"Wouldn't Change a Thing"

00:01 Hi, my name is Amanda Brown Today is November 19th, and I'm here with my dad and our foxhole in a Carbon Township, New Jersey. To start us off, can you say some of your favorite childhood memories?

00:15 My favorite childhood memories would be just having a very loving mother. That was always very reassuring, very comforting, and very supportive.

00:33 I'm sure you would make her very proud. With that answer. Has your life been different from what you pictured as a teenager?

00:45 My life is very different than what I pictured that it would be as a teenager. Yes.

00:51 Would you like to elaborate on those?

00:54 Well, as a teenager, I figured I'd be a billionaire and living in Cancun. And no, that's not what life has given me, but what life has given me has been very, very beautiful and very fulfilling.

01:17 That's good. That's good to hear. So now going into, like, relationship type of questions. Okay, I know you and Mama as a blind date through Sammy and Denise. Okay. But what did you see differently in her compared to other girls?

01:38 That is honestly, and this is embarrassing to say this in front of my own child, but no. When I met your mother, I said, no, this is a woman. I want to be the mother of my children.

01:59 Oh, that's so sweet.

02:04 Awkward.

02:05 No, that's adorable. And I know you always said that having a daughter would scare you.

02:13 Yes.

02:14 So what was your feelings after I came along? Especially after having Cecilia? Now knowing that you now have two daughters, I'm screwed. Well, I think you made it. Your oldest is about to be 21. I turned 18.

02:32 No, I said that initially, but honestly, after 18 years later, after you came along, I will not change a single thing.

02:48 Aw, that's cute.

02:53 I would never, ever change a single thing.

02:57 That's cute. But I'm good to hear that. That makes me glad. How different do you think life would be if you and mom had sons instead of me and Cecilia?

03:10 If we had sons, I'm thinking my back wouldn't be hurting as much. But you know what? No, forget that. I wouldn't change the thing.

03:25 You don't think it would be more?

03:29 Because I thank God every day for you and your sister.

03:35 Well, I think I pray you and mom every day. So glad we're on the same page. Glad we like each other.

03:45 You only like me. I love you.

03:47 I love you, too. Now, more gearing into military type questions.

03:56 You want me to behave or no?

03:58 Yeah, I know.

03:59 No, you can go. No.

04:03 You can answer these as honestly as you want to.

04:06 I don't know.

04:07 Yeah, don't worry.

04:08 Trouble?

04:09 I don't care. Describe your daily life while you were in the military. Like, what was your typical day?

04:20 My typical day to military was waking up very, very early. And it was doing what was expected of me, what was commanded of me to do.

04:40 What were. What lessons did your service in the military teach you that you still carry with you today?

04:47 That I have to trust in myself first and foremost and that everybody has good intentions, everybody is going to want to do the right thing. There's always obstacles, and I have to count on me first and foremost that I need to do what needs to be done, if nothing else, to lighten the load on everybody else. And if they don't come through, then it's easier for me to pick up the pieces and finish the job.

05:34 I like that. Describe your transition between military life and civilian life. Was it, like, difficult? Hard. What was the most difficult part of that change?

05:47 The most difficult part was actually that transition between military and civilian life. Because in military life, we knew we had somebody we could depend on. They would do the task that you were asked to do. And when I got out of the military, a lot of guys said they would do that, but again, they didn't.

06:19 Have that same, like, mindset.

06:25 Same. Get mindset. I guess, yes, that would be a good explanation. But they didn't have that same. What's the word? What's the adjective? They didn't have that. The mindset. You're right. But they didn't have that same gut feeling to doing it. Taking care of the mission, as we'd always call it. Like I felt.

07:09 Yeah. What is your view, especially as a veteran yourself on America today? What do you think us and the future generations can do to help?

07:25 My view as a veteran on America. I'm scared.

07:31 Me, too.

07:32 I am very scared on what's going on in America right now. And again, try not to be political. It's just very scary.

07:46 I agree.

07:47 It's not the way my mother and father raised me. That's definitely not the way I raised you and your sister. And seeing how America is going that way, it scares me. And what can we do to better it?

08:04 Yeah.

08:10 Get back to the basics. No, I said this at another Veterans association meeting that we've had. No, I think they need to reinstitute the draft because there's a lot of men, boys that don't know how to be men.

08:33 In my opinion, they act more like girls nowadays.

08:36 And I apologize. I'm sorry if that's politically incorrect, but that's what I believe. There's a lot of boys walking around that don't know how to be mentioned.

08:47 No, I agree.

08:49 Okay.

08:50 Do you think you come being a veteran changes your view on America than other people? That might be.

08:56 Absolutely. He does. Because I'm One of the 1 percenters that raised a right hand and swore to not only uphold the constitution, but to give my own life for the constitution. And I know there's a lot of people out there running free going, thank you for your service. And like I was telling your mother, I'm sorry, but I feel the difference. When I have one person saying, thank you for your service, I have another person going, thank you for the service. I can feel the difference between the two if they actually really meant it and when it's just something that was taught to them.

09:38 Yeah. Now, gearing away from the military type. Now, I know you got into construction through uncle Tim as a summer job. Okay, Good to kind of teach you a lesson.

09:56 Summer job. But it was a way to teach me.

09:59 Yeah. Instead of being sent to the passage office. Yeah, I know that story. Okay. But if you could choose any career, what would you do? What would it be and why?

10:13 Honestly, baby girl, you've seen how much this industry has hurt me, as much as it's taken out of me physically and mentally. But, baby, there's nothing else I would rather do this trick.

10:38 Oh, that's so cute. And with you saying it with a smile on your face, too. What has working, especially owning your own business have taught you?

10:56 Owning my own business has taught me that, no, I'm not working 40 hours a week. No, I'm not, you know, a Monday through Friday kind of guy. No, owning my own business means I'm working not 40 hours a week. I'm working 80 hours a week to make sure that the guys I have employed by me have a means to provide for their family. So anytime I hear anybody go, oh, you have your own business, you're so lucky. No, I just want to punch them in the face. Yeah, I'm sorry. And whoever's listening, I'm sorry if that's not politically correct, but that's exactly how I feel now.

11:50 I agree. And I'm sure other people that we know that actually own their own business too would definitely agree as well. What can. Or what would be something that you would want to go back and do differently that doesn't need to be like, with the business or whatnot, Just in life in general. If you could go back and do something differently, what would you do?

12:16 If I could go back and do something differently, That's a good question. Not treat my body like a frat house party and pretend it was a temple and take care of it so I didn't feel this pain that I do now.

12:44 Now more. Now gearing into more. Just general questions.

12:48 Okay.

12:50 Out of all of our family members. I know that's a scary thought. Okay? But hear me out. Out of all of our family members, both on your side and Mom's side. Okay? So anyone that you known personally or just heard stories about, who do you think lived the most interesting life and why?

13:18 Honestly, sweetie, it would have to be Papa and Pop up again. As you know, he is my hero. There is a single man not tied down to anybody. He marries a woman that has three children. Not only does he marry that woman, he adopts all three children as his own. As a young teenager growing up, he was never a race, was never there for Father's Day, was never there for things that was needed. It wasn't until I got old enough to understand this same man, your grandfather, that married my mother. Again, he was a bachelor, never had any kids, never had a wife, married into an instant family. Not only did he adopt us, but he assumed a role. And it wasn't until much later in my life that I decided and realized that, wow, this guy, Alvin Brown was just an amazing man. He did what he had to to provide for his family. Again, single man, he could married anybody, but he married a woman with three children. And not only did he marry a woman with three children, but he became that role model for myself and my older brother. That this is what a man does for his family and love him to death. I will never, ever stop putting him on the highest pedestal I could ever put him on. I just hope and pray that one day I am somehow on that pedestal, next to him or beneath him. Because I don't even believe that I should be next to him. But beneath him, I would be a very happy camper.

16:14 Aw. Well, if anything, in my eyes, you guys are standing right next to each other on that same pedestal.

16:24 Baby girl, I love you to death, but no, Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop is definitely the man. And that's who I am always rating myself to. And I know I will always come up short. But between you and me, baby girl, I don't mind, because Pop up. No, He's a legend.

16:56 Yeah. I always loved listening to my mom's stories.

17:03 No, no, not Mama.

17:06 No. I loved their, like, first kiss story when, like, my mom was like, all right, like, pucker up kind of thing. And, like, Pop up close to his eyes. And then my mom like gave him like a Hershey kiss or like even just driving around with them too.

17:23 And to the people that are listening right now, yes. Just so you know, Mama, she's a very scary woman. She scared me. She scared my brother. Not only that, she did knock out somebody where we were temporarily living at. Yeah. And not only did she have my brother, myself scared, but had quite a few of the other neighborhood boys and dads scared.

17:56 I don't think I heard those stories before. Would you like to elaborate or not? You.

18:01 Your mom would kill me if she knew I gave you that information.

18:06 Hey, no one said we had to send her the link to this, okay?

18:12 Uncle Jackie and I, when my mom and Pop first got married, and of course my mom, Uncle Jackie, Aunt Diane, myself moved in with Pop up. He was living in a one room apartment up in Ma Landing, the sandpiper I told you in Sicily about. And of course the bus stop was right there at Route 40. Wawa wasn't even there yet, but that's where the bus stop was. And we were there waiting for the bus. We were new kids because again, Mama and Pop up just got married. So of course we all lived there. And it was a one room apartment. My mom and Pop up had the bedroom and Uncle Jackie, Aunt Diane and myself, we slept in bed in the living room. And we were waiting at the bus stop one time. Time because we're going to a whole new school. And well, we met another couple, they were brothers, about the same age as Uncle Jackie and I at the bus stop. And we started again because we were the new kids. And we got into a whole different. We got into a fight. Anywho. Well, Uncle Jackie was as old as the one brother. The other brother was a couple years older than me. But there was a cousin that was in the same grade as I was. And the cousin and I, we started fighting and well, I guess the brothers there didn't like it. So the younger brother was cultured. Uncle Jackie's age jumped in and started hitting me and pulling me and everything else. Well, Jackie jumped in and well, grabbed this kid and he started doing his thing. While the other brother to them that was closer to Uncle Jackie's age started getting along with Jackie. Next thing you know was a three to two mix. And all I remember is I was wrestling around and I was fighting and I looked up and I saw Uncle Jackie grab this guy's hand and he just bit this guy's hand like he was an animal. This guy. Was crying and screaming and everything else. Uncle Jackie turned around and said, get off my brother. Don't you ever touch my younger brother. And it never made me feel more proud. And why this skirmish was all going on. This, that, and the other thing. Somehow my mom, who was sleeping at the time, ended up at the bus stop. And this guy that was in. Well, this kid that was in my grade, it was his father that had come down to the bus stop at the time, and my mom was there, as well as his kid's father. And this kid's father turned around and called my mom the B word. And, well, my mom didn't take that too nicely. And, well, she clenched a fist and, long story short, laid this guy out cold. And. Yeah, well, Uncle Jackie, Aunt Diane and I, no, we didn't have a problem after that, because after that time, yeah, everybody kept making fun of this kid, his father, for getting knocked out by a woman. And that's why that woman in particular scares me to this day. But now, at 51 years old, I think it take her.

22:59 I love my mom. I love how she kept her same feistiness, and she still got it going every single day.

23:08 I love that woman. But she's scared.

23:11 I think she scares everybody. She scares Uncle Tim and he's the passive average.

23:15 I know, right?

23:21 You can answer these questions. You have the total right to not answer these questions.

23:26 I don't want you to get a bad gray, baby.

23:28 No, I won't. Trust me, this interview is good enough. No, these are more touchier questions, I guess. Okay, so you have the right to say you don't want to answer them or not, but this is just genuine curiosity.

23:43 You're my baby, you know, I'm going to answer them.

23:47 So knowing Uncle. Uncle Jackie. Okay. And how. I was only like two when he passed, so I don't really remember him. Describe, like.

24:04 Uncle Jackie. Uncle Jackie. In my opinion, baby, in my opinion, he was an adventurer. He was. He looked at everything as a new experience, a new adventure. It. It. It did. It scared me a lot of times. Even when, like I said, my mom and pop got married and we moved, I was scared. I'm not going to lie. Uncle Jackie, he always welcomed it. And he was always so. What's the word? Not pessimistic, optimistic. He was. Oh, Richard come on. This is a new adventure. This is we. This is great. And it used to scare me because I was always so nervous because I was young and. And he would always embrace it, and it would always use my. My big brother and Again, I trusted him. And. And I started leaning to how he felt and what he thought.

25:33 Yeah, I can tell that with some of the stories that I heard about you two running around. For my mom, I'm sure her thoughts about those situations might have not been as what you were thinking. What?

25:44 True. They weren't. They were.

25:46 I could tell you guys always had each other's backs. Like when he had to run in and grab like band aids cuz you fell out of the wagon going around the corner.

25:55 Yeah, that was. Yeah, that wasn't good. That wasn't good.

25:58 Yeah. So. And this one is very touchy. You don't need to answer it. Okay. Like even. It even hurts me asking you. Okay. You have the right to not answer. Okay. How do you think, or how did, like, losing your older brother, like, affect you or do you think it could be?

26:28 Well, I will tell you this. It hurt me very, very. And it hurt Aunt Diane very bad. But the effect of Uncle Jackie passing affected Aunt Diane and myself a lot differently than it affected Aunt dawn and Uncle Adam. Now, Uncle Jackie was going through some issues when he passed Aunt Donnie, Uncle.

27:10 Adam didn't really know.

27:13 They were young. And between you and me, Uncle Adam said some disparaging remarks about Uncle Jackie, which ended up with me pinion Uncle Adam up against the wall by his throat. And I said, you don't know what we've been through. He's your brother. He's been through some rough times, but he's always stood by the family. And we just sit here and judge him on a couple things that you remember in your head. I said are not cool.

28:14 Yeah.

28:18 I told Uncle Adam, I said, between you and me, I said, you and Uncle Jack have a lot of the same values and a lot of the same outlooks, a lot of the same principles. And I told Uncle Adam, that's what scares me. Don't get me wrong. Love Uncle Jack. Love a Diane. Love Anton. I'm going to go, Adam. But the thing that scares me personally is that Uncle Jack, Uncle Adam share a lot of the same values and principles, but I will never, ever stop loving any of them. And I will give my life for all of them.

29:15 Do you think family events would be more interesting or less interesting with or without him?

29:21 I'm sorry.

29:22 Do you think life. How do you think life would be if he was still, like, around?

29:27 Basically, if I.

29:29 If Uncle Jackie was still around?

29:32 Uncle Jackie always loved to make people laugh. He really did. And this is what I tell Antoni. And I told Uncle Adam, I said, you guys were so young, you don't know the type of person he was. I said, but Uncle Jack was funny. He was funny. He loved to make people laugh. I said, I don't know if that's where I get it from or what.

30:04 I think so because I can tell.

30:08 You, if he was still alive, yeah, I think it would be a little different. And again, because his passing, I'm not gonna lie, baby girl, it caught us all by surprise. Papa, Ma, Mom, Aunt Diane, myself, Antonie, Uncle Adam. It caught us all by a surprise. But Uncle Jackie, he did, he, he, he love, he loved to make people smile and laugh. And again, that's what I told a Donny and Uncle Adam. I said, you Dolly's were too young to realize that.

31:02 Do you see any of his qualities in yourself or like me, Cecilia, like. Or other family members?

31:11 Well, definitely you and your sisters. Because you both love to make people smile. And I do, I enjoy that immensely. I do. I love the fact that both you and your sister are so tight. And I pray to God every day, Lord, please do not let them lose this bond. And the fact that you both love to make people smile. And I think that is half the problem today. Nobody wants to smile. Nobody wants to make anybody smile.

31:53 Yeah.

31:53 And I do. I think God, every day that I have you and you, you and Sicilian. And you know what? Having a son, I've been asked that many times, are you gonna not having a son? No, I don't. No. Because I got two girls that are whooping out of anybody, any boy. I'm sorry, is that political? I'm sorry, is that politically incorrect? I'm sorry.

32:26 Do you see those type of moments like, as him, like being there or just more of a general.

32:36 No, there's been a few times we pretty. I've actually had dreams at night. I've seen Uncle Jackie, we hugged, we shake hands, we hug. And I just think that's so stinking awesome. And I only censored on your little video thing.

33:16 So now coming to the last question. I guess thinking about the future generations or knowing that one. Or knowing that one day they might listen to this little interview here. Is there any wisdom, life advice or anything else that you would like to say?

33:38 Yeah. Don't believe everything you hear. Don't believe everything you see. Sit there and really digest it. If it's too good to be true, it is. Think for yourself. Just think. I, I really can't. Come on. Without being too offensive to one side.

34:10 No, you can be offensive. It's okay.

34:12 No, Just.

34:16 This is original.

34:17 This country was created and founded on God. This country was founded on faith. This country was founded on America. I, I, I don't know how supported. Baby, I'm sorry. You're going to get feeling great for this.

34:44 No.

34:47 If you get feeling great, I'm coming to school school for this.

34:50 But I'll be right next.

34:51 This. No, it's God, country and honor. It is, it really is nothing else.

35:05 I agree with you. As we're sitting here literally in our military basement that we got going on over here.

35:16 No, I just, again, it's, you know, I, I get sick and tired of hearing about people or these stories you hear about. Oh, they're only raised by a one parent. Yeah, I was raped by one parent until I was 12 years old. You know what? No, that, that's ear muffs, please. Ear mouse, cover your ears. Yeah, that's, No, I traded by one parent until I was 12 years old too. And no, baby, it's just the, you're gonna fail if I say this stuff. No, it's wrong. It's just wrong.

36:11 I agree.

36:23 I'm Amanda's father, Richard Joseph Brown and I hope my views and opinions do not fail her on this. And if it does, yeah, I'm coming to school. And yeah, I'm going to protest this.

36:37 I'll be right next to you.

36:55 Again, just like it told papa. Baby, nobody cares what we did. But you start getting in all this baloney that's going on with Israel with. No, that's when everybody appreciates what we did. Help me. Help me. Yo. Okay, no, you never appreciated what I did, but now you want me to help me. Okay, great. Okay, good. And like you heard earlier, that's what I was talking to my mom about.

37:38 Yeah.

37:40 Any more questions, my love?

37:43 No, sure.

37:45 Okay. I just want know I love you, love your sister, love your mother. As long as I've had breath in my life, none of the three of you have anything to worry about.

38:10 Aw, that's so cute. Go make me cry at the end of this little interview.

38:16 Stop it.