The research begins at local VAs, where a screening is conducted to determine when and where the veterans served. “If you answer yes to that, you get a more in-depth conversation,” Hastings said.

People are encouraged to drop off new or gently used shoes at local legions and VAs. The organization, Funds 2 Org will then pick up the shoes, weigh them, and send them off to underserved countries.

When I became old enough, I followed my father’s footsteps and enlisted in the U.S. Army. I had the honor of working as a bomb disposal expert under the elite Joint Special Operations Command.