John Feal is a native New Yorker and Army veteran who worked as a demolition supervisor at Ground Zero until a disabling injury five days into the cleanup. He lobbied Congress to pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, which he fought to defend and expand in 2015 and 2019 with the help of dozens of his fellow 9/11 responders, post-9/11 illness survivors, and comedian Jon Stewart. He has since gone on to pass 19 pieces of legislation and is working on number 20.
Through the FealGood Foundation, he continues to advocate for the health needs of first responders nationwide. His appearance on Fox News with Jon Stewart has gone viral. John has spoken at the 9/11 Memorial Museum, Princeton University, and Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. His story has been covered by Vanity Fair, NPR, The Daily Beast, The Wall Street Journal, and all major news networks, and in two documentaries.
John is a Pat Tilman Foundation honoree, a recipient of the New York State Liberty Award and the New York State Medal of Honor for Civilians, the founder and chairman of the 9/11 Responders Remembered Park, and a kidney donor.
Charles Daly is the coauthor of Make Peace or Die: A Life of Service, Leadership, and Nightmares, which has been featured on Jocko Podcast. He has worked as a developmental editor on bestselling military memoirs, including From Lawyer to Warrior and Civil: Life After the Foreign Legion. His work has appeared in The Boston Globe, We Are the Mighty, Kokatat, and Thought Catalog. Charlie lives in a cottage on the west coast of Ireland with his wife, a Swiss crime novelist; their baby boy; and a black cat. He serves as a maritime first responder on his local lifeboat.
John Feal is a native New Yorker and Army veteran who worked as a demolition supervisor at Ground Zero until a disabling injury five days into the cleanup. He lobbied Congress to pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, which he fought to defend and expand in 2015 and 2019...