Veterans organization to connect the disconnected at Saturday event

Paul Davis was active duty in the Marine Corps for nearly a decade, with deployments to Afghanistan and Jordan in support of America's wars in the Middle East.

When he left the military in the end of 2018, he got a good job at Boston Scientific, but he experienced the same feeling many veterans get when they leave the military: of disconnect, and of missing how things used to be.

"You had this sense of purpose and drive and fulfillment that was always there," said Davis, 34, of St. Michael. "I got out and went into a great job with a great company, but that sense of fulfillment and camaraderie and togetherness was not the same."

So he started volunteering for a Minnesota-based, veteran-focused nonprofit called Project Got Your Back. He quickly rose to become the organization's chair, then its executive director. Its mission is simple, Davis said: "We want to connect those unconnected veterans so they know they're not alone."

The organization is hosting its biggest event of the year Saturday, almost exactly 21 years after terrorists commandeered airplanes and sparked two wars that sent millions of American service members into combat.

The goal of R&R on the Lawn at Magnus Veterans Foundation Wellness Campus in Dayton is simple: Connect those disconnected veterans to each other, and to resources that can help. The event will feature music, food trucks, beverage tents and booths from veteran-focused organizations such as the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans, the Wounded Warrior Project and Wings for Widows, which helps widows of veterans with financial planning. Former Army Ranger Kris Paronto will speak at 6 p.m.

Project Got Your Back starts with the premise that there are so many veteran organizations out there, and so many veterans who need help, but no one to connect those dots.

One recent success story: A local veteran was deep into substance abuse. He had no home, no car, no job, and needed intense, one-on-one help. Project Got Your Back helped land him an apartment. It set him up with another non-profit that donates vehicles to veterans. And it connected him with education benefits and landed him an apprenticeship with an IT company.

"He's completely changed," Davis said.

Participants in a 10-mile ruck march to raise awareness about veteran suicide — the Nearly Naked Ruck March — will finish at Saturday's 3 to 8 p.m. event.