RBC Wealth Management has partnered with the nonprofit Three Rangers Foundation to honor and remember veterans through their hard times of transition.
Ending a military career can be tough, for not only the veteran, but also their family. That's where the nonprofit Three Rangers Foundation steps in to help.
"We found that it was important for the foundation to focus on soldiers from the 75th soldiers regiment,” said Marcus Hull who is Three Rangers Foundation Chairman of the Board and is a Financial Advisor for RBC Wealth Management.
Hull said Three Rangers Foundation provides resources to rangers who are transitioning to civilian life. This is done through their Ranger for Life program.
"It's a Department of Defense approved program where we'll meet with rangers as early as 18 months before they separate and we focus on the big five most important things which are VA benefits, financial wellness, spiritual wellness, physical wellness and mentorship,” said Hull.
It's a program that medically retired army ranger Moses Matthews said led him down the right path.
"If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't even know where I'd be,” said Matthews.
Matthews had plans to finish out 20 years serving in the army. Something that was pulled from right under him at the age of 22.
"Getting my monthly check up the doctor told me, 'hey your immune system it's a little overactive',” said Matthews.
After some tests they found out he had an autoimmune disease and was told he would be medically retired. After serving four years and multiple deployments to Afghanistan, he no longer knew what his future held.
"As I was going through my five stages of grief, depression and trying to find out what this new disease was,” said Matthews. “The rangers of the past were reaching out to me.”
The mentorship program helped guide him through the difficult transition and before he knew it, a job was lined up.
"Lucky enough I was able to start a job four days after I had my DD214 retirement paper, I walked into a new job,” said Matthews.
It's not always the ranger that needs help. Another focus of the nonprofit is supporting Gold Star families who lost a member during combat. Sharing their story at events ensures the ranger is never forgotten.
"It took a long time for me to get where I am with accepting Dominick’s death,” said Jennifer Pilla who is the sister of SGT. Dominick Pilla, who was a U.S. Army Ranger. "His unit was sent to Mogadishu, Somalia and he was killed in a battle known as operation Gothic Serpent, most people know it as the battle of ‘Black Hawk Down,’ said Pilla.
He was the first casualty of that battle on October of 1993. While she said it's not often the Gold Star family speaks publicly of Dominick’s death, it's the support that's needed
"It helps keep Dominick’s memory alive and that's the goal,” said Pilla.