56 • MARCH 2024
Veterans Helping Veterans “And the truth is that all veterans pay with their lives. Some pay all at once, while others pay over a lifetime.” - JM STORM Each year, Hometown Magazines is privileged to honor local non-profits at their Best of the Best Red Carpet event. After community voting, this year’s Best Non-Profit winner was 5th Squad, an organization whose mission is to assist veterans across the state of Mississippi. The idea for 5th Squad began in 2016 with four members of the 184th Sustainment Command. One of those men, 5th Squad President and Co-Founder Lee Stringer, has served in the Army for more than twenty-three years and is currently a sergeants major with the 184th SC and defense movement coordinator for the Mississippi National Guard. “The idea for 5th Squad developed one weekend at Camp Shelby, after a situation where a fellow soldier needed help with a utility bill,” says Stringer. “Several of us pooled our money to pay the bill, but it got us thinking that it would be great to start an organization to provide assistance to service members in need so they don’t have to swallow their pride and ask friends for help. We knew there were other organizations that provide assistance to veterans, but often, the help doesn’t arrive in time to meet immediate needs. 5th Squad provided us with a way to not only help service members like our friend, but others across the state. It gives us the means to help and gives veterans an organization to turn to, since asking for help can be a difficult thing for them to do.” 5th Squad became an official 501c3 in 2018 and has had tremendous support. They have indeed been able to assist veterans in a timely manner, just as they had hoped, without the red tape that is sometimes unavoidable with other organizations. Veterans connect with them in many ways; some contact them directly, and some are referred from Veterans Affairs or other organizations that feel 5th Squad could better serve the need at hand. “Once we receive a request for assistance, we verify that the applicant is an active service member, or a veteran who completed his or her initial enlistment and was discharged honorably,” says Stringer. “Upon verification, we move forward with determining how we can help with life-sustaining issues, such as money for housing, groceries, or utilities.” Through partnerships with other organizations and the generous support of individuals, 5th Squad has also been able to provide wheelchair ramps, roofs, a van with wheelchair lift, and an electric wheelchair, among other things. Last fall, Keesler Federal Credit Union provided rolling duffle bags with dental kits and other necessities for over 650 homeless veterans. 5th Squad distributed those bags to homeless and needy veterans on the coast and in Jackson. One of the biggest events of the year for 5th Squad is Ruck for Rugrats. This communitywide event gives 5th Squad and its supporters the opportunity to provide patients at Children’s of Mississippi with gifts and Christmas cheer. Participants walk approximately four and a half miles to the hospital, their rucksacks filled with toys. “Soldiers understand being away from home during the holidays, and while we don’t compare our situation to theirs, we can understand how these children may be feeling being away from home during Christmas,” says Stringer. “This event is truly a community effort. The first year, we had approximately thirty people walking, and $6,000 worth of toys donated. Last year, we had 450 walkers and over $120,000 in toy donations.” As defense movement coordinator, Lee Stringer coordinates deployments for service members in Mississippi, so he is very familiar with the long hours spent at the 172nd Airlift Wing as they wait for flights taking them to their assignment. “As these men and women wait, they are often filled with nervousness and anticipation, and 5th Squad is there to provide snacks and drinks and just spend time with them,” he says. ”This is just one more way we support service members.” Like any non-profit, 5th Squad relies on donations and volunteers to achieve its mission. Thankfully, they have been blessed by both, and Stringer points out that there are many ways for community members to help servicemen and women and their families. “Bring the garbage can in for the family of a deployed service member, offer to cut their grass,” Stringer says. “Small gestures can mean the world to these families, and for those wanting to support 5th Squad monetarily, a monthly donation of just $10 can do so much to assist with immediate needs.” As the organization continues to grow, those involved have the same mindset they did in the beginning stages of 5th Squad, which is to help veterans however they can. “If we can provide something,” Stringer says, “why wouldn’t we?” For more information about the mission of 5th Squad, visit www.5thsquad.com or follow them on Facebook @5thsquadMS. Hometown MADISON • 57