After being medically retired in 2013 due to injuries suffered in Afghanistan, Army veteran Brandon Cabalar struggled to redefine his purpose.

“I just kind of lost my place in the world,” said Cabalar, who was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan for combat operations. “I felt like I was just letting my family down. I was letting my country down.”

Soon, Cabalar found himself struggling with PTSD, his mental health deteriorating. He started contemplating suicide.

“My wife and my kids walked in on me about to pull that trigger,” he said, recalling the day he came close to taking his life. His wife and kids had just left to go out, but she had forgotten something at home. For Cabalar, it was a divine intervention.

“It was God, honestly. God stopping everything from happening,” he said. “I ended up trying to get help. And then my wife kind of forcibly pushed me through a peer support group.”

Now, he’s hoping to help other veterans find their way via his nonprofit, The Warfighters Mission, which launched in September 2024. The organization’s mission is exemplified by Bible verse Luke 15:4-7, in which Jesus speaks of a shepherd who leaves the 99 to seek out the one lost sheep.

“That’s what I was — I was that one,” he said. “So we’re always looking for that one, somebody that is struggling, that could use just some help, use purpose.”

The idea was on his mind for a while, but it wasn’t until after the birth of his seventh daughter in March that he moved forward.

“God finally told me it’s time to start working on this and giving back to helping my fellow brothers and my sisters who are still lost,” Cabalar said.

The Warfighters Mission has three programs designed to help veterans and active duty service members, including the Outpost Peer Support, Computers for Heroes and Christmas for Heroes.

The peer support portion of The Warfighters Mission offers one-on-one counseling led by Cabalar. The organization has started hosting group sessions, although it is still looking for a permanent venue.

“When I’m talking to other veterans, it kind of helps me, because it’s a confirmation of I’m not alone,” he said. “I will meet them anywhere, at any time, at any place. It doesn’t matter. It’s a battle buddy system, where I will just come and sit with you. I’ll just come and hear what you have to say if you’re struggling if you’re in crisis.”

The Christmas for Heroes program selects in-need military families to help out for the holidays. Last December, the organization fulfilled Christmas lists for three families, also providing several gift cards for family activities, a date night for parents and a honey-baked ham for Christmas dinner. As a ministry, the nonprofit also gifted families a Bible with their names on it.

The concept for the Christmas for Heroes program came from Cabalar’s experience, having been retired right before the holidays. During that transitional period, while waiting for payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs, his family was living off his Social Security disability. With dwindling financial resources, Cabalar and his wife had no idea how they would pay for Christmas — until an organization reached out to let them know that it would sponsor their family, fulfilling their Christmas list.

“We had to choose between mortgage and Christmas,” he recalled. “That little bit of joy was amazing. … Giving back to people that were just in my situation, that’s just what we try to accomplish.”

The Computers for Heroes Program is designed to help service members who might be struggling to get out of the house. For it, Cabalar builds personal computers that he provides free of charge to veterans in need.

The program encourages veterans to seek help via telemedicine, as well as provides another access point to peer support groups, Cabalar said. The nonprofit founder is working to start a monthly virtual peer support group.

“A lot of these guys, they just don’t want to leave their house, whether it’s because of the PTSD, being in crowds, or the familiarity of being safe at home,” he said. “The beauty of computers is this world right now is all online.”

Cabalar looks forward to expanding services to reach more veterans in need.

“That’s why our slogan is ‘Uplifting Heroes, Providing Purpose.’ It’s something that’s really important to us,” he said. “All I care about is the people, and how can I help them.”

After being medically retired in 2013 due to injuries suffered in Afghanistan, Army veteran Brandon Cabalar struggled to redefine his purpose.

“I just kind of lost my place in the world,” said Cabalar, who was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan for combat operations. “I felt like I was just letting my family down. I was letting my country down.”

Soon, Cabalar found himself struggling with PTSD, his mental health deteriorating. He started contemplating suicide.

“My wife and my kids walked in on me about to pull that trigger,” he said, recalling the day he came close to taking his life. His wife and kids had just left to go out, but she had forgotten something at home. For Cabalar, it was a divine intervention.

“It was God, honestly. God stopping everything from happening,” he said. “I ended up trying to get help. And then my wife kind of forcibly pushed me through a peer support group.”

Now, he’s hoping to help other veterans find their way via his nonprofit, The Warfighters Mission, which launched in September 2024. The organization’s mission is exemplified by Bible verse Luke 15:4-7, in which Jesus speaks of a shepherd who leaves the 99 to seek out the one lost sheep.

“That’s what I was — I was that one,” he said. “So we’re always looking for that one, somebody that is struggling, that could use just some help, use purpose.”

The idea was on his mind for a while, but it wasn’t until after the birth of his seventh daughter in March that he moved forward.

“God finally told me it’s time to start working on this and giving back to helping my fellow brothers and my sisters who are still lost,” Cabalar said.

The Warfighters Mission has three programs designed to help veterans and active duty service members, including the Outpost Peer Support, Computers for Heroes and Christmas for Heroes.

The peer support portion of The Warfighters Mission offers one-on-one counseling led by Cabalar. The organization has started hosting group sessions, although it is still looking for a permanent venue.

“When I’m talking to other veterans, it kind of helps me, because it’s a confirmation of I’m not alone,” he said. “I will meet them anywhere, at any time, at any place. It doesn’t matter. It’s a battle buddy system, where I will just come and sit with you. I’ll just come and hear what you have to say if you’re struggling if you’re in crisis.”

The Christmas for Heroes program selects in-need military families to help out for the holidays. Last December, the organization fulfilled Christmas lists for three families, also providing several gift cards for family activities, a date night for parents and a honey-baked ham for Christmas dinner. As a ministry, the nonprofit also gifted families a Bible with their names on it.

The concept for the Christmas for Heroes program came from Cabalar’s experience, having been retired right before the holidays. During that transitional period, while waiting for payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs, his family was living off his Social Security disability. With dwindling financial resources, Cabalar and his wife had no idea how they would pay for Christmas — until an organization reached out to let them know that it would sponsor their family, fulfilling their Christmas list.

“We had to choose between mortgage and Christmas,” he recalled. “That little bit of joy was amazing. … Giving back to people that were just in my situation, that’s just what we try to accomplish.”

The Computers for Heroes Program is designed to help service members who might be struggling to get out of the house. For it, Cabalar builds personal computers that he provides free of charge to veterans in need.

The program encourages veterans to seek help via telemedicine, as well as provides another access point to peer support groups, Cabalar said. The nonprofit founder is working to start a monthly virtual peer support group.

“A lot of these guys, they just don’t want to leave their house, whether it’s because of the PTSD, being in crowds, or the familiarity of being safe at home,” he said. “The beauty of computers is this world right now is all online.”

Cabalar looks forward to expanding services to reach more veterans in need.

“That’s why our slogan is ‘Uplifting Heroes, Providing Purpose.’ It’s something that’s really important to us,” he said. “All I care about is the people, and how can I help them.”