#192: SSG Alex Viola Memorial Car Show - Gold Star Father Frank Viola

Cars aren’t just a mode of transportation. They’re a passion. An image. A lifestyle. For many families, they are the bond that brings together father and son. For Frank Viola, cars are the legacy of his son, Green Beret SSG Alex Viola. Alex graduated as a Green Beret in 2011 and then went on to get his Combat Dive Certification. In September 2013, his team deployed to Afghanistan as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom. On November 17, 2013 Alex lost his life to an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) while on dismounted patrol. After the loss of their son, Frank and his family faced the unimaginable challenge of how to move forward. The answer came from something Alex loved deeply: cars. Alex was a true car guy, and restoring vehicles with his dad was one of the ways they spent time together. What began as a simple idea to honor Alex’s memory turned into the SSG Alex Viola Memorial Car Show https://www.ssgalexviola.org/. The first event was held in freezing weather with modest expectations, but the community showed up, raising twenty thousand dollars that first year alone. Today the event has grown into something far greater than anyone imagined. Nearly four hundred cars fill the lot each year, and the show has raised nearly seven hundred thousand dollars to support charitable causes, including the families of Green Berets through the Green Beret Foundation. Host Fran Racioppi https://www.linkedin.com/in/francisracioppijr/sits down with Frank Viola to share how this fundraiser is more than impressive horsepower and jaw-dropping donations. It’s a powerful story of resilience, community, and how one family's determination not only honors a fallen hero but has also remarkably reunited their own distant family members and created a new, unbreakable bond with Alex’s former Green Beret teammates. Highlights 0:00 Introduction1:57 Welcome to the Jedburgh Podcast2:22 Who was SSG Alex Viola?6:11 Why a Car Show?10:05 How loss brought the family together12:34 Alex’s Team16:03 The 2025 Show17:02 Working with the Foundations18:36 Advice for Future Green Berets Quotes “Alex was a father’s dream of a son.”“His whole thing was to be out there in the ditches with the guys.”“Alex was a car guy.”“In a million years, we never expected anything like it.”“We have a goal of reaching $1,000,000 in donations.”“There’s been some of my cousins that I’ve never met, but because of this, now we’re really close.”“They’re like our own kids.”“Losing Alex was probably the worst thing that could ever happen to any parent.”“It’s just been a win win all the way around.”“They know we’re always going to do the right thing.”“The whole theme of both organizations is supporting the families of fallen and wounded warriors’ families.”“I don’t think that anyone can just become a Green Beret. You have to be a special kind of person.”“It’s either you have it or you don’t.” The Jedburgh Podcast is brought to you by OneBrief https://www.onebrief.com/; enabling military leaders to make innovative, informed and deliberate decisions faster than ever before. Superhuman command wins wars. Follow the Jedburgh Podcast https://www.instagram.com/jedburghpodcast/ and the Green Beret Foundation https://www.instagram.com/greenberetfoundation/ on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform https://pod.link/1558608802, read on our website https://greenberetfoundation.org/the-jedburgh-podcast/, and watch the full video version on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@jedburghpodcast as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:02Fran Racioppi?

  Cars aren't just a mode of transportation. They're a passion, an image, a lifestyle. For many families, they're the bond that brings them together. For Frank Viola, cars are the legacy of his son, Green Beret Staff Sergeant Alex Viola. Alex graduated as a Green Beret in 2011 and went on to get his combat dive certification. In September 2013, his team deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. On November 17, 2013, Alex lost his life in an IED while on dismounting patrol. After the loss of their son, Frank and his family faced the unimaginable challenge of how to move forward. The answer came from something Alex loved deeply: cars. Alex was a true car guy, and restoring vehicles with his dad was important to them both.

• 0:47Fran Racioppi?

  What began as a simple idea to honor Alex's memory turned into the Staff Sergeant Alex Viola Memorial Car Show. Based in Keller, Texas, the first event was held in freezing weather with modest expectations. But the community showed up, raising $20,000 that first year alone. Today, the event's grown into something far greater than anyone imagined. Nearly 400 cars fill the lot each year, and the show's raised nearly $700,000 to support charitable causes, namely, Green Berets and their families through the Green Beret Foundation. This episode is about more than a car show. It's about bringing people together to stand beside the Viola family, ensuring that Alex's legacy lives on, and supporting our Green Berets of all generations.

• 1:30Fran Racioppi?

  The Jedberg Podcast is brought to you by One Brief, enabling military leaders to make innovative, informed, and deliberate decisions faster than ever before. Superhuman command wins wars. Follow the Jedberg Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media, listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show you why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.

• 1:56Fran Racioppi?

  Frank, welcome to the Jed Burke Podcast.

• 1:58Speaker 02

  Thank you. Nice to be here.

• 2:00Fran Racioppi?

  A beautiful day in Keller, Texas. We're here at the annual Staff Sergeant Alex Viola Memorial Car Show. Your son, Alex, one of our Green Berets who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country. Truly an honor to be here with you to share not only this experience, but also share the story of Alex.

• 2:22Speaker 02

  Yeah, thank you. Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here and I appreciate the opportunity to tell Alex's story. It's like, where do you begin? You know, Alex, you know, a father's dream of a son. And he went through a lot of things as a child, you know, he had at nine years old, he developed some sort of muscular disease. Lost all his muscles. He was atrophying and that was a terrible time for us as parents, just watching him just losing all his muscle control. It got to a point where he couldn't go to school anymore. We had to homeschool him. This went on for about a year and he finally, it was after about a year, his eye, which was the first sign of something wrong,

• 3:02Speaker 02

  lost all muscle control, was starting to open up. The first thing that he wanted was a pair of roller blades, which was just amazing to Peggy and I as parents because he couldn't walk well. And we debated that for a while and finally got him the roller blades and he became a little hockey star. And by the time he got to high school, he was a captain of the team, fastest ice skater and just the leading scorer. And from a kid that couldn't even walk at one point to becoming a hockey star was just incredible.

• 3:36Fran Racioppi?

  How did that happen? I mean, how did he get it all back?

• 3:39Speaker 02

  You know, it's hard to tell. We went to hospitals everywhere. He was admitted. They took muscle biopsies and they couldn't determine what he had. Every test came back negative. It was about a year later that he just started to show signs that he was recovering. And he just got stronger and stronger and stronger. So we never knew what it was that he had. Doctors couldn't tell us. Like I said, from there, he just was just into work. working out, exercising and just getting into the best condition that he could. And of course, his eyes were always, since he was a little kid, always on special ops. He wanted to do something uh for his country and it was just amazing because he was a little kid

• 4:24Speaker 02

  when he started talking that way. And by the time it was uh towards the end of high school, he wanted to go right into the service at that point, but we kind of persuaded him to go into college. He graduated from the University of North Texas with a mechanical engineering degree. At the same time, while he was going to college, he was working out with a Navy SEAL that he became friends with and so he got into the best condition that he could. He was in competitions, workout competitions, raising money for different SEALs or different special operators that, you know, lost their lives. And so he did a lot of that. He did work with the Green Beret Foundation, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

• 5:06Speaker 02

  Actually, he enlisted into the Navy first and he ended up going through OCS up in Newport, Rhode Island, became, graduated number one in his class for physically and academics. He was accepted into BUDS, so he moved to San Diego, went through BUDS, and got injured two weeks or a week uh before Hell Week, but continued on and he tore a muscle, one of his muscles in his back. And so he didn't make it. He was just totally frustrated and and he did not want to be on a boat someplace, just uh his whole thing was to be out there in the in the ditches with the guys. That's what his whole goal was. So he uh transferred from the Navy, went into the Army as an enlisted guy and went

• 5:48Speaker 02

  through Q course, got his Green Beret, and then went on to become a combat diver as well. And that was it. We lost Alex five weeks into his first deployment into Afghanistan. And so from there, you know, we had to do something for our sanity. So my wife and I decided that we're gonna do a car show in his honor and raise money for the two organizations that he supported, so. Why a car show? Alex was a car guy. I was a car guy and Alex just loved. Hanging out with me at car shows, working on cars and doing that. So at 12 years old, he asked me if he can get a car or when is he going to get a car? And I said, you know, when you turn 15, we'll get a car and then we'll work on it and have something for you

• 6:31Speaker 02

  for when you're 16. The day, three years go by, the day he turned 16, who's looking through the paper at that time, he found the 68 Chevelle. And so he bought it with his own money, brought it home, and we just started tearing into it. And it took a few years, but it was the best years of my life spending it with him, building this car. And he sold the car when he went into the service. And then, you know, so a car show seemed to be natural for us and something that was a great vehicle for him. And, you know, to honor him and raise money for a good cause. Yeah.

• 7:05Fran Racioppi?

  When faced with a challenge, Green Berets adapt, overcome, and keep moving forward. Now's your chance to stand with them. Join the 1952 Society with a monthly gift of just $19.52 to provide critical medical devices for wounded, ill, and injured Green Berets. Your support fuels their recovery, helping them return to duty or continue serving their communities. A Green Berets mission never stops. Neither should our support. Join the 1952 Society today and stand with those who stand for us.

• 7:36Fran Racioppi?

  The first year, you, you said, you told me earlier, you expected 40 cars.

• 7:41Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 7:41Fran Racioppi?

  You got way more than 40.

• 7:43Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 7:43Fran Racioppi?

  Truly grown ever since.

• 7:45Speaker 02

  We started out, it was, you know, we had no idea what we were doing. I've attended car shows, but never, you know, ran a car show of any kind. And so we ended up pulling this thing together. We decided to do it here in Keller because he was a Keller boy and just, uh, we felt it was the right place to do it. We started a car show. We, our expectations were very low or probably nonexistent. We, I said, it's our first car show. You know, people don't generally go, a lot of people don't go to these first car shows. And so we thought maybe 40, 50 cars, raise a few hundred dollars and that would be our day. It was colder than you can imagine. It was November 21. It was like bitter cold, like in the 30s. And none of our tents. And canopies showed up. We had just nothing but boxes.

• 8:29Speaker 02

  To our surprise, we had a hundred and eighty-six cars show up. Freezing cold weather. And we raised twenty thousand dollars our first year. And it was just incredible. I mean, we just never, you know, like I said, in a million years, expected anything like it. And it's been growing ever since. We've had, you know, such support from our dear friends as well as the community. We ended up with a, an air show, which we didn't expect. And, you know, we had F16s doing flyovers after a couple of years. We have a morning air show with a few different groups of, you know, different retired military planes and so on. And now, you know, we're up to well over three hundred cars, closer to four hundred.

• 9:11Speaker 02

  And we have raised over the last few years, on average, around a hundred and ten, hundred and twenty thousand dollars every year. And so to date, we have raised and donated seven hundred thousand dollars. And we're hopefully going to do a lot more than that over the next two years, you know, so.

• 9:28Fran Racioppi?

  Well, you said your goal was a million dollars.

• 9:30Speaker 02

  It is, yeah. Our goal, we had a set of goal. We're obviously not getting any younger and, you know, we have, I wouldn't say health issues. But we are concerned about our future and so we want to do a lot of things. So we have a goal of reaching a million dollars in donations. And I think with the help of our car club and all the supporters around the town, I think we can get there in the next few years. So.

• 9:53Fran Racioppi?

  Yeah. Well, one of the most important parts of these types of events is it brings everybody together.

• 9:59Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 9:59Fran Racioppi?

  And we suffer loss as Green Berets and as Green Berets, we also have this idea in our head that's always to create opportunity from challenge.

• 10:10Speaker 02

  Right.

• 10:10Fran Racioppi?

  And one of the things that has been really a byproduct of the loss of Alex has been the family that has been brought back together. Your family in one respect, but also his teammates. And we walk around here today, when we stood up on the stage earlier for the opening ceremonies, there's twelve of his teammates.

• 10:29Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 10:30Fran Racioppi?

  Still coming.

• 10:31Speaker 02

  Oh, yeah, every year.

• 10:32Fran Racioppi?

  Here representing. So in your view, in your perspective. What has the loss of Alex done to your, for your family to bring them together? As well as the team itself?

• 10:44Speaker 02

  It's just an incredible few years. What, not to get too deep into it, but my dad had a big falling out with his family several years back, decades ago. And my dad was one of those hard-headed guys that just literally said, "We're moving out. We're moving away from family." And so we did, and we moved 500 miles away from family and really lost touch with a lot of them because of this whatever happened, which we don't even know what happened between my dad and his family. Well, it was a few years back, one of my cousins got wind of our show through different means and he and his four brothers, they decided that they're gonna come out here and support us, especially in honor of Alex.

• 11:28Speaker 02

  They, surprises, they came down here and my dad hadn't seen them in 40 years. And so the conversation started, you know, with the cousins and, and next thing you know, my dad said, "When he goes back home," you know, he lived in Florida. And when he goes back home, he's going to contact his brother, his brothers. He had two left out of nine family members, two of them were left. And so he did, and they got back together. And since then, all of our family, the cousins, everybody from that side of the family have been coming to the show in support of us, in support of Alex. Alex's friends, you know, all his friends, they come out every year in support of our

• 12:12Speaker 02

  cause and just to honor Alex. His college buddies all come out every year at the show to do the same thing. We've had just so many of our nieces and nephews that come out each and every year to work our show. They work merchandise, they work raffles, they, but we have probably anywhere between 35 to 40 family members from just that side of the family that come out every year. It's just incredible. It's just such a great thing. And, you know, like I said, there's been some of my cousins that I never met because of this, that now we're really close. We talk to each other. All the time. So it's really out from Alex. It's brought together so many different groups. And I think it's been the best thing that's ever happened to our families. Worst thing and the best thing, right?

• 12:57Fran Racioppi?

  And you've embraced Alex's team. So he said, there's many of them here. And they feel a specific purpose here at the event.

• 13:06Speaker 02

  Yeah, the guys, we didn't meet his team until after their deployment was up. We had lost Alex in November, but we didn't meet the rest of the team until March or April in that timeframe. Since then, they come out and see us all the time. They don't wait for the car show. They come out just to visit every now and then. And it's been, I think, therapy for both Peggy and I, as well as the guys. I think this thing kind of helped us all. And the guys, like I said, now it's like we've adopted them. They're like our own kids and they come out every year and they, they come out early just to help me get this thing together. And so much that goes into our show. So they come out early every year.

• 13:50Speaker 02

  They're just unbelievable. I can't say enough good things about them. And they're just thoughtful. They're very considerate. They're helping all the time. They, they don't like to even see us lift a finger. And so when they got back from their deployment, many of them split up and went different directions. And so this is kind of a reunion for them now. And so they come out every year and, you know, they just, they use our house as the meeting place. And, you know, they hang out in our backyard. It's a nice backyard. So they have a by the fire there. And they sit there and talk for hours and hours and just catch up. So it's, it's just been a, like I said, losing Alex was probably the worst thing that could ever happen to any parent. You know, losing a child is just unnatural.

• 14:36Speaker 02

  But what we've gained from that is not only the Levin's sons, but the community, the new friends that we've made, the car clubs. I mean, sometimes it's just hard to, to process all that. Yeah, they didn't, uh, when we You put it to work. When they first, you know, we started talking about the car show, you know, obviously they wanted to be involved in everything. So one of the guys with his wife was at the, uh, at the table. And I'm putting together a, a registration form, a judging form. And they kept asking, what can we do? We want to help. We want to be part of it and so on. And so the light bulb went off. I said, how would you like to recruit the other guys and be our judges?

• 15:17Speaker 02

  Well, we don't know anything about cars, this, that, whatever. And I said, you don't have to. I says, I really just want you guys to have your day, pick your favorite cars and that's it. They take it so seriously. They're very organized as a Green Beret, as what you'd expect. They set the rules and so on. So they go out and they're actually probably judging at this point right now. But yeah, just, we just love it. They're a big part of what we do. The reaction from the spectators and the car owners has been just off the charts. We take it for granted that we know members of the US Army Special Forces because we see them all the time, but a lot of these people don't.

• 15:58Speaker 02

  And they just eat that up. They just love meeting them and so on. So I said, you know, being the judges is like the best thing that could have happened because not only are we getting the cars judged and we have our awards that we, you know, cars that we can award. But you've also made their day. These people are just so happy and ecstatic that you guys are out there talking to them. It's just been a win-win all the way around. And I think that's probably one of the reasons why we have such large crowds. It's for those guys and the support. You know, like I said, it's was never like part of the plan. It just happened. And sometimes it's the best way. Yeah. Well, almost 400 cars this year. Yeah, yeah. And we had, you have the silent auction that's going on, had the live auction. Yeah.

• 16:42Speaker 02

  One of the items in the live auction went for over 16,000 dollars. Crazy, right? And then they turned around and handed it to my wife and I. Yeah, it's just the generosity. I think there's a lot of trust there. They know they're always going to do the right thing. That all the money goes to, you know, exactly where we tell them. I think that's a A big part of it. So all that with the guys, I think, just contributes to the success of the event.

• 17:06Fran Racioppi?

  There's a lot of organizations that are out there that are representative of our special operations community, veterans in general. You've made a distinct and concerted effort to support Green Beret Foundation and Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Which you you mentioned was a result of Alex being involved in those organizations. But also, you've continued your relationship with them and you've built that out. In your perspective, what sets those two organizations apart? And why is working with them so important to you and the foundation?

• 17:39Speaker 02

  They're different in some ways and very common in others. The whole theme of both organizations is supporting the families of fallen and wounded warriors' families. They both do such great things. The SOWF, you know, their main, their forte is really putting kids through college. You know, whether you're a Green Beret or a Navy SEAL or whatever, they put those kids through college. Or through, really from preschool all the way up through college. The Green Beret, you know, foundation fills all the gaps that the government doesn't necessarily pay or take care of.

• 18:19Speaker 02

  The end result is, I mean, just helping those warriors that really protect our freedoms. Or they're doing things that prevent us from having to do them. And we owe them a great deal of gratitude, you know, I mean, it's such a debt that we have to them. And so my wife and I feel very strongly about that and and everything we do, every penny we raise, we donate. And it's, like I said, it's, I couldn't think of a better way to honor our fallen and those that have served.

• 18:50Fran Racioppi?

  So you got about 300,000 left to raise to hit your goal. It's gonna be, I mean, you look forward to this every year, I think, when

• 18:58Speaker 02

  Yeah, I first connected, it was almost a year ago, I think.

• 19:01Fran Racioppi?

  Yeah.

• 19:02Speaker 02

  Right after the last, the very after the last one.

• 19:04Fran Racioppi?

  And so we've really been looking forward to getting out here. What's your advice to those who are looking? To become a Green Beret. Because so many people in your situation, rightfully so, they walk away from the military.

• 19:19Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 19:19Fran Racioppi?

  And they don't want much to do with it and the the pain, the loss is too much. You've embraced this.

• 19:26Speaker 02

  Yeah, I kind of look at it a little differently. I I don't think that just anyone can become a Green Beret. You have to be a special kind of person with probably a ten times stronger will and determination than the average person. I know for Alex, I mean, a kid that literally lost most of his muscles and was, you know, couldn't walk at one point. But his determination and perseverance is just, I just don't even know where he came from. But he had the drive. I I've never met anybody with such drive and determination as Alex.

• 20:05Speaker 02

  You know, I mean, until I met the rest of the Green Berets, I always thought Alex was very unique, just unlike everybody else. And he was until I met the rest of the guys. Then I realized, oh, my God, there's a common thread that runs through these guys. These guys are not like your any other, and I don't want to, you know, downplay, you know, the other soldiers or anything like that, but they're a special kind of character. And I don't know if this necessarily applies, but I always look at the Green Berets as something like the Japanese had the samurais. They had their military, but they had samurais, you know, just a different type of warrior. Just like I said, I I my advice, it's either you have it or you don't.

• 20:49Speaker 02

  Because you're going to be put through some pretty severe, physical and mental tests that, you know, really will just, you know, like I said, we all know that if a hundred guys apply to, you know, be a Green Beret, you might get twenty of them. It's just the nature, you know, you have certain people that are built for that and certain people that are not. You know, and that's how I look at it. Now, I may be wrong, but that's how I always look at you guys.

• 21:17Fran Racioppi?

  Well, I agree with you. Well Frank, it's been an honor to come here and spend this day with you. I mean, really, truly, absolutely impressive setup that's here. I mean, the turnout was truly amazing. As I mentioned, when I had the chance to address the crowd earlier, I'm from the Northeast.

• 21:34Speaker 02

  I love it.

• 21:35Fran Racioppi?

  It happens to be warmer in the Northeast than it is down here.

• 21:38Speaker 02

  Yeah, crazy.

• 21:39Fran Racioppi?

  But there truly is, you know, nothing more American than coming down here to Texas, having the car show, honoring Alex and his service, seeing the impact that your family has had on the community, and thank you for all the support to the Green Beret Foundation. We couldn't be more honored to be partnered with you and share in this experience.

• 21:58Speaker 02

  Yeah, well, I feel very privileged to be able to do that, and we're going to continue doing what we do, and because that's just the way my wife and I are, and we, you know, we, of course, you know, we want to always remember not only Alex, but everybody else that lost their life or their country, and, and so we're going to do our best to keep that going.

• 22:16Fran Racioppi?

  Awesome. Well, thank you.

• 22:18Speaker 02

  We'll see you next year.

• 22:20Fran Racioppi?

  Appreciate it, man. Yeah, really appreciate it. It's been an honor to be with you, and I'm so happy that you guys came out today. Thank you for that.

• 22:28Speaker 03

  American Jedbergs went on to form the Foundation of the United States Special Forces and the Special Activities Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Thanks for listening to the Jedburgh Podcast, an official program of the Green Beret Foundation. I'm your creator and host, Fran Richo. Join us next week for a new episode on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Check us out on YouTube for full episodes, highlights, and other long and short form content. If you like what you heard, give us a like and leave a review. Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X, or Threads. Send your comments and inquiries to [email protected]. As former members of Special Operations Forces, the Jedburgh Media Channel, and the Green Beret Foundation remain committed to supporting all generations of US Army Special

• 23:09Speaker 03

  Forces and their families. Thanks for joining us on this episode. How you prepare today determines success tomorrow.