That '70s Show star Wilmer Valderrama may be best known for appearing on TV, but he's done his most important work in real life. Valderrama has worked as a USO Global Ambassador with the U.S. military.
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In the role, he's got to meet hundreds of service members. But one encounter with a wounded soldier stands out. That '70s Show star wrote about it in his new memoir, An American Story: Everyone's Invited.
In 2007, Valderrama went to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany with Gen. James Cartwright to meet injured soldiers. He came across one soldier recovering.
"It was sobering," Valderrama told Fox News. He said it was "like standing on sacred ground."
"This is a trauma hospital," he explained. "Our service brothers and sisters have experienced combat. And here I was, walking through those rooms and just talking to them. ... It made me realize how incredibly brave and unbelievable our men and women are. Even as they're wounded, they're so proud to have been serving."
The soldier tried to salute the four-star general. "At ease," the general said. "You've made our country very proud, son. Your new mission is to go home and get better."
'That '70s Show' Star Reflects On Encounter
The soldier then realized the That '70s Show star was there. "Fez?" he asked. It was a humbling moment for the actor. Valderrama wanted to give back to the service members as much as possible.
"It reminds you ... that your purpose [as an entertainer] is to bring a level of serenity that allows for that healing to happen and to bring a piece of home to them," said Valderrama. "That's your purpose as an ambassador ... reminding them that we think of them, that we miss them, that we are so proud, and we cannot wait for them to come home."
"These soldiers are so proud to put that uniform back on," Valderrama reflected. "I was not taken aback by that, but my heart was taken by that. These individuals who wear the uniform take an oath, and it's to this country. The idea is that they would pay the ultimate sacrifice because they're proud to have our flag continue waving at the end of the day. I was so taken by that. I was so humbled by that."
He also said that it made him realize how he could help them in return.
"It's those moments that made me realize, 'How can I serve my country?' 'How can I help those who reassure the freedom for us out here?'" he shared. "This is something I feel incredibly passionate about."
