OpsLens Deck of 52 Most Wanted Post 9/11 Frontline Leaders
In 2018, as a spin-off and salute to the original 2003 deck of 52 Most Wanted playing cards, let’s honor post 9/11 frontline leaders here at home. Once a week, for 52 weeks this year, OpsLens will post a card highlighting one of the 52 Most Wanted Post 9/11 Frontline Leaders. You’ll learn the top facts about their business or organization, as well as why they made the list, which comes down to impact, scalability, health, and unique value proposition.
I encourage you to look for these weekly updates, share the card with your network, and support or buy the products and services they offer. See the 52 Most Wanted Post 9/11 Frontline Leaders launch story here.
Ace of Clubs | The Mission Continues
It is the ultimate club. Membership is not tied to a crimson red of a football jersey, or the tassels that hung from a mortarboard upon graduation. The alumni network for this club runs deeper than class reunions and employment connections. Some may describe it to be like a family, but different, in that the intensity of the bonds made are tribal. The name of this ultimate club is veteran.
A veteran is a person who served in the armed forces. Whether garrison or in combat, it is the power of service that transforms the individual who selflessly takes an oath to defend and protect. Being a part of a unit and having mission focus are attributes that tend to remain once a service member no longer wears the nation’s uniform. This truth is the foundation to one of the most successful post 9/11 national non-profits, The Mission Continues. Founded in 2007 by U.S. Navy Reserve Officer Eric Greitens, this organization empowers veterans who are adjusting to life at home to find purpose through community impact.
Despite the controversial news this year that the founder was accused of misusing the charity’s donor list for political purposes, this commanding outfit carries forward with unfettered resolve to operate as a nonpartisan organization, dedicated to bringing together veterans and innovative civilian leaders to create transformational change for communities in need. With more than 80 service platoons in 49 cities across the country, it is indisputable that The Mission Continues lives up to the veracity of the declaration that nonprofits belong to a community, not to an individual.
Check out their numbers for yourself, and also take note that this year they launched the inaugural class of their Service Leadership Corps, in addition to pioneering an annual gathering for women veterans (the fourth annual Women Veterans Leadership Summit will be in March 2019). Year after year, The Mission Continues deploys thousands of veterans who partner with a broad spectrum of organizations and community leaders to solve some of the most challenging issues of our time—such as improving education resources, eliminating food deserts, mentoring at-risk youth, and more. And by the way, membership to serve alongside veterans is open to every person who would like to join this club.
The Mission Continues is a frontline leader that should be on your list of most-wanted charities to support in 2018.
Frontline Leader (Founder): Eric Greitens.
Name of Company/Organization: The Mission Continues, founded 2007.
Location: HQ in St. Louis, Missouri, with more than 80 chapters all across the country.
Post 9/11 Service Connection: U.S. Navy Reserve.
Tours of Duty: Deployed four times (Iraq, Afghanistan, Horn of Africa, Southeast Asia).
One sentence tagline &/or mission statement: Reporting for Duty in Your Community.
Website: https://missioncontinues.org/
“A burning desire to serve others bonds all veterans – across generations, geographies, and demographics. That desire rests in the heart of The Mission Continues.” – Spencer Kympton, President of The Mission Continues
