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Operation Patriots FOB asks for $6M to build a veterans’ wellness center
Summary
Operation Patriots FOB requested $5 million for a wellness and resource center and $1 million for operating expenses, describing expanded programming, a growing number of visits, and plans to expand land and services for veterans and first responders.
Roy Brown, founder of Operation Patriots FOB, told the subcommittee the organization is seeking $5,000,000 to build a wellness and resource center on its property and an additional $1,000,000 for operating expenses. Brown described programs the group runs — including a service-dog program and a Homes for Heroes mortgage gift — and said the facility hosts events and training for veterans, first responders and law-enforcement partners.
Brown said Operation Patriots FOB owns about 268 acres in Ridgewell, South Carolina, and is pursuing an additional 550 acres for outdoor programming. He reported that since the organization began it has recorded roughly 45,000 visits over about five-and-a-half years and that visits increased by about 17,000 last year. Brown framed the center as a suicide-prevention and peer-support initiative for veterans and first responders and asked for legislative support to build a permanent headquarters and expand staffing for outreach and operations.
Committee members thanked Brown and expressed support; Representative Lonnie Hosey offered to follow up. Brown estimated reach by referencing a 90-minute drive radius and relationships with military bases and the VA but did not provide formal metrics or third-party evaluations in the hearing record.
