Craig & Mike Thank A Vet

My name's Mike Bender, and my dear friend Craig Coley and I hope you'll join us in making a difference this New Year by donating to this GoFundMe for a very special veterans organization called called Thank A Vet. Craig is a Vietnam Veteran, and Sergeant Major Jesse Acosta, President of Thank A Vet was there for Craig when he needed it the most. If you're not already familiar, I suggest reading Craig's remarkable story here  to understand how important this support was to Craig.

Jesse is remarkable - he required a lot of surgeries caused by a mortar attack in Iraq, including being wounded and losing sight in both eyes. Despite the many struggles Jesse has had, he and Thank A Vet are always there for every vet. Craig has a mission to give back, so we're raising money for Thank A Vet, and any donation will help make an impact. Sharing this campaign link with help us too: https://www.gofundme.com/craigandmikethankavet

Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to Craig and fellow Veterans.

Update to my GoFundMe family!

It is with a grateful hearts that we are announcing this update. 

I first met Sergeant Major Retired Jesse Acosta when he and his organization Thank A Vet, visited prison. You see, my concern and desire to help veterans and their families goes back a few years. Being a veteran myself, we wanted to make a difference even if it started out small and even if we were in prison.

In prison, we (Andrew Kicking Horse, U.S. Army Veteran and myself ) volunteered and founded Veterans Embracing Troops, raising money through inmate fundraisers for Blue Star/Gold Star Mothers to provide postage and items for care packages to deployed servicemen and servicewomen. Other organizations benefitted too, including TAV. Sergeant Major Retired Jesse Acosta visited and spoke to our group on several occasions and when I was released from prison in 2017, he assisted me in navigating through veterans affairs for medical help. 

No one understands a veteran like a veteran and no one understands a wounded veteran trying to acclimate to civilian life like Sargent Major Retired Jesse Acosta and his Thank A Vet Team. They fill the gap between government help and real life needs. 

The daily needs of others resonates with me along with the difficulty in asking for help when feeling alone. Mike and his family and GoFundMe helped filled my gap and gave me opportunities I may not have had without them. 

I am grateful that we, you and I through your generosity and kindness to me in my time of need, through your GoFundMe donations, today WE can pay it forward to a better life for a wounded veteran, a homeless veteran, a veteran trying to support a family, a veteran who is alone, a veteran who deserves a better life for all he/she has sacrificed. 

I continue to admire Jesse's strength and dedication to their cause and our ability to further that cause gives us great satisfaction. 

Again, with grateful hearts, we donated the entire amount raised through GoFundMe, to Thank A Vet, in the amount of $80,000.

Thank you to our Heavenly Father, our GoFundMe family, and all of our family and friends for making this possible. 

Respectfully yours with sincere gratitude, blessings and love,

Craig Coley & Mike Bender

More information about Thank A Vet Inc here.


Craig in the Navy

Sergeant Major Jesse Acosta 

Me, Craig, and the family last year giving thanks