05/28/2026
🇺🇸❤️ An Open Letter to the Milton Community ❤️🇺🇸
To the people of . To . To the staff, residents, and family at Unhitched Milton RV Park .
Thank you.
Not the quick kind of thank you.
Not the kind you say because it feels polite.
The kind that sits heavy in your chest because you’re still trying to process what just happened.
When we left the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to come to Florida for our very first Memorial Day service project through the Lee & Betty Johnson Memorial Charity, we came with a mission:
Serve those who served us.
But if we’re being honest, we also came with nerves.
Three people from a town of roughly 5,000 people, trying something we had never attempted before, quietly asking ourselves:
Can we really make a difference?
Behind the scenes, there were moments we thought things were going off the rails. Plans shifted. Details changed. We second-guessed ourselves more than once.
And yet somehow… what felt chaotic to us became something beautiful because of all of you.
You welcomed us.
You encouraged us.
You worked beside us.
You believed in what we were trying to build.
You reminded us that service is never about perfection.
It’s about showing up.
To the community of Milton and Santa Rosa County—thank you for embracing us, encouraging us, and reminding us what small-town heart looks like when people rally around something bigger than themselves.
To the incredible community at Unhitched Milton—thank you for opening your doors and your hearts to us. What exists there is more than a campground. It is community in the truest sense of the word. A place where strangers become neighbors, neighbors become friends, and friends begin to feel like family.
To Robert and Brittany, thank you for leading with heart and fostering the kind of environment every campground should strive to create.
And to the people who helped make this mission possible—we owe more gratitude than words can express.
To —thank you for sponsoring the fuel that made this journey possible. Quite simply, without your support, none of this happens. No breakfast. No memorial work. No service projects. No community gathering. You helped turn an idea into action, and we will never forget that.
To Johnson Juice, Snowbiz Shaved Ice, J&A Welding and Fabricating Inc , Travis from BDTBBQ, Ted Polanowski Jr. , the audience of JJ's Lifted Horizons , The Food Outlet in Milton, and Unhitched Milton RV—thank you for believing in a dream that is still finding its feet and helping us turn purpose into action.
You gave financially.
You donated materials.
You gave encouragement.
You gave time.
You gave belief.
And belief matters.
And there is one more person we absolutely need to recognize.
To Gary Gaulden , our Director of Community Outreach—thank you.
Gary poured his heart into this weekend and into this mission. From helping coordinate, serving the community, showing up wherever he was needed, and being boots on the ground to make sure people felt welcomed and cared for—his fingerprints are all over what happened here.
What many people may not realize is that none of us at the Lee & Betty Johnson Memorial Charity take a salary, and Gary is no exception.
He does this because he believes in the mission.
He does this because he loves his community.
He does this because he cares deeply about the veterans who live there and believes they deserve to be remembered, honored, and supported.
That kind of service cannot be bought.
It comes from the heart.
And brother, we are deeply grateful for yours.
This weekend reminded us that Memorial Day is not simply about remembrance.
It is about community.
It is about service.
It is about honoring sacrifice by showing up for one another.
The Lee & Betty Johnson Memorial Charity may have brought the trailer, pancakes, and projects.
But you brought the heart.
And because of that, something special happened here.
But this isn’t the end of the story.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing a behind-the-scenes video series on JJ’s Lifted Horizons showing the real story of this journey—the wins, the chaos, the laughter, the hard work, the moments we thought things were falling apart, and the moments that reminded us exactly why we came.
And because service should continue long after the grills cool off and the chairs are folded up, I also made a personal pledge for this trip:
10 cents per mile driven will be donated to the Lee & Betty Johnson Memorial Charity.
In the coming weeks, I’ll reveal the final total and exactly how much this trip will help fund toward wreath sponsorships for Barrancas National Cemetery through Wreaths Across America.
Because remembrance isn’t one weekend.
It’s a commitment.
Thank you for allowing us to serve.
Thank you for trusting us.
Thank you for reminding us what community still looks like in America.
With gratitude,
Jason Johnson
The Lee & Betty Johnson Memorial Charity
