Darius Rucker Wants You To Meet This Extraordinary Murrieta Woman

MURRIETA, CA — The story of a Murrieta woman — who has more on her plate than most can imagine — will be told Tuesday during the Elizabeth Dole Foundation’s third annual Heroes and History Makers.

The online event will feature celebrities and stories of extraordinary people like Briarly Wilson, a Murrieta mother of 10 who serves in the Air Force Reserves as the 452d Medical Group Superintendent at March Air Reserve Base.

She is also caregiver to her veteran husband, Marcus.

Wilson's story will be narrated during the event by singer-songwriter Darius Rucker, who will honor the 2019 Dole Caregiver Fellow to showcase her background that is not unlike others who care for veterans wounded during service.

While deployed to Iraq in 2006, Marcus suffered life-threatening injuries when his vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device that resulted in an above-knee amputation of his left leg, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress-disorder. After 48 surgeries and three years of rehabilitation, he was able to return to active duty until his retirement in 2015, according to organizers of the upcoming event.

"Briarly draws from her own deployment experience to help care for Marcus’ injuries. Daily, she assists him with navigating around their non-accessible home, bathing, using his prosthetic, administering medication, scheduling appointments, and managing his irritability and anger," organizers said.

She also manages the emotions of their children, ages 3-23 — some who remember their dad before his injuries, and others who have grown up always knowing his wounds.

"Briarly tries to shelter their kids from the most difficult parts of their father’s struggles," organizers said. "[She] protects her veteran and family by quietly taking on the stress of life on her own. In fact, when Briarly was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, she completed every test and went to every doctor’s appointment without telling Marcus. It was only when she scheduled her surgery that she shared what was going on."

“When I’m with my husband, I strap on my caregiver mask and I don’t complain,” Briarly explained.

The upcoming Heroes and History Makers presented by USAA is scheduled at 8 p.m. October 20 and is free to view.

In addition to Wilson and Rucker, country music superstar Tim McGraw will be honored as the 2020 recipient of the Tom Hanks Caregiver Champion Award for outstanding support of military caregivers. Former First Lady Michelle Obama received the 2019 Tom Hanks Caregiver Champion Award.

Also participating in the evening will be actor Tom Hanks, chair of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation’s Hidden Heroes Campaign, and Savannah Guthrie, TODAY co-anchor and Hidden Heroes Ambassador, along with special appearances by Adam Driver, Hilary Swank, Jocko Sims, Nico Santos, Joe Mantegna, Wilson Cruz, Geena Davis, and others narrating military and veteran caregiver stories.

Registration information and streaming details for the event can be found here.