Patriot Hustler

by Kevin Marcus
The voice over the phone got my attention at once. It was powerful. Sharp. Clear. I could tell the guy I was talking to meant business, and I made it my business to pay close attention to what he was saying. It was our first conversation over the phone, and without hesitation, Eddie Roche started firing off important information that I was to need, if I were to be a writer on his project. Names, dates, people, places; it all came flying at me with lightning speed. I furiously wrote down everything he said, and as we continued talking, looked at the overload of information I had just taken down. Eddie definitely meant business.
He asked if I was ready to plunge in. I had no fear, and told him to bring it on, that I could handle it. Eddie chuckled and said to come down and meet him in person the following day. After we hung up, I wondered what that chuckle meant. That was mid June of 2009, and I can say that now I know.
Overwhelming is a good word to describe my first impression. Within minutes of meeting him, we plunged right in. Eddie shared his life story with me with frank honesty, sparing no detail. It felt like a movie. Who has this kind of life? Hell, who has just one of the lives that Eddie has had? I’ll be damned if I know, and I’ll be damned if I ever come across anyone else like Eddie Roche no matter where I go in this world. The adventures he’s had, the danger, the crushing lows, and improbable highs all would be nearly impossible to make up. And that thought didn’t cross my mind the second I met Eddie, shook his hand, and looked him in the eye. Right then, I knew that the man was telling the truth.
In the months since then, having built a friendship with Eddie, and knowing his family, his friends, and being constant witness to the brightly burning energy that radiates from him nonstop, I feel like I am only beginning to seize the epic nature of what this is. I’ve been privileged to help write part of his story. But he lived it. And he’s still living it. The story is gripping. It’s message is something people need to hear. This is the start to something tremendous, and it will be a wild ride. I’m looking forward to. Bring it on.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 at 5:01 pm and is filed under Patriot Hustler, Patriot Hustler Blogs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.