Jason’s story
Chief’s going to be so mad when he realizes WE’ve used his enlistment photo.
All good stories are better told in person by the one that lived it. Since you are on the website, instead of shaking Jason’s hand right now, this will have to do.
Trust us, it’s worth it to hear this in person.
Through my 26 years of service I have been witness to the actions and values of the military community – which inspired me to honor the legacy that is the children they left behind.
After 14 years in the Navy, on June 28, 2005, Operation Redwing took the lives of ten Navy Seals. While I was not on the ground in Afghanistan on that day, I had the honor of meeting those guys before they left on deployment and had spent some time training with them. I watched that day as the families were notified. Children were told that their fathers died heroes; wives told their loved ones were brave men and died doing what they loved. Later that week I was present at the memorial for the fallen. Their children would stay in the forefront of my mind for many years to come.
In the summer of 2007, I was halfway through a deployment to Iraq when tragedy struck my own family and I was called home on emergency leave. The night before I left country, I was sitting with my teammate, Jason Lewis, who assured me that they would be fine and that they would be there when I got back. He told me he would take my seat while I went home to tend to my family. On July 6, 2007, Jason, along with Steven Daugherty and Robert McRill were killed by an IED while conducting an operation. A week later, I attended their memorial service and watched their children stand tall for their families. I continued to think of them, the way they are forced by circumstances to grow up so early and how they simply need the chance to be kids and enjoy their childhoods.
In 2009, while assigned to the USS Stephen W. Groves FFG-29, I was speaking with a fellow shipmate who told me how his son had had such a great time at summer camp that year. Right there, it all clicked. I began to investigate how we could send the children of fallen heroes to summer camp.
In December of 2010, along with my wife, Friends Never Forget was founded with love for our country, love for our friends and love for our military. In 2019 we focused on our brand messaging. We renamed our camp initiative ‘Operation Camp’ and are working on expanding our support for this community under the FNF umbrella.
My time in the service gave me both brothers and sisters in arms – and friends. I have made several tours of combat in Somalia, the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan. I was always taught that you only have your team – so you must take care of them. I feel it is my duty to continue this culture of caring for the families that have given so much to our country and to me personally.