During his service, Conor discovered that there was a serious issue with his heart and he would need a transplant. After his transplant, Conor had a goal to run a marathon. Earlier this year Conor completed the Boston Marathon becoming one of few heart transplant recipients to do accomplish this feat.
Not satisfied with a 26.2 marathon, Conor started training for ultra marathons. Most ultra marathons are over 31 miles, so it is was impressive that Conor wanted train and compete.
I met Conor at Article XV Brewery (https://articlefifteenbrewing.com/) in Weymouth, MA. Conor was doing a fund raiser for the Travis Mills Foundation. Conor had met Travis and it was great getting to hear about his experience and meet Conor’s family.
Watch this space for more updates on Conor’s goals. As of this writing, he succeeded in running an ultra marathon. Watching Conor, take something that changed his life and turn into a positive force for good is simply amazing. Especially since I do not like to run at all! Proud of you Conor!
You can watch the interview on YouTube. Please like and subscribe! Conor Completing his Ultra Marathon
Sponsor Information
Thanks to my sponsors Joyce Asack and Mark Holmes for supporting Veterans!
If you have been watching the videos, you will notice that there have been changes to the logo. This is due to the work of Marine Veteran Mike Damon. Mike is the founder of Vet Unite – https://www.facebook.com/VetUnite/. He also owns and operates Last Call Designs. https://www.facebook.com/bvsigns/. I trusted Mike with Oscar Mike Radio, you can trust him too!
I had met Conor Sullivan during the Livecast at Jonathan Gosselin’s place of business, Veteran Owned Veteran Operated in December 2018. Sitting there talking live with everyone was going great when I was told to talk to this guy with a big smile.
Conor introduced himself as an Air Force Veteran, but the big surprise was was when he told me he had a heart transplant!
The story really went into overdrive when we started talking about training for the Boston Marathon. As a way to give back and celebrate life, Conor wanted to run the Boston Marathon with his new heart.
I started watching Conor prepare for the Marathon and couldn’t believe it when he posted an awesome time. This Air Force Veteran is a Savage!
Conor and I ran into each other at Scott Lobaido’s sculpture for PTSD in Weymouth, MA. It was just a week after the Marathon and I asked him if he would come on Oscar Mike Radio.
We met at parking lot in Braintree, MA. Conor is a member of the Veterans Brotherhood Motorcycle Club. He rode up on his Harley – Davidson and we started talking.
Listening to his story, I noticed that there never a time where he felt sorry for himself. He talked about how he went into the Air Force to work on C-130s. His health started to deteriorate at his duty station and he found out he would need a heart transplant. I learned a lot about the process.
To me it is what Conor has done after the heart transplant that makes this story special. He is a husband and father. He has run the Boston Marathon, and is training for the Marine Corps Marathon. As a member of the Veterans Brotherhood Motorcycle Club, he has found his tribe and a way to serve his fellow Veterans.
Thanks for taking the time to talk with me Conor. Rubber down
Conor is a member of the Veterans Brotherhood Motorcyle Club
Conor is running the New England Center & Home for Veterans – Marine Corps Marathon – We want you to JOIN HIM!
Contact Nicole Hand – Nicole.hand@nechv.org
Thanks to my sponsor Joyce Asack for supporting Veterans!
I saw this video on US Military News and was intrigued. You can watch the video below.
I had no idea what an elephant walk was or where the term originated. Good old Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_walk_(aeronautics) said that this term originated during WWII when up to 1000 planes would take off at a time.
Elephant walks require planning, coordination and teamwork to pull off. Even in peacetime, it is good to practice to do operations like the one here to keep skills sharp and demonstrate capability to project force. I thought it was pretty cool.
Upcoming Stuff
Keep checking out all the intel on social media and here for things that will be taking place over the summer. If the scheduling holds, I will be doing Livecasts every month from April through October this year. Good stuff.
Bill reached out to me on Facebook Messenger about coming on Oscar Mike Radio. He asked me if I would come out and talk to him at his headquarters in Worcester, MA. I headed up on cold morning in February and found the office pretty easily.
I met Bill and said introduced myself. The first thing that stood out were all the coats and toys in his office. He explained that they were a donation from UNUM Insurance Company https://www.unum.com/ and would be given to children of Veterans in need.
Bill got a laugh out of me with some good natured ribbing about me being a Marine. I had learned about Bill’s Air Force Career and gained a massive amount of respect for what he did when he served.
We moved the conversation to how Bill got Project New Hope off the ground. There is this desire that Bill has to serve and be of service. Meeting the other volunteers who popped in and out to work the mission was one of the highlights of the day.
There is also a Project New Hope Office in Westfield, MA. By car is it 60 miles one way to Westfield. That is a lot of ground to cover for any non profit organization. Bill and his team are committed to Veterans and I was glad to make the trip to meet everyone. A big shout out to BOSE for supplying headphones to troops. Thanks for my pair Bill, they sounded great!
University Georgia Bulldogs have been great supporters of Operation Teammate
Impactful Athlete Interaction. It is a mouthful that doesn’t really roll off the tongue. However, talking with Tim Montjoy for the third time, I get the sense that this phrase is not supposed to glide into thin air. There are all kinds of good things happening when athletes interact with children of military servicemembers. These children, who are separated from Mom or Dad for an extended period of time, see what hard work and dedication can pay off for their future.
I met Tim about two years ago and I swear he hasn’t stopped moving. Tim seems to running on full afterburner all the time as he is constantly talking with people about Operation Teammate, the children he serves, and what is next. He hasn’t slowed down from his time in the Air Force.
What is next is building on the mission focus for Operation Teammate. Instead of having a photo op for kids with the athletes, Tim wants to make sure that Operation Teammate adds value as a lifelong journey. These events are opportunities for children and athletes to learn from each other. The children see what striving for excellence can do for their future. Impactful means the athletes have the experience of learning about the sacrifices military servicemembers and their families endure. These athletes are also using this time to impart life lessons for the children. Thus we have the term #impactfulathleteinteraction. You will be seeing this phrase more and more in the future as Operation Teammate grows and expands their mission outreach. Thanks to everyone who supports Operation Teammate. As a LSU fan, I have to say #godawgs!
I had met Conor Sullivan during the Livecast at Jonathan Gosselin’s place of business, Veteran Owned Veteran Operated in December 2018. Sitting there talking live with everyone was going great when I was told to talk to this guy with a big smile. 
