A nonprofit that started over 10 years ago in Afghanistan is continuing to give American heroes a much-needed reprieve on Alabama's Gulf Coast.
Air Force veteran Ryan Charrier got the idea for Operation ReConnect while deployed to Afghanistan in 2014, when he asked his comrades what they wanted when they got home.
"Unanimously, across the board it was, 'I want to spend time with my family," Charrier remembered. "Nobody wanted a parade. Nobody wanted a discount at Applebee's. Everybody wanted just that quality time with their family."
So it was that a new mission was on Charrier's mind: Giving combat veterans a break on the beautiful beaches Alabama has to offer.
"Our mission is very simple," Charrier said. "What we do is we bring combat veterans down to the Alabama Gulf Coast when they come home from an overseas deployment. And we hand them the keys to either a condominium or beach home for free for seven days so they can have time to reconnect with their family."
To raise money for the trips, Operation ReConnect gives away a different set of keys each year. Since 2017, the nonprofit has held a vehicle giveaway.
This year, a fully customized Jeep Wrangler will be given away. Charrier said there is always a theme for the vehicle, but a constant is a patriotic slogan.
"We always have the preamble to the Constitution, 'We the People,' either draped over the hood or the front grill of the vehicles, because at the end of the day, it is 'We the People' that make everything happen," he said. "I know a lot of people like to lean on and rely on the government, but if people forget that it's 'We the People's' tax money that allows the government to function."
This year's Jeep comes from Chuck Stevens Automotive in Bay Minette. Rough Country in Tennessee is managing the build, and a SWAT sniper with the Mobile County Sheriff's Office will do the hand-painting elements. The final assembly will be in Foley.
The drawing will be on Veterans Day. Ticket purchasing information is online.
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