With Christmas just around the corner, everyone is in a festive mood. In light of this, Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris threw a party for the brand. At the party, the army veteran invited fellow army veterans to give a speech in front of the Bass Pro Shop’s employees. The sporting goods retailer brand is best known for being Martin Truex Jr and Austin Dillon’s sponsors in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Johnny Morris began by regaling a story where he met a remarkable young man. This young man, according to him, was a great orator, and many American youth would benefit from listening to him. This person was Evangelo ‘Vann’ Morris, the 2023 Defender of Freedom Award winner. As it turns out, the former army man-turned-motivational speaker, who served in Afghanistan and has since retired, gave a motivational speech at the Bass Pro Christmas party as well.

Vann Morris had a great message for everyone at Bass Pro Shops

The Florida native, Vann Morris, spoke about his plans to travel the country and ‘heal’ all the Americans. Morris placed special emphasis on the soldiers who served their country and teaching children the value of freedom. So, he visited several places, from schools to non-profit organizations and sports venues. On the subject of paying tribute to soldiers, he encompassed all the veterans who have since retired and recognized the power of healing.

Vann Morris told the Bass Pro Shops crowd, “I met 300 of our pilots from the Vietnam era, that were shot down and captured. I met those gentlemen over there in Anaheim, California. So at their 50th anniversary, for being released. Those veterans, some of them when they came back to America, you know the story. They were spat on. We simply want to say, we love you, we thank you for your service.”

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Morris on the upliftment of spirits

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Vann Morris also acknowledged that many service members were still missing in action. He wanted to reach out to the families of those very army personnel. Morris also touched on the heavy topic of suicide for veterans. He revealed that between 2001 and 2022, 30,000 veterans chose to end their lives. This is in comparison to the 6,000 soldiers who died in combat or training.

According to Vann Morris, there are many organizations dedicated to rehabilitating members and preventing suicides. The best part is that those tactics are working, so he was truly grateful for their help. On the subject of America’s core values, the former army veteran revealed that he talked to thousands of students. He even shared a story about meeting a Generation Z person between 9 and 24 years old. This woman was asked about what she would change about America’s core values.

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In conversation with one of Gen Z’s, when asked what she would change about America’s core values, Gen Z admitted that she would change the national anthem. According to her, the anthem did not represent everybody in America, so she wanted it to be more inclusive. Vann Morris then talked about how the national anthem ends with a question mark instead of an exclamation mark. He then advised the Gen Z woman to listen to the American national anthem differently.