Legacy, Leadership, and What Comes Next
Fifteen years ago, Team Red, White & Blue was founded on a belief that still defines who we are:
Veterans thrive when they are connected—to purpose, to community, and to one another.
As we close out this year, we’re marking the end of our Legacy Year—15 years in the making—and the beginning of what comes next.
For me, this moment is deeply personal. These past three months have been my first as Executive Director of Team RWB. In that time, I’ve seen firsthand what so many already know: Team RWB is not just a Veteran Service Organization. It is a movement, built by Veterans who refuse to stand still and powered by a community that believes leadership doesn’t end when service does.
We Don’t Do Sad Songs
At Team RWB, we honor service but we don’t dwell in sorrow. We acknowledge hardship but we don’t define ourselves by it.
We don’t do sad songs because Veterans are not broken.
We are not victims of our service. We are uniquely prepared to face adversity because we served. Discipline. Grit. Accountability. The ability to endure and adapt. These are not scars; they are strengths.
What Veterans need is not sympathy.
What we need is purpose, belonging, and a community that expects us to lead; starting with ownership of our own health and wellness.
That is why Team RWB exists. Our programming doesn’t fix Veterans. It enables and empowers them to take ownership of their lives and continue serving in new and meaningful ways.
By the Numbers: Momentum in Motion
This year, that belief showed up in action again and again:
173,768 event check-ins
18,490 total events (virtual, in-person, and expeditions)
14,617 physical fitness–focused events
381 Soaring Eagles ran and raised funds through our Bib Program
156 Veterans completed Eagle Expeditions
Connection doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built one mile, one rep, one conversation at a time.
These numbers represent early mornings, shared struggle, earned trust, and Veterans choosing to invest in themselves and each other.
That’s not participation. That’s leadership in motion.
Old Glory Ultra Relay: A Movement Carried 3,000 Miles
If you want a single moment that captures who this movement is at its core, look no further than the Old Glory Ultra Relay.
This year, a team of Veterans carried the American flag 3,000 miles across the country—from the deck of the USS Midway to the National Mall in Washington, DC in just 16 days, setting a world record along the way.
Old Glory wasn’t about breaking records. It was about showing America who Veterans are at our core.
They ran day and night. They crossed deserts, mountains, cities, and small towns. They passed the flag hand to hand—mile after mile—reminding the nation that Veterans are still moving, still serving, and still leading.
Old Glory didn’t just cross America. It defined the movement.
Still Serving Is a Standard, Not a Slogan
One truth has guided Team RWB from the beginning championed by our founder, Mike Erwin:
Service doesn’t end when the uniform comes off. It evolves.
Team RWB exists to give Veterans a place to continue that service through health, fitness, leadership, and authentic human connection. When Veterans are strong and connected, families are stronger. Communities are stronger. And the nation is stronger.
That’s why Team RWB has never been content to simply react. We are proactive. We are upstream. We believe that health and wellness are not personal luxuries. They are leadership responsibilities.
What Comes Next
Today, leading Team RWB as Executive Director, I’m driven by that same purpose: to show up, to serve, and to lead.
Our mission matters, not just for Veterans, but for our entire nation. America is facing a health and wellness crisis impacting everyone: Veterans, families, kids, and communities.
But this challenge—this mission—is exactly what we were built for.
Veterans understand leadership. We know how to rally a team. And we know that meaningful change doesn’t start with policy. It starts with personal ownership.
When you take care of your health, that’s leadership.
When you invest in your wellness, that’s service.
When you model consistency, discipline, and connection, you strengthen the fabric of your community. That is the power of the Eagle.
A Movement for the Next 15 Years
Looking ahead, Team RWB will continue to lead a national movement—one rooted in personal connection, purpose, and continued service. We will build a culture of wellness that spreads across America one community, one workout, and one act of service at a time.
Our first Quarterly Epic Event, the GWOT 100, already has 4,000+ registered participants and continues to grow daily. Veterans, Active Duty, Guard, Reserve, and civilian supporters are committing to move 100 miles in February for themselves, for each other, and for those who served in the Global War on Terror.
This is what leadership looks like.
My Challenge to Every Eagle
As I commit to stoking and spreading that Eagle Fire—living my best life and leading from the front—I leave you with this challenge:
Keep showing up.
Show up when it’s easy, and especially when it’s hard.
Show up for yourself, because your health is the foundation for everything that comes next.
Show up for your teammates, because someone needs to see what resilience looks like.
Show up for your community, because when Veterans lead, America follows.
We are not here to watch change happen.
We are here to lead it.
Because we are not just a Veteran Service Organization.
We are a movement of Americans who are:
Still moving.
Still serving.
Still leading.
And we’re just getting started.
Keep Chasing that Eagle Fire,
Michael Sullivan
Executive Director
Team Red, White & Blue
