MisFitNation, today we proudly welcome US Marine Corps Veteran Luis A. Martinez Jr., founder of the Whiskey Valor Foundation, for Day 20 of our 30 Days of Gratitude series.
Luis reflects on a powerful year shaped by gratitude, challenge, growth, and purpose:
“First, I wanna start off by saying thank you, Rich, for giving me the opportunity to share what I'm grateful for with Misfit Nation and anyone who may be watching this.
2025 was a year of gratitude and growth. There were ups and downs — and sometimes the lows felt longer and deeper than the highs. But you can’t have the good without the bad.
It was a year of growing as an individual, as a husband, and as a father. My wife and I welcomed our son Santiago back in May, and he’s now 6 months old.
I’m incredibly grateful to have been part of the Travis Manion Foundation’s Spartan Leadership Program, Cohort 7, where I met Rich and an incredible group of veterans and survivors. Calling them friends doesn’t do it justice — they’re family.
Learning from them, seeing the work they do in their communities, and witnessing how they continue to live with purpose has been life-changing.
And last but not least, I’m thankful for the continued growth of the Whiskey Valor Foundation, the nonprofit I founded just over a year ago. I could’ve never imagined we’d accomplish what we have already. It’s all thanks to the people who believed in the mission from day one — helping us lead the fight to eliminate DUIs in the military community and promote responsible decision-making while looking out for one another.
I’m grateful for all of it.”
Thank you, Luis, for your service, your leadership, and your relentless commitment to protecting and empowering our military community. Your mission continues to save lives — and inspire others to step up and lead.
#MisFitNation #Gratitude #Veterans #USMC #WhiskeyValor
