Help us dream big(ger) in 2026

The Journey of a Dream

It began with a phone call. Julie Dudley works at the Veterans Home where Wally lives in Nevada. His dream was beautiful and really more about a promise he made to his best friend as he took his breath in Wally’s arms in Vietnam over 59 years ago.

Wally dreamed of flying to St. Louis to meet “Artie’s” sister, visit his gravesite, see that he was given the burial and honors he deserved and share a final shot of Jack Daniels with his best friend. At the time, Vietnam was designated as a “Policing Action” and too many of our boys were denied burials in veteran cemeteries, not given a marker, and certainly not given full military honors at their funeral.

Mark Little of Care Quest Solutions invited us on his podcast to share Wally’s story and raise the funds needed to make this dream a reality for Wally. Thanks to a partnership between Second Wind Dreams and Caesar’s Foundation, along with generous donations from people across the country, we could begin planning.

Wally and Adam flew into St. Louis and while waiting for the rental car, two young soldiers stopped to thank Wally for his service and chat before being shipped out themselves. After leaving the airport, Wally and Adam went downtown to meet Artie’s sister for the first time. The connection was immediate and powerful as they embraced and Betty shared a scrapbook she made about Artie and brought out his various medals including a purple heart.

The following day, Wally and Adam arrived at the cemetery and were surprised to be greeted by 2 active-duty Marines, several members of the St. Louis Marine Corps League, and a table with a bottle of Jack and 4 glasses. Once Betty and her friend Joyce arrived, the much overdue ceremony began. A rifle squad fired three volleys, a bugle began to play and sound of “Taps” filled the air as a U.S. flag was folded and presented to Betty as Artie’s next of kin. Three spent shell casings were then presented to Betty to represent “duty, honor and country”, then quietly she turned and placed one in Wally’s hand for remembrance. They spent time sharing memories of Artie and shared a final drink of Jack Daniels with their big brother and best friend.

Over lunch, more stories were shared and Betty surprised Wally with the flag she was presented with earlier and a promise carried for decades was kept and closure was brought to Wally and Betty through the power of a dream fulfilled.