As the NFT frenzy went on during the last several weeks, there was something that touched a lot of people within the Tron community. One of the members within the Bored Ape Tron Club community shared a very personal story about his son. It was so touching that the team behind the Bored Ape Tron Club decided to include 3 NFTs commemorating his son, US Army Sergeant Riley C. Brandt, thus, immortalizing him on the Tron blockchain.
A Gift From Up Above
Robert Brandt, father of US Army Sergeant Riley C. Brandt, was able to mint one of the three Kobe Bryant NFTs that fall under the rare Tron Friends of the Bored Ape Tron Club collection. He went ahead and posted the following tweet on Twitter:
Robert shared his story which, although very sad, has touched many individuals from within the Tron community. So much that we have gotten several requests from third parties to shine some light on the battles many military men and women face.
Robert lost his son on November 28, 2020 in Watertown, NY where he was stationed at Ft. Drum. Riley had previously served 4 years in the US Army and had already enlisted for 4 more years. He spent 1 year in Afghanistan. It is believed that the cause of death was PTSD and some form of traumatic brain injury. Robert, never in a million years, thought that this could happen to his son. Riley excelled at anything and everything. He was very smart and observant, always worked out, ate healthy, and loved music and the outdoors. He lived life to the fullest everyday. When it came to crypto, Riley pulled his dad into the crypto world on Nov and Dec of 2017. He had already invested in crypto and turned his dad on to the people on Twitter, to investing and crypto trading groups, and taught him how to DYOR. Robert went full throttle and ended up at niTron, Tron’s first conference. This made his son laugh because he was getting so serious about it. Robert never turned back.
During the conference, Robert was able to meet Kobe which took Riley by surprise when he found out. Robert commented:
He was stoked when I got a photo with KOBE at niTron with some metal horns.
The enthusiasm that Riley showed after seeing the pic above has Robert firmly believing that obtaining a rare 1 of 3 Kobe is a sign from his son up above. After talking to Robert, it is clear that he wants to make a difference. He knows that his son wants him to shed light on the struggle that many soldiers and families go through. He also hopes that other families do not have to go through the pain and suffering that he has gone through.
Below are pictures of him and his son. The picture at the game is the last picture he took with Riley.
This is a picture of Sergeant Riley C. Brandt while on duty(top person)
Suicide is a Serious Issue
There are 22 veterans a day that take their life. Robert wants to make sure that people know that there is help for soldiers that come back from war. Below are four Suicide prevention organizations that he supports:
Stopsoldiersuicide.org
mission22.com
tilvalhallaproject.com
activeheros.org
Robert feels that if he would have known about these organizations, he may have been able to detect the warning signs and prevent what happened. He hopes others that need help do find these organizations.
The 3 NFTs
Below are the three NFTs dedicated to Riley. Two are Type “Tron Friend” and one is a rare “Mega” called Mega Angel Soldier.
Riley’s service and sacrifice to this country will always be remembered. The same goes for Robert and his family. They have been through a lot and we want them to know that the Tron community is here to help and support you.
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