A new talk show made its debut this week on Fox Nation, and an Alabama war hero is among the featured guests.
Noah Galloway, 38, an Army veteran and double amputee who was injured in Iraq, tells his story to country star John Rich on “The Pursuit! With John Rich.” Five episodes of the series are available to subscribers of Fox Nation, an entertainment streaming service linked to Fox News.
At the start of Galloway’s episode, Rich offers some high praise, lauding Galloway’s patriotism and courage.
“Noah Galloway represents everything great about America,” Rich says. “Instead of his injuries becoming a negative influence in his life, he took those losses and turned them into a life-changing mission, not only for himself, but for anyone who’s ever met him. Men and women like Noah are the reason we get to pursue happiness in this country; they’re the reason we stand up for the national anthem, and they are the reason we should never take for granted the opportunities afforded us under the Constitution.”
During the 18-minute episode, filmed in Rich’s Nashville home, Galloway talks about his decision to enlist in the military after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He details the circumstances of a bomb blast in 2005 that caused him to lose part of two left limbs. Galloway discusses the severe depression that gripped him for five years, preventing him from emotional healing. He also looks back on the day he decided to change his life, to become a positive role model for his children.
“I walked into my living room and my three kids were very young,” Galloway tells Rich. “They were sitting on the couch watching TV and I, all of a sudden realized to my two boys, I’m showing them what a man is. And that’s what they’re going to become one day and to my little girl, I’m showing her how a man supposed to act. That’s what she is going to look for one day. And the man I was, I did not want my boys to be or my daughter to find. So I knew I had to make a change.”
“You might have just wrote a country song right there,” Rich says. “Just letting you know.”
Rich, 46, of the duo Big & Rich, became friends with Galloway after the Shelby County resident earned fame on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” Galloway took third place on the reality series in 2015 with his pro partner, Sharna Burgess, and became an inspiration for many who watched him perform during Season 20.
Galloway didn’t hold back on “Dancing With the Stars,” talking frankly about his injuries and recovery during a segment called “My Most Memorable Year.” He also shared his struggles in a 2016 memoir, “Living With No Excuses: The Remarkable Rebirth of an American Soldier.”
“I wanted to make sure I covered my depression,” Galloway said in a 2016 interview with AL.com. “There are several attempts of me trying and falling flat on my face. But it needed to be told. I felt like, if another veteran with an injury or someone who suffered from depression could read the book and connect to it, it’ll all be worth it.”
The athletic Galloway also earned public attention in November 2014, when he was featured on the cover of Men’s Heath magazine. He was named the “Ultimate Men’s Health Guy” and made a guest appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” raising funds for his No Excuses Charitable Fund. (The fund raises money for organizations that support fitness, wellness and healthy habits.)
“You know, the Men’s Health, funny thing about it, like before I got injured, fitness has always been a part of my life,” Galloway tells Rich on “The Pursuit.” “And I used to tell guys, one day I was going to be on the cover of Men’s Health. And then after I was injured and got back into fitness, I thought, man, there’s a reason for me to at least be in Men’s Health. Then I made the cover. They called me the ultimate guy and all my buddies I served in Iraq were calling me, they were all like, you were on the cover. You said that.
“But honestly, when it happened, when it was announced, and it was on all the shelves, I got nervous. I felt like I was being too arrogant, too cocky. I thought that to other veterans, they wouldn’t like it. But then veterans started reaching out to me. Their family, their spouses telling me how proud they were to see this positive image of veterans out there.”
After his stint on “Dancing with the Stars,” Galloway appeared as a mentor on another reality series, Fox’s “American Grit.” In 2018, he served as the celebrity spokesman for the 100 Alabama Miles Challenge, encouraging folks in his home state to spend time outside — hiking, biking, swimming, paddling, walking, trail riding or engaging in other activities.
Today, Galloway continues his charity work and travels the country as a motivational speaker. His episode of “The Pursuit” was released on Monday, along with four other episodes that focus on country singer Wynonna Judd, Olympic wrestler Brandon Slay, Gretchen Wilson of “Redneck Woman ” fame and Ronnie and Chris Barrett, the father-and-son team behind Barrett Firearms.
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