THE PROBLEM:   First, let’s address the Root Cause of the problem.  It is simple.  The military (All Branches) historically and today, does an unbelievable job of TRAINING our soldiers - to not be individuals, but members of a fully functional TEAM with a MISSION.   As a member of this TEAM – everyone has a role, responsibility to themselves, but more importantly to the TEAM.   If that TEAM is engaged in active combat this ETHOS is even more intense.   It is physical conditioning combined with mental preparedness – the likes for which are required when your life, your TEAM, or your country is at risk.

Nothing like this exists in the outside world.   Not in Corporate America, main street, the trades or schools.  And when the Service man or woman leaves the military, even with the Military de-briefing outplacement programs, the real world just does not have this intensity, TEAM structure, or even close to the responsibility every TEAM member in a combat operation accepts.

Therefore, the veteran, when they leave the service…. is ALL ALONE.   No mission, no purpose, often no job and maybe no outside skills with the same level of responsibility they had in the Military.   Often the family bonds are NOT as great as the military TEAM.   When family bonds are strong, and a JOB awaits the VET, then Vets flourish with their training.

But that is the 20% rule.    80% of the Veterans do NOT leave the service under these conditions.   They are NOT trained to survive on their own, depression sets in, followed by drinking and drugs.  Then the downward self-destruction spiral begins – all to often without “their TEAM” to bring them BACK.    It is the perfect storm for self-destruct 101.

Only another veteran can feel their pain or understand what they are going through.  Military service is beyond a Fraternity of Brothers.  This ethos is ingrained in their sole.   This is like pro sports football players…  who retire without any outside business experience, but because they are rich - family ties are strong and they do not have to re-join society.  Those without a support system represent a smaller population that the League can manage.

THE SOLUTION:   It is also simple.  It is more than counseling or medication.   It is the creation and operation of a local TEAM House where veterans work with other Veterans to achieve a “COMMUNITY CAUSE”.   That is defined as “helping others”.   This is the KEY.   It is NOT treating Vets as VICTUMS, but the focus is on Veterans “giving back” something to the community.  That is why they joined the service in the first place.    “Giving back” is MISSION #1.

Now to achieve this civic mission, we need an actively engaged TEAM of Vets where job #1 is to recruit the TEAM of Veterans to form the house and achieve the MISSION.   THIS is where fixing ALL of the local VETS come in.   This is where the “comrade-in-arms” comes in.    This is where the leadership within the TEAM House, civilians’ sponsors, and ex-military support the TEAM House Mission is engaged.   This is where the Knights of Columbus or "the church" provide an invaluable role setting up the TEAM House.

The TEAM House formation and structure is identical to forming a Fraternity on Campus.   It has elders (the Knights) that provide RULES for the Formation, along with “Boots-on-the-Ground” Advisors to get the initial chapter formed and organized.   The house organization is identical to Military Teams with leadership, goals and objectives.   Typically, the process starts meeting in the Parish to establish an infrastructure and identify the local mission and potential TEAM House locations.

Mission #2 is to recruit and prepare the troops to address the mission.   That is where each TEAM House recruits the Vets living in homeless shelters, on the streets, under a bridge, or others that have gone astray.   Now, they can become a part of a greater CAUSE.  However, they know this is the reason they must “get clean” to again be a part of a TEAM and a CAUSE.   Back to the military ETHOS – “No man left behind”.

Mission #3 is to connect with the other Veteran Organizations operating in the local area.  The objective is to determine HOW the TEAM can assist and support them in accomplishing their Mission.

The VETERAN TEAM HOUSE is not new.     This concept has been independently piloted.   The problem is local community leadership support, funding to sustain the home, meaningful projects to excite the TEAM and that can SCALE to sustain momentum.   In another words – A professional roadmap to take this model to the NEXT level of support, funding and results.

That brings us back to the Solution referenced above.   1) Established Boots on the ground Organization, 2) Major Corporate and Non-Profit Support, 3) Technology to connect ALL the participants

Let’s address each of the major Partner’s requirements to make a measurable impact on Veterans and to societal causes.

Catholic Church Knights of Columbus. They represent a quality organization with Boots on the Ground with existing Veteran Programs and a "point of presence" in every town and village.   Veteran TEAM Houses represent a great local Project and running local Classic Car shows represents a TEAM “Project” to raise awareness and funds for local Charities.  Vets love Cars/Trucks/Motorcycles.   The Knights Veteran TEAM House also opens the door to subtlety engage the TEAM House Veterans in other civic projects and Catholic Ministries that adds both community purpose, plus vital VET enrichment and healing to the TEAM House Mission.  This is a WIN-WIN for the Veteran, the Church and the Community.

U.S. VETS. A National Veteran non-profit based in Houston, Texas that is focused on Homeless Veterans. They are the operator of an annual collectible car show in Houston to raise funds for Charities.  U.S. Vets has plans to expand to 4 regional shows (Guitars & Cars) to promote their Veteran Non-Profit cause and raise funds.   This program represents an ideal opportunity to partner with the Knights Veterans TEAMs as “Boots-on-the-Ground” in these 4 Cities and make the U.S. Vets Regional Car Show a Mega Success.    The TEAM House can continue running local Car Shows monthly, as well as promote and manage their Virtual Car Show supporting the U.S. Vets Annual Regional Events.

U.S. Vets, main offices in Houston, Texas, has project locations in 12 cities in the U.S.     Their solution focus on providing Homes and Services for Vets.   Housing is in the form of the development of Villages - each project unique to the local project team resident in each city.   Services can be developed locally and at corporate headquarters - and spread to each City Project Unit.

The Veteran TEAM HOUSE is an excellent "Feeder-Farm" for the U.S. Vets Villages!      The formation of a Team House is simple and inexpensive compared to building a "Village".   It engages pillars of the community that have access to both counseling, medical and religious services.   The TEAM HOUSE  attracts both Veterans in need of help and others who want to Help their fellow vets.

Veterans Match Market – an enterprise scale iMatch community serving as the database for the Global Veteran Ecosystem, that includes a national Veterans Car Collector Association providing Automation and Training for Veteran TEAMS running physical and virtual local car shows using the Virtual Garage and eCar Show Registry Platforms – Used by U.S. Vets.   What’s missing is… a local point of presence and programs (aka: TEAM House) and support from major Veteran Organizations to drive the local adoption as a pre-requisite to SCALE.

Veterans Match Market "connects" veterans to veterans, veterans to companies offering product discounts to veterans (Home Depot) as well as Veterans organizations providing services and even Jobs for veterans.   What makes Veteran Match Market so unique is that it enables veterans to profile who they are today and create a sub-profile on each of the units they served and civilian jobs they had.   What's neat is they can SEARCH and define what MATCH criteria they want to "Connect" with their Profile and each Sub-Profile they create.   Matches are delivered to their back office 24/7 enabling the Vet to store in Folders they name or trash and never get them again.

TEAM House:   The “place” where Veterans meet to carry out their MISSION.   It can be an actual house, a meeting place – like a restaurant, or even more perfect - a Parish.   Meetings are based on the TEAM House Mission and Projects.   Larger scale TEAM Houses can even house Veteran residents – each with significant roles in the TEAM operation.  One example is a defunct Motel that the Veterans totally remodel as a civic project and use to house Veterans returning from service or transitioning life’s many changes.    One of the initial TEAM discussions is finding the appropriate TEAM House and then sourcing the funds from Government (Fed/State/Local) to acquire and refurbish.

TEAM Mission:   Critical and essential, as defined above, is the charitable Social Cause beginning with the local area.   These are defined as “Community Projects” and “Social Good“.  They are the FOCUS for the Veteran TEAM House, even though we know beneath that CAUSE is the caregiving and wellness of our returning Veterans.   This is Veterans taking care of Veterans.   Again, Veterans are not the Victims – they are the Solution.

TEAM Building:    Veterans listen ONLY to other Veterans and the bond is unbreakable – no man left behind.   The TEAM House and Mission position the Veterans to also enrich their lives and TEAM Members as they did in the services with recreational activities, such as TEAM sports (Softball, Pickleball, and Basketball – not to include eSports and even game competitions.   Education is not excluded to include full time, part time or online.  Veterans embrace training.

The PLAN to make this Happen:   The bigger the cause, the bigger the Impact, but…the harder and longer it to takes to implement and see results.   This is similar to making a ‘Battleship turn in a Channel”.   Even more difficult when the Battleship consists of three autonomous sections that must execute in unison.

Another analogy is… ”How do you eat an elephant?”   The answer is…” One bite at a time”.    Therefore, with the Veteran TEAM House, we are proposing three distinct phases.

Phase I.   Distribute this White Paper, a Power Point Pitch Deck and Video outlining the Veterans TEAM House to the Knights of Columbus (Atlanta) and US Vets Headquarters located in Houston.   Pitch and make presentations to answer any and all questions to get “Buy-In”, or “Rejection”, from both organizations.

Phase II.  Assuming we get approval from both key parties – Launch a PILOT program in Atlanta creating the nation’s first TEAM House sponsored by a Knights of Columbus Parish and the Atlanta Arch Dioceses.

Phase III.   Pilot the first Veteran TEAM House Car Show in Atlanta followed by the first Virtual Car Show for Charity.   This success will launch the National Program by the Catholic Knights and US Vets

Phase IV.   Launch the National Vets TEAM House Program.

Why is all this possible?    Because the author is a Veteran, distinguished Entrepreneur, owner of a Non-Profit, plus the owner of large-scale software development companies that serve Web3 communities – one of which addresses the Collectible Car Market that has U.S. Vets as a customer for their Guitars & Cars Car Shows.    The author knows first-hand the above proposal will make a major difference for our veterans and local communities.

Even more important, the author has the technology to provide the digital infrastructure to connect ALL the entities and project control.    The author also knows that Technology “Alone”, although critical, will not make the MISSION happen (scale) without “Boots-on-the-Ground” and the national point-of-presence provided by partners like U.S. Vets.    Together…  It is a WIN-WIN-WIN for the challenges our Veterans, communities and religions face going forward.