08/17/2026
WHY I STARTED OPERATION SECOND CHANCE
For me, this mission is personal.
I grew up with four brothers who served our country—two in the Marine Corps and two in the Army. Three of my brothers served in Vietnam, while another served his duty at West Point.
One of my brothers was wounded and received the Purple Heart.
When my brothers came home, like so many veterans of their generation, they didn’t necessarily have the support or resources available to help them deal with what they had experienced. They self-medicated as a way of coping with the things they had seen, endured, and carried home with them.
Back then, we didn’t talk about PTS the way we do today. We didn’t fully understand the invisible wounds of war or how deeply military service could affect not only the veteran, but the entire family.
Those experiences stayed with me.
Then, fast forward to 2004, when a close friend of mine went to Iraq. I found myself once again seeing firsthand the sacrifices made by our service members and the challenges they and their families faced.
I knew I wanted to do something.
That was the beginning of Operation Second Chance.
What started as a desire to help a few soldiers grew into a mission to make sure our wounded, injured, and ill veterans and their families know that when they come home, they are not forgotten.
OPERATION SECOND CHANCE TODAY
Since our inception in 2004, Operation Second Chance has provided more than $20 million in emergency financial assistance and morale-related activities for our nation’s heroes and their families.
We have served more than 15,000 veterans and family members since our inception.
Emergency Financial Assistance
Sometimes helping a veteran means simply making sure a family can make it through a difficult month.
Our emergency financial assistance includes:
* Mortgage and rent payments to help keep families in their homes
* Utility assistance
* Emergency travel and lodging
* Grocery and food assistance
* Other critical needs when a veteran or military family is facing financial hardship
We also provide case management, working directly with veterans and families to understand their individual circumstances and connect them with the assistance and resources they need.
HEROES RIDGE
In 2021, OSC opened Heroes Ridge, our retreat facility located on the Maryland/Pennsylvania border.
Sitting at the top of the mountain with incredible views toward Gettysburg and beyond, Heroes Ridge provides a place where veterans and families can get away from the stresses of everyday life, reconnect with one another, and begin to heal.
Heroes Ridge includes:
* Four cabins
* Dining hall
* Recreation center
* Gym
* Swimming pool
* Seven horses
* Indoor riding arena
* Miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding, ATVs, and outdoor activities
We host retreats throughout the year for disabled veterans and their families, Gold Star families, battle buddies, caregivers, couples, Warrior PATHH participants, and many others.
But Heroes Ridge is much more than a beautiful property.
It’s a place where people can finally exhale.
It’s a place where veterans can be surrounded by others who understand. Families reconnect. Couples rediscover each other. Veterans who may have been struggling for years can experience moments of trust, peace, laughter, and hope again.
Those are the moments that remind us why we do this work.
INVESTING IN THE NEXT GENERATION
Our commitment doesn’t stop with the veteran.
OSC has awarded $155,000 in 529 education plans for children who have attended retreats at Heroes Ridge.
Since we began our scholarship program, we have awarded $405,750 in scholarships to high school seniors of wounded, injured, and ill veterans.
When someone serves our country, their entire family serves alongside them in ways that are often unseen. Investing in their children’s futures is another way we can honor that sacrifice.
RECOGNITION & ACCOUNTABILITY
Operation Second Chance is a nationally recognized veterans organization.
We have earned consecutive Four-Star ratings from Charity Navigator, including a perfect score of 100.
We take tremendous pride not only in the work we do, but in being responsible stewards of every dollar entrusted to us by our donors.
SERVING THOSE WHO SERVE OUR COMMUNITIES
Our mission of appreciation and healing has also allowed us to welcome other groups who serve and protect their communities.
OSC has hosted law enforcement officers from Sarasota, as well as members of the Sarasota Fire Department Color Guard.
Whether someone served our country overseas or serves their community here at home, we understand the importance of recognizing service, sacrifice, and the emotional weight that can come with it.
THE MESSAGE I WANT PEOPLE TO REMEMBER
Operation Second Chance started because I saw what happened to my own brothers when they returned home from Vietnam.
Years later, when my friend went to Iraq, I knew I couldn’t just stand on the sidelines and watch another generation come home carrying those same wounds.
22 years later, that remains at the heart of everything we do.
We can’t change what our veterans experienced while serving our country. But we can change what happens when they come home.
We can stand beside them.
We can help keep a roof over their family’s head.
We can help put food on their table.
We can give them a place to reconnect with their spouse, their children, their battle buddies, and sometimes with themselves.
And most importantly, we can remind them that their service mattered, their sacrifice is remembered, and they do not have to walk the road home alone.
That’s why I started Operation Second Chance. And that’s why, more than two decades later, we continue Helping Heroes Move On.
