In August of this year, Guy Fieri launched an initiative to celebrate “the everyday heroes who make America what it is.”
It takes the form of a heartwarming weekly social campaign, in partnership with the Guy Fieri Foundation and powered by Fieri’s Camp Chef brand, that invites nominations from across the United States. Following receipt of the nominations, Fieri chooses on per week to shine a light on.
This week, that nominee was Daniel, a U.S. Marine with whom Fieri shares the unfortunate experience of a personal tragedy in the form of the unexpected loss of a sibling.
Daniel Was Nominated by His Aunt
In a video posted to Guy Fieri’s Instagram page, the restaurateur and television presenter speaks with Daniel and the lady who nominated him, his Aunt Tina.
Fieri thanks Daniel for his service and explains that his guest is a 12-year veteran of the Marine Corps, currently stationed in Camp Pendleton, California (though the video’s caption explains he’s been based in many places both at home and overseas).
Daniel tells a little bit more about himself, explaining that he joined the military because he had no direction, was looking for a challenge, and because his dad’s buddy hyped the Marines up a lot when he was growing up.
The host goes on to explain that, like him, Daniel unexpectedly lost a sibling — Fieri’s sister passed away in 2011 of metastatic melanoma, at which point he decided to take care of her son, his then 11-year-old nephew, Jules.
Fieri tells Daniel that, in spite of his loss, the U.S. Marine is still an exemplary father to his four children, and he fully deserves the nomination from his loving Aunt.
Humble Daniel Received a Small but Thoughtful Gift
Getty.Daniel insisted he didn’t need any thanks for serving in the military, but Fieri rewarded him with a gift regardless.
The Marine said, “I love being a Marine. I, you know, I don’t need the, the gratitude or, you know, the thanks, but… and thank you Aunt Tina for writing a letter, and putting us all, all together. I love you.”
Fieri’s gift was a small, token gesture, but one that would prove incredibly useful to a man in Daniel’s position. The host said, “I’ve been working with Camp Chef for a long time and I came up with an idea with them. I said I would like to do something where we salute our heroes.”
He continued, “We would like to just show a token of our appreciation. And we’d like to award you something, a small token of appreciation. It’s not a new car, but to me, as a cook, it’s one of my favorite pieces of equipment. And it’s called a gridiron grill. And for a guy that’s a dad of four, you need this.”
The gift clearly went appreciated and Fieri told Daniel, “We’re a better country because of you,” before calling him “a shining example of a father.” He said he hoped the gesture would resonate with Daniel’s family and his fellow soldiers and show that military service doesn’t go unappreciated.
Keep an eye out for more inspirational heroes being highlighted on Guy Fieri’s Instagram profile each week.
