there to let him know they're not going to be alone.

[Si Robertson]

You know, that's why I was saying so important. Okay. Hey, you're never alone. Yep.

[Mark Newman]

Amen.

[Si Robertson]

Okay. And that's a big deal to know that. Okay. Because you know when you ask people about. Okay. How many friends have you got?

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Mark Newman]

And you gotta.

[Si Robertson]

You gotta define friend. Okay. A true friend is no matter what you do and how you are, you know, the guy or gal still likes you and will be there for you when you think it'll make a difference. If it's 8 1am in the morning and you need me, well, call me.

[Phil]

Yep.

[Mark Newman]

Well, that's what we say as uncles. Godwin, you'll be an uncle to the boys this summer and your wife will be an aunt to the girls. So at the girls camps, we don't have men, obviously, as mentors, but we've got couples. So we have five couples for the 10 girls. And to be there for them, we tell them, you can call us anytime. There was a kid this year who was back for a second year. We just do two years of programs right now, middle schools, only 11, 12, 13 year old boys. But these boys set second year, said, I can call you and the moms like my son was struggling. It's okay. If he calls you and we tell him, you can call us the rest of your life. Every uncle gives the kid their cell phone number. You call me anytime. We had an uncle this past year, Navy SEAL who said, we got half of our uncles at the boys camps are military and law enforcement guys. And the other half are, you know, you say lay, lay people or I say lame people like me that didn't serve, didn't do anything. We're too, too afraid. But, you know, praise God, we got people are willing to serve, but we got these guys. And the kids have called some of our uncles, literally in the middle of the night, said, nobody's home except me. My mom didn't get back. We had a little boy from Alaska. He came to camp. His dad was an army Ranger. The first year he came in so hurting, he literally went around the campfire, insulted each uncle. So here's this little kid, 12 years old. He took. Took it at each one of us. And then afterwards he sat there and the guys didn't, you know, just said, we love you, man. And turns out his mom drugged out after. So his dad got killed as an Army Ranger. Then his mom got on drugs and was gone. This little guy had nobody felt alone. S. Like you said, it's. It's tough gig for a lot of them, but we're here to, to be there. Thank you again for, for helping us on this mission. Thank you for letting me come here to share about it because there's so many kids we can help, you know?

[Godwin]

Yeah.

[Si Robertson]

Here's something that always got me. Okay. Those. That stuff like this, like John will get more. You and Paula will get more out of what y' all do for the kids than the kids are gonna get. It will do. It will teach you things that you will. You'd be shocked.

[Sponsor Announcer]

Maybe.

[Godwin]

So.

[Phil]

Yeah. Yeah. No, and it's. I mean, a lot of times, for a lot of People. And we know, you know, especially in military family, you're used to doing things alone because your other. Your partner is halfway around the world and all that. So when something does happen, it's just easiest to withdraw and be alone and not ask for help because it's never been there. But if you know somebody or you are that person and you're listening, reach out to these guys, man. Mark, where can they find y'? All on the web? Internet. Yeah.

[Mark Newman]

LifeCampUSA.org Yep. We got a website. Families can go on to apply to go to camp. We will. If you've got a middle schooler, we will do our best to get them in. And we'll have 10 programs this summer around, you know, three in Colorado, two in Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota. So we go to cool places with these kids. They have a lifetime experience. So, yeah, reach out to us. We'd love.

[Phil]

And it's completely free for them, 100%, no expense.

[Mark Newman]

We'll fly them in. The character traits, we're talking about resilience, teaching these boys integrity. We got a curriculum we've built for them in one week with these 10 men. It's a group of 20. We don't do one on ones. Everybody's running together as a team. Teach them about being courageous. Discipline, work, work ethic. A lot of stuff that, you know, we feel their dads would want them to know.

[Si Robertson]

Yeah.

[Mark Newman]

And that's what we're trying to do, is teach them they got a life ahead of them. It's going to be exciting for them down the road, and they get through these tough times, and they're going to build strength and resilience. And these guys, I think, watch out for some of these kids that have attended Life camp down the road.

[Si Robertson]

It's going to be me personally with the veteran side. Okay. You know, it. You know, we hold each other accountable, and that's important.

[Phil]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Si Robertson]

Yeah. Can I depend on you? You know, when you just say it, it's bigger than what you just saying it. This means something, that, hey, look, that I've got your back.

[Phil]

Yeah.

[Si Robertson]

That's why, like, combat men that's been in combat and covered each other's back through death. Okay. There's a bond there that can never be broken.

[Mark Newman]

Yeah.

[Si Robertson]

Well, these guys, because each one of us knows the other one will give his life to make sure that, hey, we're in this together, and we. We want to come out of this together. Yeah. Yeah.

[Mark Newman]

And that's. I don't want to jump in, but I'm thinking as you're saying that side. I'm like these boys, and I should say the uncles, the mentors, right. They're thinking it could have been them, that they're not there. So they feel called to invest in these young men, just like if it was their son could be left behind. So there is a high motivation by our mentors to be there.

[Si Robertson]

No, no.

[Mark Newman]

Back to back. It's personal.

[Si Robertson]

That's the one thing that people. When people have asked me, what. What's the best advice I can give you? Best advice I can give you is, okay, hey, everything is about relationships. There's only one thing that that is that works here. A relationship between you and Father the God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and then a relationship between you and each other. The accountability part. Okay, hey, when the goings gets rough, can I depend on you to be there to help carry me? Because I'm not a superman. Okay. I've got issues just like you. I've got things that I have, I can't handle. Okay. That I need help. We'll carry each other through this. Yeah.

[Mark Newman]

You know what accountability you touched on, Si? I mean, we actually. This is kind of unique aspect of Life Camp is with the kids. We don't just go to camp for one week and that's it. We do monthly Zooms with the boys each month. On the third Sunday night, there's Life Camp groups meeting all around the US with those boys and those uncles. Jump right back in. And then, same with the girls camps, we meet with the the team. So. And then we have a weekly Bible study online, and it's on our website, lifecampusa.org for the kids who have attended Life Camp, so they don't have a dad at home. About 80 to 90% of our kids are coming from unchurched families, too. And we're bold. We tell them why we exist is to give these boys direction and point them towards their heavenly father and teach them life skills. And they're meeting, and we got this Bible study. We had about 20 kids a week showing up on Bible studies online with Zoom. Who would have thought 10 years ago we could do a camp like this? Remote post camp to meet monthly with these kids. It's. It's been really special.

[Phil]

That's awesome. Look, we thank you for coming on here where we appreciate even us getting to come up there and hang out with these guys. There's guys in this room that have funded a lot of these camps.

[Mark Newman]

Yes, sir.

[Phil]

They're down here duck hunting with us for another day. But no, just, just know, like, if you want to get involved either financially, you can find [e-mail] or if you want to get involved because you, you are that family. You are, you know, that family that can get involved or if you want to be. Got one if you, if you feel called and led to be an aunt or an uncle for all those things. You can find out more at Life Camp usa. We always close with a Bible verse, man. And when I hear this kind of stuff, this, this one in Hebrews, Hebrews 13:16. And do not forget to do good

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and to share with others, for with

[Phil]

such sacrifices, God is pleased. And when you think about that. Yes. Are you guys sacrificing your time? Absolutely. Al and the guys over here, are you sacrificing your time and money?

[Sponsor Announcer]

Absolute.

[Phil]

You are. But the ultimate sacrifice were for those that put their lives for us. And now we're called on to care for those people, just as Christ did for us, though. The ultimate sacrifice paid by Jesus Christ. So thank y' all so much. We love you guys. Thanks for listening and we'll see y' all next time right here in the duck call room. We're out.