One Battle Inc.
This is the official launch of a nonprofit that will leave no one behind
In July of 2003, I shipped off for basic training from northern Wisconsin to Fort Benning, Georgia. By the end of basic, I still hadn’t acclimated to the oppressive heat and humidity, I often struggled to breathe. One afternoon we ran drills in full battle rattle, with 1980’s Kevlar vests, 1960’s load-bearing equipment, the turtle shell on our heads, and the M16 A2. We were paired with another person from the platoon and trained in how to react to contact. We stood at the beginning of a 1,000-meter range and waited for the drill sergeant to scream, “contact, 12:00,” prompting us to take cover, and to “bound under fire,” which was a movement technique where one person provided cover fire while the other advanced on the target. One of us would scream, “cover me while I move,” while the other person, our battle buddy (or battle), would say, “I’ve got you covered!”
Once I heard those words, I’d pop up from where I was positioned on the ground, find my next place of cover, and sprint toward it, while thinking, “I’m up, they see me, I’m down.” That sentence was how we measured the approximate amount of time it takes to zero in on a target with a firearm. While I ran, my battle fired on human silhouette pop up targets. Then it was his turn. Cover me while I move. I’ve got you covered. I’m up, he sees me, I’m down. Repeat.
We dove in and out of puddles of red Georgia clay, covering ourselves in particles which would find their way into every nook and cranny, including our eyes, mouths, and somehow, our digestive tracts. I felt miserable. My battle felt miserable, too. We were likely approaching heat exhaustion and stroke. But when we heard the words, “I’ve got you covered,” we jumped up and advanced with every ounce of energy we had left.
That was one of a handful of days where I thought, I will either accomplish this objective, or I will die. It happened in basic training. It happened in Airborne School and the National Training Center at Fort Irwin. It definitely happened on both of my tours in Iraq. The only thing that kept me from not giving up or quitting was my battle buddy.
After my second tour in Iraq, I was diagnosed with combat PTSD — 70% disabled and service-connected through the VA — and cycled in and out of dual-diagnosis programs and treatment facilities for veterans with PTSD and substance addiction. I struggled to find stable housing and employment. It was winter in Madison when I broke into someone’s house for supplies, which led to my incarceration. Jail was the least therapeutic atmosphere I could imagine for someone with PTSD, with scarce resources for mental health treatment and suspended VA health care. There were days when I was locked up where I thought, I will either get through this, or I will die.
A couple years later, I sat in a cell in Waukesha County jail, in a transition unit after a stint in solitary confinement. The jail was overflowing, so a mattress was placed under the metal staircase near my cell, and an ex-Marine laid there, looking hopeless and despondent. My experiences had hardened me, but witnessing this combat veteran lying on the floor overwhelmed me. Where was his battle buddy? He was alone, afraid, exposed, and forgotten, despite his service to our nation. At the time, there was little I could do except show him respect, and to let him know that, I’ve got you covered.
Since then, I founded C.C. We Adapt and co-founded Next Generation Mentors and Properties to provide peer mentorship services throughout the state of Wisconsin. Now, I’m launching One Battle, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on hiring veterans as peer support mentors to work with veterans who need support, the families of veterans, and the broader community as it relates to veterans once again finding their spirit of duty and service. In Wisconsin, there are approximately 1500 veterans incarcerated in the state correctional system at any point in time, and at least 300 are unhoused (as of 2022). In 2020, veterans made up 16.5% of suicides, despite only being 6% of the state’s population.
One Battle will create a supportive network of former service members who have the lived experience needed to form meaningful relationships and provide guidance to other veterans and their families. Incorporating a trauma-informed method of care, providers support veterans in advocating for themselves, and establishing healthy routines for sustainable recoveries. The organization will strive to become a leader in innovative and accessible opportunities for supportive housing, peer support, adventure therapy, and workforce development.
In the military, we answer a call to protect our society and communities through service. We follow the values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. We take an oath to support and defend our nation’s founding principles against all enemies. We look out for one another, even going behind enemy lines to save and protect our own. But as we’ve seen statewide, the battle doesn’t end after a combat tour. Some of us are fighting a new war, and we need a battle buddy to fight alongside us.
At One Battle, we’re going back for every last one.
Learn more about One Battle at:
https://www.onebattle.org/