Boots on the ground for the men and women of the U.S. military

About Us

Sean Parnell and Louise Thaxton have traveled extensively for the past few years for the American Warrior Initiative, inspiring and educating Americans on the importance of giving back to the men and women of the United States military.

They have taken this message to over 30,000 real estate agents and other business professionals around the country, at the American Warrior Real Estate Professional (AWREP) Boot Camps, bringing awareness of the challenges facing the men and women who have served in the military when returning from war.

In 2018 AWI launched Freedom Tours with Gold Star mom Karen Vaughn. From her unique perspective—as a mom whose son was killed in action in Afghanistan—Karen shares a powerful message on our obligation as everyday citizens to honor the sacrifice of those who’ve given so much for our freedom.

AWI has spearheaded hundreds of give-back initiatives to the wounded heroes of America. These wounded heroes have been served through the gifting of service dogs, business grants, home upgrades, mortgage-free housing, and more.

 

AWI Leaders

Louise Thaxton

Louise Thaxton

National Speaker & Author, Veterans Advocate, Mortgage Professional

Louise Thaxton (NMLS 69996) has been in the mortgage business for 25 years, almost 23 of those years with Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation (NMLS 2289), as a producing regional manager, with offices across Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Colorado. Louise was named as one of the Top Women Originators in America for 2018 by Scotsman Guide, was included in the top 100 Minority Mortgage Bankers of America (NAMMBA) for 2018, and named by National Mortgage Professional Magazine as one of the “Best Military Lenders and Originators 2018”.

She is the National Director of the Military Mortgage Specialist, a designation exclusive to loan professionals of Fairway Mortgage, which trains and equips loan professionals on working with military clients.

Louise is a national advocate for America’s veterans and is the Director and co-founder of the American Warrior Initiative, the non-profit of Fairway, leading the way for hundreds of initiatives for veterans in need across the country, inspiring millions of dollars in donations to fund those initiatives.

Sean Parnell

Sean Parnell

Decorated Combat Veteran, NYT Best-Selling Author

Retired Army Infantry Captain with the elite 10th Mountain Division and veteran of 485 days of fierce fighting along the Afghan-Pakistan border, Sean Parnell’s unique leadership skills welded his platoon into one of the most fierce and effective American fighting units in modern military history.

Repeatedly outnumbered and outgunned by a foe whose avowed purpose was to overrun his platoon and behead his Soldiers so that their torturous deaths could be filmed and posted on Al Qaida propaganda websites, Sean’s “Outlaws” battled furiously in the most rugged terrain on the planet—the towering Hindu Kush Mountains. Eighty-five percent of his platoon received Purple Hearts for wounds incurred in battle, but his men gave far more than they received. Outlaw Platoon killed over 350 enemy fighters in some of the biggest firefights of the Afghan War.

Sean was wounded in action on June 10, 2006 when his platoon was nearly overrun for the first time by a force that outnumbered them almost ten to one. Refusing to leave his men as they battled the enemy at point-blank range, Sean was knocked unconscious and wounded two more times during the firefight. Each time, he returned to his feet to lead his men again. His selfless example prompted one of his Soldiers to remark later, “Sean Parnell saved us all.” His platoon remains one of the most decorated Army units since 9-11.

Since leaving the Army, Sean penned the New York Times bestselling book, Outlaw Platoon, which is the story of his platoon’s crucible of combat in Eastern Afghanistan. He has also quietly become one of America’s most influential advocates for our military. He is the Co-Founder of the American Warrior Initiative, an organization that inspires people to give back to our nation’s veterans, and a regular contributor to Fox News.

Karen Vaughn

Gold Star Mother, Author, Veterans Advocate, National Speaker

Karen Vaughn is the mother of fallen US Navy SEAL, Aaron Carson Vaughn (SEAL Team VI). On August 6, 2011 Aaron was killed in action in the Tangi River Valley of Afghanistan when a chopper (call sign Extortion 17) carrying thirty Americans was shot from the sky while rushing into battle. Losing Aaron changed everything and launched Karen on a brand-new path.

Over the past ten years, Karen has emerged on the national scene as a powerful spokeswoman for not only our defenders still stationed on foreign soil and securing peace across the globe, but also as an advocate for a better, stronger, more resilient America.

Carrying on Aaron’s legacy has brought this Gold Star mother through the halls of Congress and into multiple National Press Conferences. As a cultural and political analyst, Karen has written for several of our nation’s leading news outlets with many of her articles going viral. She’s a regular guest on multiple national news programs and has interviewed with well over 100 national and local radio shows. Karen has been featured on large stages across the country as a keynote speaker, including a prime-time guest speaker position during opening night of the 2016 Republican National Convention.

Karen is the bestselling author of World Changer: A Mother’s Story and serves as an advocate and national speaker for the American Warrior Initiative Freedom Tour. She also serves with the non-profit her family began in honor and memory of her son, Operation 300.

A mother of three and grandmother of six, she has been married to Billy Vaughn for forty-one years and still believes her greatest accomplishment on earth was raising her three children, Aaron, Tara, and Ana.

https://officialkarenvaughn.com

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