>>> WELCOME BACK. THIS MORNING, WE’RE HEARING FROM
TWO WOMEN WHO FOUND THE STRENGTH
TO REBUILD THEIR LIVES AFTER
INCREDIBLE LOSSES.
INCREDIBLE LOSSES. >> TAYA KYLE WAS MARRIED TO
CHRIS KYLE, THE VETERAN
PORTRAYED BY BRADLEY COOPER IN
"AMERICAN SNIPER."
"AMERICAN SNIPER." >> TAYA IS SHARING THE STORIES
OF EXCEPTIONAL AMERICANS.
ONE IS A GOLD STAR WIFE NAMED
BARBARA ALLEN.
BARBARA ALLEN. >> Reporter: WHEN BARB ALLEN MET
HER HUSBAND LOU IN 1994, SHE
KNEW HE WAS THE ONE.
>> I JUST FELT LIKE A CONNECTION
TO HIM WHEN I MET HIM, AND IT
WAS JUST EASY AND EXCITING AT
THE SAME TIME.
WE WERE ENGAGED TEN MONTHS LATER
AND MARRIED LESS THAN A YEAR
AFTER THAT.
AFTER THAT. >> Reporter: TWO YEARS AFTER
THEY GOT MARRIED, LOU SURPRISED
BARB AND JOINED THE NATIONAL
GUARD.
GUARD. >> I HAD JUST FOUND OUT WE WERE
PREGNANT WITH OUR FIRST CHILD,
AND HE JUST DROPS IT ON ME ONE
DAY WHEN WE’RE COMING HOME.
HE’S LIKE, NO, NO, NO, DON’T
WORRY.
WORRY. IT’S THE NATIONAL GUARD.
WE’RE NOT AT WAR.
IF WE GO TO WAR, THE NATIONAL
GUARD ISN’T CALLED UP IN WAR.
>> LOU DID GET CALLED UP AND
DEPLOYED TO IRAQ IN MAY OF 2005.
30 DAYS LATER, LOU WAS KILLED ON
BASE, ALLEGEDLY BY ANOTHER U.S.
SOLDIER.
SOLDIER. >> JUST SMACKED ME INTO MY CHEST
AND THREW ME TO THE WALL.
BOOM, JUST DOWN IN A HEAP.
>> Reporter: THE SOLDIER WAS
COURT MARSHALLED AND CHARGED
WITH TWO COUNTS OF PREMEDICATED
MURDER.
MURDER. AFTER A THREE AND A HALF YEAR
TRIAL, HE WAS ACQUITTED OF ALL
CHARGES.
CHARGES. >> I FELT THE KIND OF HATRED I
GENERALLY NEVER WANT TO FEEL
AGAIN.
AGAIN. IT JUST -- I FELT THAT EVIL.
>> Reporter: AFTER LOU’S
FUNERAL, BARB STRUGGLED TO MOVE
ON IN LIFE UNTIL SHE MET TAYA
KYLE, A GOLD STAR WIFE WITH A
SIMILAR STORY.
SIMILAR STORY. >> WE JOKE ABOUT THINGS PEOPLE
DON’T JOKE ABOUT BECAUSE IT
HELPS US AND TAKES THE POWER
BACK FROM THE PAIN.
>> Reporter: TOGETHER, THAT
HELPED TAYA AND BARB TURN TO THE
GOOD IN THE WORLD.
>> THERE IS A HUGE COMMUNITY
THROUGH THE OTHER GOLD STAR
WIVES, THROUGH PEOPLE ACROSS
COUNTRY WHO DO GENUINELY CARE.
USE THAT SUPPORT.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT.
ALWAYS HAVE IN YOUR HEAD THAT
YOU’RE GOING TO STAND ON YOUR
OWN TWO FEET AGAIN ONE DAY.
>> BARBARA’S STORY IS TOLD IN
TAYA KYLE’S NEW BOOK CALLED
"AMERICAN SPIRIT," PROFILES AND
RESILIENCE, COURAGE, AND FAITH.
THEY’RE BOTH WITH US THIS
MORNING.
MORNING. MORNING.
MORNING. >> THANKS FOR HAVING US.
>> HERE’S THE THING, YOU SAID
FROM THE MOMENT YOU MET BARBARA,
THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT HER.
WHAT WAS IT?
>> SHE’S SO STRONG, AND THERE IS
A PART OF HER THAT WE INSTANTLY
CONNECTED ON AN EMOTIONAL LEVEL.
OBVIOUSLY, WE WERE BOTH WIDOWS
AND IT WAS FRESH FOR ME.
SHE’D BEEN AT IT FOR A WHILE.
SHE HAS FOUR BOYS.
LIFE WASN’T EASY, BUT WE WENT
FROM KIND OF A TEARFUL START TOY
CRAZY THINGS.
CRAZY THINGS. I THOUGHT, SHE’S MY PEOPLE.
YOU HAVE TO LAUGH WHEN LIFE GETS
DARK.
DARK. YOU HAVE TO.
>> YOU WERE NERVOUS BUT YOU
WALKED UP TO TAYA AT AN EVENT,
RIGHT?
RIGHT? >> I MET JIM, SORT OF, AND HE
CONNECTED US AT THE EVENT.
I WAS NERVOUS, BUT TAYA JUST
JUMPED RIGHT IN.
IT WAS LIKE OLD FRIENDS.
SHE REALLY TOOK HER TIME TO
SUPPORT THE OTHER GOLD STAR
WIVES THAT WE WERE WITH.
>> LET’S TALK ABOUT HOW YOU ARE
MOVING FORWARD.
MOVING FORWARD. I WAS READING ABOUT THIS MARKET
MEDIA COMPANY.
MEDIA COMPANY. YOU’RE BRIDGING DEVELOPMENT WITH
PATRIOTISM.
PATRIOTISM. >> IT’S ALL THE THINGS I WISH
I’D HAD IN MY LIFE SOME TIME
AGO, WHEN I WAS TRYING TO
REBUILD AND I DIDN’T KNOW HOW
PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY TO
OVERCOME, YOU KNOW, MY EMOTIONAL
STRUGGLES I WAS GOING THROUGH,
AND PROFESSIONALLY AS WELL,
GETTING BACK INTO THE WORK
FORCE.
FORCE. PATRIOTISM, TO ME, VERY
IMPORTANT.
IMPORTANT. I FEEL LIKE IT IS BEING A LITTLE
BIT THROWN BY THE WAYSIDE, EVEN
WEAPONIZED THESE DAYS.
I JUST WANT TO TAKE THE POLITICS
BACK OUT OF PATRIOTISM AND JUST
LET AMERICANS CELEBRATE BEING
AMERICAN.
AMERICAN. >> TAYA, BARBARA’S STORY IS ONE
OF SEVERAL IN THIS BOOK.
WHAT WAS THE THINKING BEHIND THE
BOOK, AND WHAT ARE SOME OF THE
OTHER STORIES?
OTHER STORIES? WHAT ARE THE COLLECTIONS?
>> IT WAS SO INTERESTING.
I WAS TRAVELING THE COUNTRY
DOING SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS AND
PEOPLE WOULD OPEN UP TO ME.
I’MLY LYLY CURIOUS AND WANTED
TO KNOW THEIR STORY.
THEY WERE TELLING ME INCREDIBLE
THINGS THEY WERE A PART OF, OR
SOMEONE THEY KNEW WERE A PART
OF.
OF. IT WAS HEALING, NOT TO FOCUS ON
THE NEGATIVITY BUT SEE THIS
BEAUTY HAPPENING ALL THE TIME,
EVERYWHERE, ACROSS ALL THE
STATES, ACROSS ALL BACKGROUNDS.
I THOUGHT, I HAVE TO SHARE THESE
STORIES.
STORIES. THAT’S WHAT I DID.
YOU ASKED ABOUT OTHER STORIES.
THERE’S A GUY WHO IS DOING HEROS
AND HORSES.
AND HORSES. HE’S TRAINING WILD MUSTANGS TO
HELP OTHER PEOPLE.
THERE’S A GUY, DONNIE DAVIS, AND
HIS WIFE, OPERATION SAFE HAVEN
IS TINY HOUSES FOR VETERANS WITH
BTS.
BTS. WE HAVE CHRIS, WHO MADE A CAMPUS
FOR HOMELESS PEOPLE IN SAN
DIEGO.
DIEGO. EVERYBODY IN THE COUNTRY SHOULD
BE DOING IT.
I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT.
HE GETS RID OF HOMELESSNESS BY
TEACHING PEOPLE HOW TO LIVE
AGAIN AND WORK AGAIN, HOW TO
SAVE AGAIN.
SAVE AGAIN. THEIR WHOLE FAMILY CAN GO THERE.
IT IS INCREDIBLE STUFF THAT
NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT IT.
IF WE KNEW ABOUT IT, I THINK
MORE PEOPLE WOULD REPEAT IT.
>> INSPIRING.
>> INSPIRING. TOMORROW IS INDEPENDENCE DAY.
A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVING
BARBECUING, HAVING FUN,
CELEBRATING THE DAY.
IT IS ALSO AN IMPORTANT DAY TO
STOP FOR A MOMENT AND THINK
ABOUT HISTORY, THINK ABOUT WHAT
THIS COUNTRY HAS BEEN THROUGH,
AND THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE HELPED
BUILD THIS COUNTRY.
>> YEAH, I AGREE.
I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT WE CAN EASILY FORGET IS
THAT SOMEBODY HAD TO FIGHT FOR
THIS RIGHT THAT WE HAVE TO SPEAK
FREELY, DO WHAT YOU DO, AND TO
GATHER IN GROUPS.
I FORGET THAT SOMETIMES.
JUST THE FACT WE CAN GATHER,
THAT’S NOT SOMETHING PEOPLE IN
OTHER COUNTRIES CAN DO.
IT CAME AT A COST.
IT CAME WITH AN IDEA THAT WE
DON’T HAVE TO BE RUN BY A
MONARCHY.
MONARCHY. I HOPE THAT PEOPLE REMEMBER THAT
AND VALUE IT AND HOPE THAT
PEOPLE AREN’T LOOKING TO THE
GOVERNMENT TO RULE US, AS THEY
DID ONE DAY.
I DON’T KNOW IF THAT --
>> WHAT’S THE FOURTH MEAN TO
YOU?
YOU? >> A LOT OF WHAT TAYA SAID.
I THINK IT IS A GREAT
OPPORTUNITY FOR US AS A NATION
TO REBOOST,T, RIGHT?
WHATEVER HAPPENED HAS HAPPENED.
I THINK IT’D BE AMAZING IF WE
COULD AGREE TOMORROW, LET’S JUST
START OVER.
START OVER. LET’S UNPLUG, REBOOT, AND COME
BACK OUT AS AMERICANS AND FIND
OUR WAY FORWARD POSITIVELY.
>> BARBARA, THANK YOU.
TAYA, THANK YOU.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
SOUNDS LIKE A FANTASTIC BOOK.
FOR MORE ON IT, "AMERICAN
SPIRIT" AND THE CHRIS KYLE
FOUNDATION, TODAY.COM.