♪ ♪ >> this is it, the first ever fox nation "patriot awards." >> celebrating the unsung heroes. >> those who make our country great.

>> are you ready? >> welcome to the first ever fox nation "patriot awards." >> announcer: please welcome your host for the evening, pete hegseth. >> hello, fox nation! [applause] my goodness. god bless america. hello, my fellow patriots. welcome. yes! welcome to the very first fox nation "patriot awards." my name is pete hegseth and i will be your host for the nextxt hour. now i just walked the red carpet where normally they ask the questions, who are you wearing? well, they did not ask me that

question tonight but i'm going to tell you who i am wearing anyway. [applause] i'm telling you, this award show will be unlike anything you've ever seen and we couldn't be more excited to bring it to you live right here in st. petersburg, florida. wow. they call it saint pete's right? st. pete, a nickname nobody has ever given me ever. now, here is the deal. hollywood has their awards shows, right? self-important -- [audience booing] they've got a lot of them. self-important types giving awards to other self-important

types. big trophies given to actors who play heroes on tv. tonight we honor the real heroes. [applause] this is the oscars of what really matters. [ applause ] tonight we are honoring inspirational americans who didn't seek the spotlight and never expected to be recognized. everyday patriots who have donet exceptional things for our great nation, because america is the most free, most powerful, and most prosperous country in human history. [applause] amen. because of patriots of every generation who have been willing to step up in ways large and

small to fight for her, the patriot awards will showcase powerful examples of patriotism that deserve to be celebrated. please join me now, we are trying real hard, in welcoming our first presenter of the night, country music superstar and owner of redneck riviera the one, the only john rich! [applause] >> hey, guys. thanks, pete. tonight is my honor to present the awards for veterans and service.o a veteran might be someone you pass on the street, might work at a factory, you might own a restaurant in your hometown. they're the backbone of our communities and the reason we walk free in this country today. [applause] the sacrifices and legacy they leave behind will stand for generations to come.

ten years after one of the worst days in american history mission barbecue opened its doors to remind everyone what makes our country great and what makes our country's great are e its heroes. am i right? it's our heroes. [applause] every day they proudly serve one of my favorite things in the world being a texan, barbecue baby. i love me some barbecue. and they honor those who have served. at 1200 hours everyone rises and stands as one to owner our great country. ♪ >> anthem up. >> announcer: ladies and gentlemen, in honor of our country, as we do every day at noon, with the singing of our national anthem.

>> if you really want to experience mission barbecue at its best, come join us at 12 noon. [singing national anthem] >> the kitchen comes to a stop. but it's so very important for us to take that moment for us to remember what that flag stands for. >> i think the first time seeing that and being there for it brought tears to my eyes. it was one of those, i need to be here. >> when you hear people singing and see people crying, your reminded people do care. it does matter. >> we serve food to say thanks. extend a handshake, thanks for what you do. >> appreciate your service. >> we want to continue to build the places where people can feee good. ♪ for the land of the free ♪ and the home of the brave >> there's a lot of ways to

serve. this is the way we choose to do our part. [cheers and applause] >> pete: tonight's award for veterans service goes to mission barbecue. please welcome to the stage one of the cofounders, ladies and gentlemen. [ applause ] congratulations. well-deserved. yes, sir. bill, congratulations. tell america why it's so important for you and your business to support our country like you do. >> on behalf of my business partner, steve dugan, and are over 4,000 teammates, we are proud and humble to get to do what we do. the mission at mission barbecue is to serve, honor, and thank our american heroes.

we do so with pride, we do so humbly, and we consider it a privilege. >> god bless. round of applause.d [applause] >> thank you for all you do. in fact, i was backstage. i wear remembrance bracelet like a lot of you do to remember someone who was lost on the battlefield. bill stopped me backstage and said, connect me with his wife because i want to make sure that one of his memory is honored at one of our barbecue locations. what an amazing man. [applause] as you know, the proceeds from tonight's event go to folds of honor. [applause] join me in welcoming "fox & friends" hosts peter doocy, ainsley earhardt and brian kilmeade. [applause]

>> i thought it was over there. is it not over there? i was like -- that's right. >> that's how we are. >> hey, everyone. >> good morning! >> by the way, you know we've been up a while. we all had to shave to get ready for this. not you. we've been up since 2:30 in the morning. not you. i'm going to do something we rarely do. i'm going to go back to the prompter in the morning. some common qualities shared amongst many patriots are dedication and inspiration and tonight, we honor a veteran who endlessly embodies both. we are here tonight to give the award for mvp, most valuable patriot. >> that is exactly right. for next recipient it has never been about the award of recognition, it is about the relentless fight and encouraging

fellow veterans to never give up. his story is right here. >> i'm sergeant rob jones. i was in the process of trying to clear a dangerous area of ieds. and an ied found me first and that resulted in double above-knee amputations. ♪ >> i realized pretty quickly that just because i was missing my legs above the knee now that didn't mean my life's mission had changed. ♪ i still wanted my life to beif something i could be proud of. i wanted my life to be something that made a difference in the world. i was able to go to theng

paralympics in 2012 and win a bronze medal in rowing. i was able to win 2013 and '14 ride my bike from maine to san diego. in 2017 i was able to run 31 marathons in 31 different cities and i did all of that to show that no matter what your circumstance is, veterans can stay in the fight. the support i got from my loved ones was kind of an unspoken thing. when i first got injured, they were there to support me no matter what. with their support i was able tr stay positive and not give up.st i kind of set a precedent for myself of being positive and keeping on a mission and staying healthy. >> rob took the final steps of his marathon journey on veterans day in 2017.>> his efforts raised over $200,000 for wounded veteran charities. >> just because a veteran is wounded in some way doesn't mean

they are broken or unable to contribute to society still. that is what gets me out of bed in the morning even when it starts to hurt. [applause] >> so tonight's most valuable patriot award goes to marine corps sergeant rob jones. [cheers and applause] >> congratulations, man. >> good to see you all again too. >> thank you for your service. >> thank you. [applause] >> rob, the country is inspired

by you, your story, the one you just saw, how did the rob jones we are looking at today, i was your life different from the rob jones if you have both your legs coming out of the work? >> i tell you what, i can't really tell you. if i hadn't been wounded i might have been killed the next day by a sniper's bullet or i might've stepped on another ied and been killed there. it's hard to answer that question, but what i've done is just accept whatever situation i have and just move forward with what i can affect, and that is what i'm going to do now. >> 31 marathons in 31 days in 31 cities. how close were you towe saying you know what, 28 was enough? >> [laughs] i think a lot of people have asked me that. but as far as i'm concerned, if you're going to do something like that, you've got to take it to the maximum. i didn't want anyone to be able to say "but" afterwards.

you did a full marathon, but you could've done 31. >> how did you do that? most of us can't do one marathon. were you in pain? >> i was for most of us. it hurt a lot. especially the last one. but it starts with a good team and i've had teams of people helping me throughout my entire life. all the way from the marine corps. i had my brothers with me and after i got wounded i had medical staff and my family and then my friends, coaches, peoply like that. my wife and my mom were there so i had a good team behind me and then had a lot of preparation. took me 18 months of training to get ready for it and then i just had a great purpose in creating a story about veterans that we could all use. >> you had a great story. ladies and gentlemen, this man rob jones. [applause] >> announcer: when we come back, the award for unsung hero.

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here, it all starts withello! hi!... how can i help? a data plan for everyone. everyone? everyone. let's send to everyone! wifi up there? uhh. sure, why not? how'd he get out?! a camera might figure it out. that was easy! glad i could help. at xfinity, we're here to make life simple. easy. awesome. so come ask, shop, discover at your local xfinity store today. >> pete: she is the fox nation host of the very binge-able shows, if you like binge watching. "parked" and "ride to work."

she brings fox hosts to work. you see what it's like to drive their daily commute, and a legendary hall of fame inspirational coach hall of fame college coach. you know him and love him please welcome to the stage abby hornacek and lou holtz. [applause] >> thank you, pete. we are here to give out the unsung hero award. i've said it before and i'll say it again, i can't believe i've put us on this earth to be ordinary and the young man we are about to introduce to you is truly extraordinary. >> you're right, this is a young man who would make any parent proud. we would like you to meet 14-year-old charlie hecht from chesapeake, virginia.

>> a lot of people have fought and died for our country in combat, and flying an american flag is a good way to respect them. >> not a lot of people were flying the flag. >> we are trying to get people to hang or fly american flags outside of their homes to say thank you to the people who are giving back to their communities. >> how can you inspire people to fly a flag? well, if you can give them a little bit of a discount on when that might inspire them. >> i didn't expect anyone to take it seriously. i was very surprised that this many people actually went to lowe's and bought a flag. there were maybe four or five flags before i came out here and now there's pretty much a flag on every single house. >> we 100% want to support the

military. i want to support this kid and his project. no questions asked, what can i do to help? >> you can't beat it. something that makes everybody feel good. >> charlie's father believes the special appreciation to serve the men and women who serve this country comes from. >> i can't be more impressed with charlie, what he's doing with this patriotism project. as an officer in the navy, who wouldn't be proud of their son going door-to-door and asking them to put up american flags. he understands he wants to be part of a project bigger than himself, and that is the step one in the making of a patriot. >> i don't feel like much of a hero, i just like spreading patriotism as much as i can. [applause]

>> tonight's award for unsung hero goes to charlie. please welcome to the stage charlie and his father commander dave hecht. [applause] >> congratulations, sir. >> charlie, congratulations. as fathers we always want our children to have things we never had when we were younger like a on our report card and you are a straight-a student but i've also said this, if what you did yesterday did bake then you haven't done much today. one of the other plans you have for the future quest make you want to tell the people? >> yeah. i pretty much carried this project all the way to the end

so my next project is going to be trying to get commercial movie theaters to try to play the national anthem before every movie. [applause] >> thank you so much for your service and thank you so much for raising such a remarkable young man. charlie, congratulations. >> thank you. >> if you're like me you're sitting back and thinking charlie and his father exist to make the rest of us feel like we are inadequate parents. god bless that kid. charlie, thank you for making it your mission to spread patriotism house by house and block by block. what an amazing story. how great of an idea is to do that in movie theaters. please ball, to the stage mike

competitive my competitive nemesis and fellow cohosts and host of fox nation and henry, a well as one of the best free-throw shooters of all time known for his iconic underhand shot. >> thank you, pete. you are my friend and my nemesis . i want the thing you for everyone praying for my sister today. i can report she is doing wonderful. and tonight it is my honor to present the award for most patriotic sportsmen. and you think of sports, we hav a hall of famer here. >> sports are meant to unite an motivate people. when the game is over, enemies become friends and competitors

become allies. before the game they all stand for one purpose. that is to remember those who served. at least that is how it should be. and our next set it will not fo anything less. >> at a time when some athletes make these for protesting the national anthem, one is going viral for the message he sent his team on the national anthem. is there anybody here that is going to be disrespectful to th canadian or american national anthem, grab your gear because you will never see the ice in this arena. we don't have that problem in hockey. we are better than that.

>> the most patriotic sports at the half out there, thank you. >> and out of the back he has received many awards over the years. >> i take pride in my country and the flag. i think we can take timeout to get two minutes for the perspective our soldiers and firemen and policemen. i don't think that is asking to much. i'm not going to apologize for asking players to show a little bit of respect when it is the american or canadian national anthem.

>> please welcome the most patriotic sportsmen john krupinsky. john, you have so many people here who are saluting what you do every single day as a police officer. secondly as they sportsmen as well. we have gotten a man here as well as a hall of famer, rick berry was on that list. >> i can tell you right now, coach, that i wish more coaches what followed your example and take the stand that you took.

what i like to know from you is what motivated you? what is that that make you feel so adamant about taking that stand? >> respecting our flag in and him should be a basic concept o every american. that came at a time when we are having a bad week and sometimes he said. i felt that we get needed to be said. i have criticized some of these athletes who have refused to do that and i blamed it on coaching . i said it is a coaching problem. i wasn't going to have that problem. >> thank you, coach. >> when we come back, the repor for first responder.

>> life from america's news headquarters. president trump spoke to reporters while driving it is new year's eve party. touched o topics. >> this will not be a benghazi.

we've got our greatest warriors i got in the very quickly. >> that at the embassy followin airstrikes. a late last night secretary of defense releasing a statement saying in part, as the director of the commander-in-chief, i have authorized andappointment of an infantry battalion in to iraq. seven out of 50 soldiers will deploy immediately. now back to our fox nation special. >> our next present to force a quiet professional in the. now he can't stop talking. and we thank him for it. he's a great man and a great patriot. please welcome fox news

contributor -- >> good evening. it is my honor to present your work for first responder. as fox news first ever patriot worries, which you were all graciously showing up for that. first responders run port the problems win everybody else run a play, performing outstanding acts of courage beyond the call of duty. the first responder never gives in and never loses hope. based off of sleep put their lives on the line every single day in the face of crisis. tonight three circuit has demonstrated his willingness to help honor off the clock and ha put his whole heart and soul into protecting his community and this nation.

>> as a first responder, you hear a lot. travis joined the army reserve after 9/11 so he knew exactly but it was getting into. i think that speaks volumes about the kind of person that travis is, giving up the comfor of home to deploy not once but twice. [indiscernible] he was selected by the chief of staff. [ applause ]

[indiscernible] the one quality that i would tell you about has nothing to d with travis flying helicopters. [indiscernible] he does it to protect our country. i miss him when he is out there fighting. >> we don't get to have those

traditions. my dad always does this on christmas. when he has here, we make the best of it. >> he can make a joke out of anything, really anything. my dad works two job that he never complains. >> my dad is very humble. >> only in america, right. we do that better than anybody else. got bless the patriots. the first responder, mr. travis maus. his family is here. please give a warm welcome to them, his wife and his daughters

. [ applause ] if you wouldn't mind, tell us quickly about what makes travis so special. >> it truly brings him joy to help people. that being a firs responder is something that he wanted to do when he was very level. joining the military was a late in life decision. he never regretted it. he really feels like today it's not about him. it's about all the first responders that do a good job because there are a lot out there to serve their community and their country. they are military and they, hom and our first responder. we have 50 members of our local department here in the audience to support him.

[ applause ] and our department department has many members. he doesn't think this is about him. he thinks this is about all of the people. [ applause ] >> we will be back with more patriot awards. robinhood believes now is the time to do money.

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♪ >> pete: i would like to ask all veterans, all active members of our military, and all first responders present in the crowd to please stand. [cheers and applause] holy cow!

[ applause ] >> pete: thank you. [cheers and applause] >> pete: thank you, guys and gals. well, i would say that's about half the crowd. maybe this is the most secure location in america. >> announcer: when we come back, a message from the vice president of the united states. ♪ vice president of the united states. ♪

♪ >> pete: ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present to you a special message from a man who was in the situation room when al baghdadi was killed and serves our country every day our vice president, mike pence. >> to my friends, to all the

american patriots gathered tonight from near and far, i'm vice president mike pence, and it's my honor to participate in this first ever fox nation patriot awards. i really wish i could be with you tonight in st. petersburg but i want you to know that we are with you in spirit as we honor six truly remarkable americans. i was happy to learn that the proceeds for tonight's event will provide help to the children and spouses of fallen members of our armed fortresses. that is truly inspiring and we thank you all.nd on behalf of president donald trump and myself, let me thank you all for tonight's patriot awards and for starting this tradition. we look forward to many more years honoring heroes at thehi fox nation patriot awards. so may god bless you. may god bless all heroes at home and abroad and may god continue to bless the united states of america.

>> announcer: when we come back, a performance by john rich. ♪ what happened to the real men of america? before we suffer a full-on masculinity crisis, unleash your potential test x180 ignite from force factor. boost testosterone to fuel desire and build lean muscle in the gym. plus burn fat and improve performance. now available at retailers nationwide.

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♪ >> now, if you would, let's remember all those men and women who gave their lives this year so we can live in the greatest country on earth. as john rich plays the song their names will be scrolling. please think of them as john rich leads us and god bless america. ♪ god bless america ♪ land that i love ♪ stand beside her ♪ and guide her

♪ through the night with the ♪ light from above ♪ from the mountains ♪ to the prairies ♪ to the oceans ♪ white with foam ♪ god bless america ♪ my home sweet home ♪ god bless america ♪ my home sweet home [ applause ] got bless you all tonight. got it bless america.ri

>> god bless you all tonight god bless america. 60 years later there would be another revolution that happene right here in the state of the odds of success, but spectacular victory is just as impressive. to this point, not as widely known. that's about to change is we bring you same houston and the texas fight for freedom. >> the alamo isn't just a battle, it's a myth. but it's a good myth. it's about brave people making a sacrifice for something they thought was important. leading a rallying cry for the rest of the world. >> he is a guy looking for a

second chae re