01x13 - Soaring Seamus

[bunniefuu]

[narrator] At Marvel,
our stories and our superheroes

are inspired by real-life heroes.

So, the editors of some
of our best-known comics

have come together
to work on a special project:

to find and tell the stories
of kids doing the extraordinary,

helping communities near and far,
and changing the world.

These are the kids who will inspire
our stories for years to come.

[Seamus] I started looking into
military charities right away.

Because their sacrifice has been greater
than any of us could ever manage.

It's life-altering for our children.

[narrator] Seamus is already a hero.

Now, we bring his story to the world
with the surprise of a lifetime:

making him into a Marvel superhero,

immortalized in his very own comic,

as a member of Marvel's Hero Project.

They're everyday kids...

who have accomplished the amazing.

Now, their true stories...

will reveal the heroes that live among us.

This is Marvel's Hero Project.

[woman] Let's talk about Seamus.

He is a young kid that we discovered
from media reports in Wyoming,

about him doing these physical feats
for families of fallen soldiers.

And I think he has some
really incredible traits

that might be pretty appropriate
for the Hero Project.

Yeah, I'd go to honor, first and foremost.

I mean, here is a kid who understands
how to continue to push himself,

to strive to be better,
not because of himself,

but because of what that means
for how he can affect the lives of others.

That's the core of so many
of our characters.

They start with empathy.
That's what makes a hero.

Seamus will go out of his way
to help other people.

And what I really love about him

is that he's taking such a simple idea,
like his love of climbing,

and he realized that is a force of good.

-I mean, he screams to be Captain America.
-[Sana Amanat] Yeah.

I think Captain America,
I also think Captain Marvel.

You know, these people
who have their goals

and they will do nothing to stop short
of what their goal is.

And to help the people who need it.

Seamus, he's not gonna wait for
someone to give him permission to help.

Well, I think the other thing, also,
is this concept of responsibility

and legacy and dedication to service.

Which, I mean, it feels a little bit
like a Black Panther.

Imagine if he had those vibranium claws,
what he could do with his climbing.

-Oh, yeah. [chuckles]
-Very quick. [chuckles]

Seamus is such a great person
to bring into the Hero Project.

So here's the question:
Could Seamus lift Thor's hammer?

-[Sarah Amos] Yes.
-Absolutely.

-Hands down.
-For sure.

-Yeah.
-I think you're right.

[man]
Seamus is way ahead of where I was at 15.

I had ideas, but I always say
ideas mean nothing without action.

And to look at the action
that he is taking

is phenomenal.

He wants to do something that honors

the less than 1% that wake up every day
willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice

in the name of God and country.

The purest form of good

is doing something for someone
and expecting nothing in return.

[woman 2]
We're a military family, you know,

so Jim was two tours in Vietnam.
And we're very proud of the military.

Love of country.

My grandfather was in the military,

and he always was a huge role model
of mine growing up,

and somebody that I wanted to live like.

He really looks up to his grandfather,
Paul's dad, his Papa.

I think in some people
you just find your calling.

And there isn't necessarily
a reason behind it.

You just know
that's the right thing to do.

My father was stationed in Southeast Asia.

And so we were very much in tune with

the real possibility that your father
would not be coming home.

I had known some soldiers growing up

and how they modeled the same excellence
and integrity, and character,

and willing to be able to die

so that I may be able to live,

and that means so much to me.

So, I've just always been called
to give back to those who give it all,

and their families.

[Paul] Pace yourself, dude.

I describe Seamus as a border collie
with a tennis ball.

I mean, he's just driven,
and he always has been.

So I started taking him
to our climbing tower

that's at our recreational center.

[Seamus] When I first went in there,

I got halfway up the wall,
freaked out and came down.

I kept chasing after it
and then finally I got to the top.

-[bell dings]
-[Paul] There you go!

And that's when I was, like,
"Oh, okay. I can do tougher now."

[Paul] Good job, brother.

[Seamus] Each day I was improving myself
as a climber.

And getting ready for the big climbs

that I knew I could accomplish
later down the road,

and then finally when the idea
of Devils Tower rolled around,

I knew I was ready for it.

[Paul] He came home and he said,
"Dad, I want to climb Devils Tower."

And I said, "Not on my watch."

And he kept on, kept chipping away.

And I thought, "Oh, my gosh."

Now, mind you,
he's 11 years old at this time.

"Okay. How am I gonna make
this happen for him?"

As a father,
it made me sick to my stomach.

I was terrified.

-[Will] Seamus!
-[Seamus] Yeah?

[Will] You are on belay.

[Seamus] All right. Climbing.

Climb on.

[Cindy]
He's always been able to set a goal

and once he puts his mind to something,
he does it.

I think sometimes when you tell kids
they can achieve anything they want to

if they work hard enough,
sometimes they believe you.

And they dream big.

My favorite thing about being with my dad
is he is... he's kinda my rock.

And we've created a trust
that I haven't really seen anywhere else.

He's like my best friend, in a way,
but he's also a loving, caring father.

A mentor in life.

And a man that I would like to be
when I grow up.

He's determined to reach his goal.

And I would venture to say
he'll probably go past that.

I climbed the Devils Tower when I'm 11,

and then I'm like,
"All right, that was a great challenge.

Now, what's the next biggest thing
in Wyoming?"

I said, and I looked, I said,
"That's the Grand Teton."

"Are you crazy? You can't do that."
[laughs]

And then you take a deep breath
and you go, "Wait a minute.

Let's step back, let's think about this.

Let's talk about it.
Maybe you can do that."

After that, people started going,
"Okay, what's next?"

[Paul] What he did,
is he used the publicity,

-'cause people seeing a young kid...
-[crowd applauds, cheers]

climbing these mountains and stuff,
it, you know, draws attention.

He figured out a way to find something
that he was passionate about

and link it to something
to help somebody else.

I started looking into military charities
right away.

Trying to figure out something
that I could do to give back.

And I sat down one morning,
I was watching the news,

and I was like, "Okay, what's this?"

[man on TV] In the folded flag,
we see the heavy price of freedom.

Nearly nine out of ten dependents of
America's fallen and disabled soldiers

do not qualify
for federal scholarship assistance.

-Donate today to foldsofhonor.org.
-[Seamus] I was like, "This makes sense.

This is what I'm gonna do."
And I told my dad,

and he's like,
"All right, let's look into it."

He came to me with the idea and said,

"Hey, I'm gonna raise some money
for Folds of Honor.''

[Seamus] I got up that morning

and I said,
"I'm gonna climb for over a mile."

I did 72 laps bouldering around
the bottom at the rec center.

[Paul] That's it,
that's the record right there.

[Cindy] Nice job.

[Seamus] It was exhausting.

And the next day I got on my bike
and it was all hard to pedal.

And I got up the hill

about a quarter-of-a-mile
away from the rec center.

I look back and I kind of fall off my bike

and I broke down and I was, like,
"I can't do this."

Will Buckman, he comes up behind me
in his smooth, calm voice,

"Okay. Why don't we finish this?"

Once he sets his mind to something,
he's gonna do it.

And that's kind of
the inspirational part about it,

just recognizing that you have the energy.
Now go for it.

Fought the hills from there on
and finally came cruising in,

in the 96-degree heat to Devils Tower.

And that was a proud moment of mine.

Getting to hold the bike up above my head
with the Tower in the background.

And the next day,
I climbed the Tower and that went great.

We got to the top
and we actually folded a flag on the top.

We all were sitting there
very glad that we made it.

But we were all thinking, you know,
of the sacrifices made for us to be there.

I don't get to know
where the money goes to,

their names or anything like that.

Which, it's kinda nice too,

'cause I don't want them ever to feel like
any debt is owed to me,

because... um, they owe me nothing.

They owe any of us nothing.

Because their sacrifice has been...

uh, greater than any of us
could ever manage.

[Paul] I've never put it in terms of
what must be going on in his heart.

And sure, absolutely,
that's gotta be there.

What it would be like for me personally,
his dad, to not be there.

[Seamus] What if I wake up and he's gone?

What if I wake up and my mom's--
Something happened to her.

And I was thinking about,
you know, if they were gone,

I mean,
how could I carry on life the same?

And I'd just be internally depressed
about that.

Um...

And I know that kids have that situation,

because their parents died
so that I can be who I am

and do what I do.

Um...

And that their sacrifice
is truly selfless.

Um...

And there's no reason
I shouldn't be doing everything I can do

to give back to them.

[woman 3] To know that
there is a kid out there

that's just wanting to help
families like ours,

that's incredible.

It's been life-changing.

It's life-altering for our children,
absolutely.

[Major Dan Rooney]
One of the things I love about Seamus is

people would say,
"A 15-year-old can't do this."

But don't listen
to those people in your life,

because before you know it...

you'll start limiting yourself
based on these external factors.

You know, Seamus and I are on this mission

that's so much bigger than ourselves,

and he, at a very young age,
has learned something

it took me till I was about


And that's when you reach out
to help someone,

that you're actually the one being helped.

[Seamus sighs]

The money he has raised
is allowing me to pursue my dreams.

And it just inspires me to, like,
just do my best in everything.

[Seamus] You know,
I never realized how much fun it was

to climb with your feet numb.

[Will laughs]

[Seamus] Ever since I was little,
I looked at being in the Special Forces.

It's the toughest challenge,
um, Navy SEAL training.

Uh, Air Force Special Operations,
it's the toughest out there.

The toughest challenge I can give myself,
physically, mentally, emotionally.

Can I get a little slack, Will?

[Will] Yep, there you go.

[Paul] I'm certain he's going to serve.

Uh, that's not something that
I've ever told him I wanted him to do.

That comes from him.

My job is to make sure that he understands
what that means.

There's a lot of heroes, military heroes,
that actually never come back.

-[Seamus grunts]
-[Will] I got ya.

-[Seamus] Thank you.
-[Will laughs]

[Seamus] I know that my sacrifice,
if that came to be,

that they would understand.

That that sacrifice was for them...

and for all those I love
and those I never meet.

Um...

And it's a sacrifice
I was willing to make.

Yeah.

[Will] So, I stepped out
onto the arete, yeah.

Makes for a nice finish.

[Seamus panting]

[Will] Yeah, baby!

Whoo!

Nice job, man.

[Paul] I don't think Seamus
wants to serve because...

he's some kinda superhero.
I really don't.

Winter climbing at Devils Tower.

-Woo-hoo!
-[Seamus] That was fun.

[Paul] I think he wants to serve
because he thinks

that he has something he can offer.

And that he really wants to serve.

That's in his DNA.

He wants to use his gifts

to his full potential
to help somebody else.

I'm an ordinary kid
who did something "extraordinary,"

um, through giving back.

And everyone can do that.

[Cindy] Love, humility, a desire to serve.

To be purposeful.

I mean, he's very driven
to have a purposeful life,

even at his young age.

[Seamus] My goals change every,
you know, every day.

But my end goal is to be able to reach

the very top of my potential

and then reach back down and help
somebody else get up there with me.

This is a kid who so truly understands
his calling and his purpose,

and is not afraid of it.

And, in fact, rises to the occasion
every chance he gets.

And this is what we tried to insert
in the comic book,

is making sure that the physicality of him
accomplishing these great feats

was also with the backdrop
of these people,

of these kids, these families
who truly energize him and his passion.

The team did such a great job
bringing that to life.

When you see kind of
the tougher moments in the triathlon,

but you see those glowing rocks,

and that kind of power
of the faces behind him,

pushing him to his ultimate limits
and beyond

so that he can help other people.

We've been talking a lot about service,

and his desire to serve
and him serving now.

And that is very much like
Captain America, which we've talked about.

My little touch point here with the star,
which I thought was so great.

Let's also talk about this splash page.

-Oh, yes. Yes.
-Right?

Encompasses everything that Seamus is
and what he has accomplished

and just a little touch point to

-the Folds of Honor flag, right?
-Yep.

It is the organization
that means so much to him,

and it's actually the organization that
has brought him out to an event in Denver,

so that he can present
his latest rounds of donations.

But what he doesn't know,

is that we're gonna use this
as an opportunity to honor him.

And we have a special surprise,

'cause in Denver is actually
his favorite NFL team.

There's no better way to welcome him
into the Marvel Hero Project

than with a couple of kinda big surprises.

I really hope he loves it.

[applause]

Thank you, guys, so much for letting me
come and speak to you today.

You all are pretty amazing people.

Let me go back
to when my journey really started,

which is when I started climbing
when I was ten years old.

I needed to practice climbing
and I needed to get a bike.

Uh, so we met up with a local cyclist,
a couple hours away, every week.

And I would go and I'd bike
about 20 miles a night.

And when I wasn't--

Seamus. Peyton. How you doing, pal?

-I'm pretty great.
-Good to see ya.

[laughing]

Sorry to interrupt,
but I just wanted to tell you

-that I know you're a big fan of mine.
-Yeah. [chuckles]

And I appreciate that,

but I've learned a lot about
what you're doing with Folds of Honor

and raising money for scholarships
for fallen and wounded soldiers,

and just wanted to tell you
I'm a fan of yours.

And keep up the good work.
It's very inspiring.

The military is very important
to me as well,

so I'm proud of you and honored
to meet you here today, pal.

Oh, my God. This is awesome. [chuckles]

Breathe now. Breathe for me, okay?

-[all laughing]
-It's Peyton Manning.

So, yeah. Congratulations.

I think your dad's gonna come up
and say a few words too.

[chuckles] Oh, my God.

-[Seamus sighs]
-You all right?

Yeah. Yeah, I'm good.

[Paul] "Dear Seamus.

Right now your mind may be having
a hard time taking in all these surprises,

but just like when you're climbing,
you've got to focus.

Just like Captain America, you are driven
by your dedication to service.

Helping people you've never met.

These are the undeniable characteristics
of a Marvel superhero."

[Seamus] You guys are here? [chuckles]

[Paul] "There's a box in front of you.

Seamus, open it to begin your initiation

into an incredible group
of young people like you.

Welcome to the Marvel Hero Project."

[chuckles]

[applause]

It's pretty incredible.

"Seamus, to show how much
you have inspired all of us,

we are making a donation in your honor

to an organization that supports
families of fallen and wounded soldiers

in the amount of $10,000.

Inside the box you'll find
an instant collector's item.

Soaring Seamus #1,
a comic book inspired by you.

We hope that in these pages
you see yourself in the same way

-the mighty Marvel Bullpen sees you...
-[whispers] Looks good, man.

[Paul] ...as a true superhero.

Welcome to the Marvel Hero Project.

Your friends at Marvel."

[chuckles] It's incredible. Oh, my God.

[Seamus] I was sitting there thinking,

"This isn't real. I'm dreaming,
because that's Peyton Manning

and he's here talking to me,
shaking my hand."

"Let me tell you about my hero.

-His name is Seamus and he's my son."
-[Paul] Yeah.

And I turn around and there he is,
and he was there to talk to me.

That was crazy, absolutely insane.

"These kids have to live
without their father, and give up school.

That's not right. How can I help?"

The comic is so well-done.
It looks just like me.

How much thought and attention
went into that for me was outstanding.

It was--
I still don't know what to say about it.

"I'm so proud of him.
He's always been a hero to me.

Now he's a hero to a whole bunch of kids
who really needed one."

That's amazing.

It was more than I hoped for.

It was everything I wanted for him.

It was just...
It was amazing, absolutely amazing.

Listen, man. Way to go, man.
Proud of you, man.

-Thank you.
-Congrats, again.

Thanks so much.

-Can you sign one of these for me?
-[chuckles] Absolutely.

You got it, man. Perfect.

-Brought my own sharpie.
-[chuckles]

P-E-Y.

[all laughing]

[chuckles] Ah.

Seeing him pictured in a comic book
is, um, beyond belief.

[Maureen] We've always been proud of him,

but we didn't know that
he was gonna be famous.

[laughs]

Wow.

''Soaring Seamus.''

[chuckles]

Definitely see Seamus
as a Captain America. Obviously.

-He wants to be Iron Man.
-Yeah.

He's more of a Thor.
I mean, just look at him.

I'm not more of a Thor.
I'm more of an Iron Man.

It's so surreal to see somebody else's
depiction of your own child.

It's-- Marvel did a great job.

-Look at that. That's his cape?
-[Cindy] The dream of 13. [chuckles]

[Paul] Isn't that awesome?

Oh, there's me, huh?

[both laugh]

[Seamus]
It shows the connection with my dad

and at the end, when my dad
in the comic book says he's proud of me...

that, uh...

that meant, um...

[chuckles]

[sniffles, exhales]

...that meant the world to me.

For me it's always just been
about doing what I love,

and through that
being able to help someone else.

I'm an ordinary kid.

I go to school, five-foot-four,
I weigh 110 pounds.

I'm nothing special.

But through doing what I love,
I've been able to help people

and do something
that's considered extraordinary

and everyone's capable of that.