526. Five Hundred Twenty Six SEALs that this nonprofit has supported with their transition. What does that mean? It means that we have:
Prepared them for applications to top tier graduate schools, helped them pay for their education and provided the resources to allow them to achieve the unattainable dream of higher education.
Networked them into their new towns, coached them on how their skills translate to the civilian world, helped them find their next purposeful jobs after military service and assisted them with continuing to serve in their new communities.
Provided holistic, integrative therapies to treat traumatic brain injuries sustained during training and combat because the conventional healthcare system has failed to treat mental health.
Given these men new purpose, helped them be whole again, reconnect with their families after being away fighting a war for so many years and allowing them to continue to do what they were put on this earth to do which is serve.
That is what the number 526 entails and that is what we the SFF Family has done but this mission never ends and the support we need has never been greater. So let us celebrate our successes today but get right back at it tomorrow realizing we must take care of an endless number of warriors returning from the battlefield.
To understand the impact that the SFF has on the Community we serve, please read the following testimonials from SEALs supported by the SFF:
“The SFF is a support system. It’s a brotherhood. The team that runs the organization care deeply about what they’re doing. The transition from being a Navy SEAL into something completely different is NOT easy. With the proper guidance and support it becomes much more manageable. My personal experience with leaving the SEAL teams after ten years was like a train going off the rails. Having an organization that genuinely cares about the transition in every aspect is profoundly helpful. From health to family to education to building networks and figuring out the next career path – the SFF is by far the best resource that a team guy can have in his corner.”
“The SEAL Future Fund gave me a customized plan for my transition out of the military. In that plan, they helped me overcome mental and physical ailments as well as helped fund me to attend an executive business program. The SFF is the reason my marriage has stayed intact. Transition is tough, and through their support I got the help I needed, the mentors that guided me, and the opportunities that have allowed me to be successful.”
“Community is the single most important thing about SFF. It’s woven into everything they do. When I got out, I felt so alone. I missed the Brotherhood deeply. It sounds like a small thing, but I can’t tell you what a boost these FOB (Forward Operating Bases) events are. Just to be around other guys who get it. It’s everything.”
“I have faced some life-threatening scenarios in my time in NSW, but few have compared to the fear I had of transitioning from Active Duty. Simply knowing I had an organization like the SEAL Future Fund, one that was managed by individuals I knew I could trust, I was able to lean on them for support both professionally and monetarily. Such a resource gave me the confidence to face the fear of the unknown head-on and emerge victorious. The SEAL Future Fund represents an invaluable resource to transitioning SEALs in both the tangible and intangible sense. In my time, I have learned you can have all the cool gear in the world, but if you lack confidence you aren’t getting off the ground. SFF helped me instill that confidence.”
“I have been involved in every Navy SEAL transition program there is and I can confidently say that the SFF has provided me with the best tools, network, and support team to ensure my transition from active duty to civilian life was a success. If there’s one transition program that does it all for SEALs- it’s The SEAL Future Foundation.”
“I was spiraling into a really bad place. I don’t even know how it happened, but before I knew it the SFF guys were at my house. They got me out, they got me to a brain specialist, they got me the help I didn’t know how to ask for. I hate to think what would have happened without them…”
The word is out in the Communities we serve and we are on track to help 200 SEALs this year. We anticipate that number to continue year after year and the current SFF does not support that transition amount. So let’s create an SFF that can sustain 200+ transitioning SEALs per year. How we can make that happen is simple. You received this message because you are part of the SFF Family and you care about what we are doing here. Please don’t be bashful with your support. Share our message with those you know would support this mission or support you in supporting this mission. So that leads me to my ask. The first is financial contribution of what you can afford which will allow us to support the next wave of transitioning SEALs. The second ask is for you to forward this newsletter to your closest friends. Ask them to get involved where they can. Ask them to support so that we can continue to build the SFF Family.
What makes us different than the others in the SEAL transition space? Simply, we are the Lifetime Transition Partner of Navy SEALs. We meet the individual exactly he is at, provide the exact tools and resources needed to find mission success and we do all this without ever leaving a man behind. Transition is the new enemy and we are the new teammates of the SEAL Teams.
In this together, until the mission is done.
– Jonathan
