Veteran-led nonprofit helps military families find support, community after service

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — For Robert Saunders Jr., coming home from Vietnam in 1969 was not the welcome home many service members hope for.

Saunders served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam era. He says when he returned home, there were few resources, little public support and a lasting sense that Vietnam veterans had to keep their experiences to themselves.

“You just weren’t well respected in many cases you had to, you didn’t really talk about your experiences being in the military and or being in Vietnam,†Saunders said.

Years later, Saunders helped turn that pain into purpose.

In 2007, he and another Marine, John O'Leary, created Warrior Events, a nonprofit organization focused on supporting veterans and their families through events, community connection and acts of service.

Saunders says the mission is simple: bring veterans together.

“The mission of Warrior Events is to bring people together, bring families together because they have the same financial struggles, mental struggles, family struggles,†Saunders said.

Warrior Events hosts a wide range of activities and support efforts for veterans and military families. Saunders says the organization has helped with dinners, sporting events, Gold Star family outings, visits to Walter Reed Medical Center and wish-list support for veterans and their loved ones.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Saunders says Warrior Events delivered 8,500 meals, including thousands to Walter Reed Medical Center.

For Marine veteran Clark Cavalier, the organization made a major difference during his recovery.

Cavalier deployed to Afghanistan in 2011, where he stepped on an improvised explosive device and lost both of his legs. He spent years recovering at Walter Reed, where he first connected with Warrior Events.

“Being at the hospital, it’s just depressing, and there is no normal, you know, you’re you’re living at a hospital,†Cavalier said.

He says Warrior Events would come to Walter Reed, gather veterans and take them out for dinner or another event. Sometimes, he says, the destination mattered less than the chance to leave the hospital.

“It definitely brought some sense of normalcy like things, you know, things can get better. I can have a good time again,†Cavalier said.

Cavalier says the organization helped create space for veterans to talk, connect and heal with people who understood what they were going through.

“Everyone feels more comfortable sharing their experience when someone else with that experience is sharing,†Cavalier said.

Today, Marine veteran Mark Humphries serves as president of Warrior Events. He says the organization is all-volunteer and focused on filling gaps quickly for veterans and their families.

“It’s quick, it’s nimble, we can do things that larger organizations can’t, that have a major impact,†Humphries said.

Humphries says Warrior Events gives veterans a way to reconnect with the camaraderie many had while serving.

Saunders says that is especially important because many veterans leave the service and feel alone. He says his own experience coming home from Vietnam still shapes the way he serves veterans today.

“If I can spread the word to show appreciation to the military. So that they know that they’re appreciated is the most important thing,†Saunders said.

Veterans, military families and community members who want to learn more about Warrior Events can visit here.