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Operation Barnabas supports veteran’s wellness at OP event

By Nick Blank nick@claytodayonline.com
Posted 5/4/22

ORANGE PARK – At 12:04 p.m. Saturday after the National Anthem serenaded the crowd at Operation Barnabas’ “For The Vet We Haven’t Met Yet” event, planes soared above the stage and the crowd …

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Operation Barnabas supports veteran’s wellness at OP event


Posted

ORANGE PARK – At 12:04 p.m. Saturday after the National Anthem serenaded the crowd at Operation Barnabas’ “For The Vet We Haven’t Met Yet” event, planes soared above the stage and the crowd cheered.

During the course of the day at the Orange Park Mall parking lot, the event featured about 70 vendors and a car show, as well as performances from the Curt Towne Band, the Tiffany Sweet Band and Framing the Red.

Operation Barnabas Lead Officer Raylan Heck, a retired U.S. Army Ranger, said 160 volunteers assisted Operation Barnabas throughout the event. The mission of the organization is to address veteran homelessness and suicide with mentors, faith and encouragement. It emphasizes hand-ups instead of handouts.

“To be for a veteran, to be for grace, it is just a huge opportunity to bring everybody together,” Heck said.

Operation Barnabas also has veteran housing, Fort Grace, and hotel rooms for veterans in need. Heck referred to the group’s namesake, Saint Barnabas, as someone who encouraged and empowered others.

Heck said making a veteran whole again is a comprehensive process, meaning they could need food, shelter or employment, which the organization can assist with.

“A main part of what we’re doing is action, we stand on faith,” Heck said. “We operate from a place of action and encouragement.”

Ben Hickey, a U.S. Navy veteran who chairs Operation Barnabas’ board of directors, said the organization doesn’t let people go. Mentors are assigned to veterans at different steps and the group highlights following through, Hickey said.

Hickey has been on the board since September. He used an acronym, WIT (Whatever It Takes) as the organization’s philosophy to help veterans.

“They’ve got like-minded people who have been through the stuff they are going through,” he said. “We instill in them that they are not alone. That we love them. That they’ve got a place.”

“It’s not somebody on the phone saying, ‘I’ll be back in two weeks,’” Heck added. “It’s literally relationships.”

Army veteran Jordan Brimlow also joined Operation Barnabas about eight months ago as a participant. He said the organization works 24/7 for veterans and is willing to drop everything in the early hours of the morning.

“When the veteran is there and doesn’t know what the resources are, (Operation Barnabas) is there and there’s action,” Brimlow said.

He said there will always be more veterans to help. Reaching out is the first step, Brimlow said. He added that the organization gives a struggling veteran hope and a group that can root for them.

“I’m doing it for guys like me,” Brimlow said.