A nonprofit organization is marking the more than 20 years since the attacks on 9/11 by honoring the service and sacrifice of the all-volunteer force that has served in the wake of that day.
Throughout the year, The Mission Continue’s Operation Enduring Service campaign will shine a light on the spirit of service, both in uniform and within the community, through an extended service and storytelling campaign.
“We are working to connect veterans with opportunities for service here at home once they leave the service,” said The Mission Continues President, Mary Beth Bruggeman, who served as an officer in the Marine Corps.
Operation Enduring Service launched in July and features five signature projects along with more than 80 community service projects across the country, running through Veterans Day in November.
“The campaign is designed to commemorate the day of 9/11, the 20th anniversary, it’s amazing it’s been 20 years and to celebrate the two decades of service that were sparked on 9/11 20 years ago,” she said.
Over the Sept. 11 weekend, over 2,000 veterans and volunteers banded together to participate in the campaign.
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Bruggeman is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and earned her Master of Policy Management degree at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. She served in the Marines for eight years, deploying to Kuwait in 2003, crossing the border into Iraq as part of the initial invasion force
“When veterans come home, there can be a really significant gap that forms,” she said. “This is what happened with me when I took my uniform off for the last time in 2007. I felt I had taken my purpose off with my uniform and put it on the shelf in my closet and closed the door and that was it for me.”
Bruggeman said she wasn’t sure what was next and that she didn’t know how to find the impact she had while spending eight years on active duty.
“I searched for it, frankly, in so many ways until I finally found The Mission Continues,” she said.
Bruggeman joined The Mission Continues in 2015 as the executive director for the Southeast Region, advancing to her current leadership role as president in 2019.
Through service projects, she said veterans can create connections and relationships, deepening their sense of belonging and purpose as well as empowering them to make a positive impact once they are back home.
“The Mission Continues is helping veterans to do that, so it’s really a match made in heaven when we bring the two together,” she said.
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Over the next few months, The Mission Continues service platoons in more than 40 cities across the country have 80 projects planned from now through Nov. 11.
“In those projects, they will be partnering with community organizations that are looking to tap into the leadership and skills and resources that veterans can bring and deliver,” explained Bruggeman. “The veterans are going to gain a tremendous impact from being able to give back alongside each other and find that purpose again.”
To learn more about The Mission Continues, visit here.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
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