From Hollywood To Humanity

STEPPING INTO A LANDMINE FIELD for the first time is enough to make you freeze in your tracks, but that’s where I met Kevin and John, cameras in hand. Deep in the heart of a landmine zone near the border between Cambodia and Thailand, I was impressed with their passion for humanity and entertained by their daring stories of being professional Hollywood stuntmen. After a week of watching them film in harsh and deadly conditions, I invited the pair to accompany me to Vietnam to document a medical mission with the international children’s organization Operation Smile. As a board member of both The HALO Trust and Op-Smile, I know just how important it is to get the true stories and images out from the field and into the public eye; that’s exactly what they were doing. From there, our friendships grew, and within a short time Kevin and John were accompanying me around the world as my personal documentary team, including during the 2007 campaign trail where my husband, Senator John McCain, was running for the office of the President of the United States.

Country by country, cause by cause, the men learned, taught, and engendered smiles wherever they went. The knowledge they received along the way has allowed them to give back to many humanitarian organizations—and you always know that it’s going to be a fun trip when you see their faces show up at the start of a mission. Kevin chose to put his thoughts and experiences into words and has created a work that you will not only find fun and entertaining, but also packed with years of personal experiences that can teach others how to open their hearts to humanity. Kevin has spent decades in front of and behind the camera on many Hollywood movies and TV shows, it has gifted him with an eye to tell the stories of those he comes across, and a voice to get his message heard. His goal is not only to introduce people to the true definition of the word humanity but also to invite them to step through the doors that life opens and to bravely see the world through others’ eyes. As with my own experiences while traveling and helping to advocate for a number of these NGOs that Kevin writes about such as The HALO Trust and Operation Smile, I am happy to know that my actions have led others to seek out their own platforms to spread the word of those doing amazing work to help those in need.