Operation First Response

Since 2004, Operation First Response has stood beside America’s Heroes in their darkest hours.

We were founded with a clear and urgent purpose: to serve Active-Duty Service Members and their families during times of crisis.

For the first five years of our mission, Active-Duty families were the sole focus of our emergency assistance efforts. We walked hospital corridors, supported families through deployments, and responded when injury or tragedy struck without warning.

As the needs of our nation’s Heroes evolved, we expanded our support to include Veterans, proudly standing beside them for 18 years and honoring their continued sacrifices beyond active service.

In 2020, recognizing the mounting pressures placed on those who protect our communities at home, we further expanded our mission to include Active-Duty First Responders.

Today, as global tensions rise and severely injured Service Members return home in real time, we are once again called to respond with urgency and clarity.

We have returned our emergency financial assistance program to its founding purpose, serving Active-Duty Service Members and their families in real time.

In addition, we continue to provide emergency assistance to Active-Duty First Responders and Gold Star Families as part of our expanded mission.

This is not a retreat.

It is a refocus, rooted in responsibility.