VETERANS WATCH
Using CAN-DO’s “No Red Tape” approach, this innovative program, led by retired military veterans, employs our nation’s best to provide unparalleled assistance to those in need by utilizing the skills they mastered in the military.
CAN-DO's Veterans Watch team is a highly mobile and uniquely equipped group of military veterans and other skilled personnel who can deploy immediately following disasters. In addition to providing direct support to survivors and assisting with humanitarian missions, the Veterans Watch team often provides on-the-ground security -- helping deter looting, protect damaged or abandoned properties, and safeguard survivors during the most vulnerable post-disaster period. Their presence brings stability, order, and peace of mind when chaos would otherwise be taken over.
We work with veterans because they are uniquely suited to exist in austere environments and function under the most difficult circumstances while providing unparalleled results to those in need. In the field, nobody is calmer under pressure or better prepared to focus their energy and experience on bringing order to the chaos and safety to citizens.
Unfortunately, after many of our service members return home from combat, they return to a system that fails to reintegrate them back in to civilian life effectively. They find themselves searching for that community and purpose that was the cornerstone of their military experience and most often end up underemployed and struggling to find a sense of purpose.
CAN-DO’s Veterans Watch program provides an opportunity to give veterans a community and clear purposeful missions. They once again find themselves on the front lines, only this time in communities after disasters and with a clear focus on helping others and rebuilding lives. This revolutionary approach to disaster relief not only makes communities in need stronger, but through your donations helps pay the salaries of veterans who regain their sense of self and improve disaster response.
The Veterans Watch program works because:
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CAN-DO has a proven track record in responding to critical situations and providing immediate and direct assistance. The Veterans Watch Teams will fill a unique niche and void that currently exists in the response efforts. By facilitating the recovery process and not competing with other response organizations, CAN-DO will establish a dominant position.
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Military veterans are uniquely skilled in assessing situations, establishing control and coordinating efforts among many different groups. These skills will allow them to facilitate the recovery operations and maximize everyone’s effort in a non-competitive environment.
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Military veterans are skilled, trained and confident to operate in hazardous environments. It’s not a gamble to them – it’s a calculated assessment of the situation through methodical risk assessment and mitigation procedures. Just like the reporters on the Weather Channel who stand on the front lines of a pending disaster, CAN-DO’s Veterans Watch team can also be on front lines reporting and coordinating immediate recovery operations.
TESTIMONIALS
“For me, joining CAN-DO was a way for me to pay it forward now. And some might say ‘well you paid it forward before,’ but this is for me. This is for the healing of my soul. Eric [CAN-DO founder and CEO] inspires me so much. I have never seen a person give so much of himself, and not ask for anything back. So when Eric offered me this job… a job that utilizes the skills I have acquired while serving my country and allows to save and rebuild lives – I was all in.”
Serna is the recipient of many military awards, including two Purple Hearts, three Bronze Stars and a Bronze Star Medal for Valor.
Joseph Serna, U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret (Ret.).
“CAN-DO’s Veterans Watch program was the right fit for me from the beginning. I look at it as us forming a peace army–and I only use the word army because there really is no other word to really capture that. We’re a group of people focused on a mission that is about saving lives, revitalizing communities and getting the job done. And coming from the Special Operations community, part of our strategy for success is something we call force multiplying. You teach the teachers, and then they can take that information and apply it somewhere else in the community after the CAN-DO team leaves. All my experiences both as a soldier and civilian have prepared me to be an asset to this team.”
Laz Corales, U.S. Navy SEAL (2002-2008)
“Coming back from Iraq was extremely difficult for me. I came out of the military and was at a dark place. I knew in order for me to heal, I needed to do something with my life that would honor my brothers that didn’t make it home. In 2011 I started working with CAN-DO and I finally got that feeling back – the feeling that I am finally part of something bigger again, the feeling that I am an asset to humanity. I am not somebody that is taking away from the civilian population. We’re in the business of saving lives and that’s exactly the way it should be. I am truly humbled to give back through humanitarian work and have this second chance at life.”
Kevin Murphy, U.S. Army (2000-2005); water purification specialist