Adam Driver is best known for his role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as super villain Kylo Ren. What’s less known about the star is his military background.
Driver’s Ted Talk on his journey from Marine to actor is quite inspiring and highly recommended viewing.
Driver recently took a trip to Pennsylvania to deliver a fantastic surprise to a fellow military vet with a very similar story to his own. Driver partnered with the Folds of Honor Foundation, an organization that provides scholarships to children and spouses of veterans. Hayley Williams recently applied for one such scholarship, as her father, John, was injured during a training exercise just before deployment to Operation Desert Storm.
He’s now a bus driver working incredibly hard to provide for his family, despite years of pain and limited mobility and back surgeries. He is racked with incredible guilt for not deploying with his band of brothers who went off to fight. Driver actually had a similar experience, getting injured shortly before his own deployment, and he explained what that did to his mental state:
“I understood where Hayley’s father, John, was coming from right away. John was injured right before being deployed. I was also injured right before deployment, so that sense of not finishing your job with the people you started with is something we connected on. Unfortunately, he is left with limited mobility and over the past 20 years, he has received multiple back surgeries to try to help. Despite his injuries, he works incredibly hard as a bus driver to support his family. Hayley’s father inspired her to become a nurse to help people just like him. … I felt very fortunate to be there and to help Hayley take the next step.”
Awesome story. Celebrities have the means to remain hidden behind the comforts their life of luxury can afford, and many of them do just that. So kudos to Driver for dedicating his time to such a worthy cause. The video, produced by Budweiser, is extremely touching as you can just feel the emotion coming from Hayley as Driver delivers the news that not only is she getting her scholarship, but all the extra funding she needs to enjoy the semester at school without having to worry about finances at all.
The video serves as a beautiful reminder this holiday that all of those who serve deserve our thanks and gratitude, because without them, we would not be free to pursue our hopes and dreams. Watch: