How One Phone Call... and One Silkies Hike... Changed Everything

Sometimes the smallest moment of connection becomes the turning point of someone’s life. For Iraq War Marine veteran Joshua Kampert, that moment began with one phone call in 2019.

The call came from fellow Marine and Iraq veteran Justin Johnson. Both men had served together in 2005 with USMC Charlie Co, Combat Logistics Battalion 8, and both were quietly carrying the weight of life after leaving the military.

“We talked about everything we’d been struggling with,” Johnson said. “We made a promise right there that we would meet up before the year ended.”

That December, the two Marines reunited at the Irreverent Warriors Silkies Hike in South Florida. It was the first time they had seen each other in years. Surrounded by friends and fellow veterans, the walls came down and the conversations got real.

Johnson shared his own experience filing a VA disability claim, the challenges he faced and the help he received from a VFW accredited service officer. He also told Kampert something that would become prophetic, that burn pit exposure might one day mirror what Vietnam veterans experienced with Agent Orange.

“At the time, we just did not fully understand the long term effects of burn pits in Iraq,” Johnson said.

Before leaving Florida, the two Marines made another promise, that they would return to the Silkies Hike again the next year.

Finding the Right Help

After that hike, Johnson found contact information for Jesse Cuff, a VFW Accredited Service Officer, combat veteran and someone close to their age. He encouraged Kampert to reach out.

Cuff met with Kampert, guided him through the VA claim process and helped him secure both disability compensation and VA health care, something that would later prove life saving.

“He truly cared,” Kampert said. “He was professional, he understood and he never made me feel alone in the process.”

A Life Changing Diagnosis

On December 9, 2022, Johnson received the kind of call no one wants.

It was from Kampert’s wife. Kampert had suffered seizures. Doctors had found a brain tumor.

Johnson immediately connected the dots, their deployment to Fallujah, the pervasive burn pits and the growing number of veterans developing rare cancers. The timing aligned with the VFW advocacy for the PACT Act, which had been signed only a few months earlier.

Cuff once again stepped in, this time to help Kampert file a claim for his tumor.

“I have seen too many cases of brain tumors in guys who served next to burn pits,” Kampert said. “I knew that is where mine came from.”

Surgery, Survival and Gratitude

Kampert underwent brain surgery at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Surgeons were able to remove the cancerous tumor, and Kampert credits his survival to one thing:

“I thank God I have VA benefits.”

Those benefits and the chain reaction that led to them began with: 

• one phone call from a Marine brother

• to one Silkies Hike

• to one moment of vulnerability

• and a community that refused to let a veteran walk alone

The Power of Connection

Irreverent Warriors exists for stories like this. 

A single hike. 

A reconnection. 

A conversation that opened a door.

This is why we bring veterans together, because connection is not just uplifting. Sometimes it is literally life saving.

(This article is featured in the January 2024 issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Dave Spiva, associate editor for VFW magazine)