Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are struggling severely, and we as a nation are failing them. These two wars have produced nearly 3 million veterans. When those troops return, they face numerous challenges in readjusting to civilian life. While some troops readjust well, almost half report having significant difficulties. The unemployment rate among post-9/11 veterans far exceeds that of nonveterans. The majority of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans say they “sometimes or often feel disconnected from civilian life,” and significant numbers report that both their physical and emotional health are worse than they were when they were deployed. As of 2014, there were nearly 50,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who were either homeless or at risk of homelessness.
We must go above and beyond in our support to help our national heroes. Because the challenges faced by returning military service members are the result of a complex interplay of factors, a sophisticated, individualized, holistic approach to scaffolding their transition back to civilian life is crucial. As a nation, we owe it to the men and women who risked their lives defending our country and our way of life to do everything in our power to help them succeed, professionally and personally, once they have completed their service.
While efforts are being made, they fall short given the enormity of the challenge. Several initiatives, both governmental and non-governmental, exist to support our veterans. There is, however, a societal consensus that they have not produced the results needed. While some of these initiatives aim at comprehensiveness in the services they provide, many are niche initiatives, and, by and large, they do not provide the level, quality, and nature of support that veterans need to achieve their fullest potential.
A holistic, ecosystem approach is needed to initiate a virtuous, self-perpetuating and reinforcing cycle of growth for the professional and personal success of our veterans. This means enhancing our veterans’ social and economic mobility by equipping them with the skills, confidence, knowledge, and connections they need in order to thrive in civilian society. We have developed Heroes’ Horizon to deliver on this vision.
Our program is the Ivy League equivalent of veterans support services. Based on the achievements of our Khan Mentors’ clients, we are confident that Heroes’ Horizon will change the paradigm of what constitutes success for our veterans. As a for-benefit entity, we avoid the obstacles that hamper non-profits from maximizing their impact, yet our original, three-tiered strategic volunteering approach generates dollar-for-dollar social value while empowering veterans to propel themselves and one another to success. As a company founded by successful academicians and entrepreneurs, we have the vision, understanding, expertise, and capabilities to set a new industry standard and make our country finally live up to its full responsibility to our men and women in uniform.
We ask for your support in order to realize our mission.