Wade Franks is a decorated Vietnam Veteran who travels the country as an inspirational speaker.   Wade resides with his wife of 34 years, Gail, in Huntsville, Alabama, and is the father of one daughter and grandfather to three grandchildren.

While serving in combat in the A Shau Valley, Wade fought in the battle known as "Hamburger Hill."  This battle would later be known as one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War.  In the battle he saw many of his friends killed or wounded before he incurred one of the wounds for which he received a Purple Heart.  Later while serving with the Scout Dog Division, Wade's dog, a German Shepard trained to walk point with Wade and seek out the enemy while on patrol, was credited with saving the lives of two squads of American soldiers before being killed himself in an ambush.

Like many Vietnam Veterans, Wade returned home to find a country in turmoil and a life filled with stresses with which he was not prepared to cope.   For the next four years he would hitchhike around the United States living in Salvation Army shelters, flop houses and even sleeping on the road side and under highway bridges-all while addicted to drugs and alcohol.

Wade's story is one of survival and hope.  In light of the past events and trauma of Wade's life, his mission is to make his life count in honor of his fallen friends who never made it home.