ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — If you need a veteran who has served his country with honor and continues to serve his community and fellow veterans, look no further than Scott Neil.
A decorated veteran and member of the celebrated Special Forces Horse Soldiers that rode through the Afghanistan mountains on horseback in the early days of that war, Neil continues to give back.
He’s a Bay area resident, bourbon distillery owner and dedicated to helping other veterans transition to civilian life.
On the latest episode of Spectrum Bay News 9's To The Point Already podcast, Rick Elmhorst and Roy DeJesus celebrate Veterans Day by talking with Neil about his amazing story of sacrifice and service.
“This was the perfect dream mission for a young soldier,” Neil said while describing being a Green Beret behind enemy lines in Afghanistan. “To be inserted behind the lines surrounded on purpose with nobody coming to rescue you. And that’s what we did.”
Inserted behind enemy lines in Afghanistan, Neil and the Horse Soldiers had to work with villagers to thwart Taliban control. The result of their work was that less than 100 Green Berets overtook Afghanistan in 90 days “by, with and through the (Afghan) villagers.”
The story also was the subject of the 2018 Hollywood film “12 Strong.”
But after a 25-year military career, Master Sgt. Neil was less sure about his life after the military.
“We all talked about what could we do, but I never thought of anything past my service. It came as an abrupt cliff,” he said. “I think you see a lot in the veterans’ community they were so excited to join, you’re out faster than you join and all of a sudden you’re not prepared for the second phase of your life.
“I guarantee you, not as many veterans devote that much time to themselves when they leave the military.”
Now, Neil spends time talking with veterans, corporate leaders and lawmakers about how to best serve veterans transitioning into new careers.
That is, he does that when not working on American Freedom Distillery’s trademark Horse Soldier Bourbon, which he and his military buddies launched in 2015.
“Our philosophy has been nobody gets left behind,” Neil said of the business that has grown to include the Urban Stillhouse restaurant in St. Petersburg. “We managed our way through (COVID) and in a year have grown into a very respectable destination restaurant in St. Pete.”
ABOUT THE SHOW
Spectrum Bay News 9 Anchor Rick Elmhorst sits down with the people that represent you, the people fighting for change and the people with fascinating stories to ask the hard questions.