🇺🇸 Operation First Response

Request Emergency Assistance

⚠️ Important Program Update

Operation First Response was founded with a clear and urgent purpose: to stand beside Active-Duty Service Members and their families during times of crisis.

For the first five years of our mission, Active-Duty families were the sole focus of our emergency assistance efforts. We walked hospital hallways, stood beside families during deployment-related hardships, and responded to the immediate needs of those serving on the front lines.

As the needs of our nation’s Heroes evolved, we expanded our support to include Veterans, proudly serving them for 18 years with compassion and commitment.

Today, as global tensions rise and an increasing number of Active-Duty Service Members return home severely injured or facing urgent service-related hardships, we are once again called to respond in real time.

In order to meet this moment responsibly and effectively, we have returned our emergency financial assistance program to its founding focus, serving those who are currently serving.

Our Emergency Financial Assistance Program Now Serves ONLY the FOLLOWING:

Active-Duty Service Members (all branches)

Active-Duty First Responders, including:

Law Enforcement Officers

Firefighters

EMS Personnel

Paramedics

911 Dispatchers

Gold Star Families

Families of Fallen Active-Duty First Responders

 

This decision reflects our responsibility to deploy limited resources where the need is most immediate.

Since our founding, Operation First Response has proudly served both Active-Duty Service Members and Veterans. We remain deeply grateful for the trust Veterans have placed in our organization and for the opportunity to have stood beside you over the years.

Our focus has narrowed, but our respect and gratitude have not.

Continued Support for Veterans Through the Dedicated Initiatives Listed Below:

 

Project Specialized Training

Qualifying Veterans may receive:

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Certification Training

CompTIA Security+ Certification Training

These nationally recognized certifications open doors to high-demand careers in information technology and cybersecurity, creating long-term financial stability and opportunity.

There is no cost to qualifying Veterans for participation.

info@operationfirstresponse.org

Last Mission Project

Through our Last Mission Project, Operation First Response provides financial assistance to qualifying Combat Veterans and First Responders who are entering or actively participating in approved inpatient treatment programs for PTSD, substance use, or other trauma-related conditions.

This initiative is designed to remove financial barriers that may prevent a Hero from seeking or completing critical treatment.

Support is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

If you are a Veteran seeking assistance through Project Specialized Training or the Last Mission Project, please email:

info@operationfirstresponse.org

🇺🇸 Critical Resources for Veterans

If you or a Veteran you know is in need of immediate support, the following trusted resources are available:

Veterans Crisis Line (24/7)
Dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255

National Call Center for Homeless Veterans
Call 877-4AID-VET (424-3838)

VA Main Information Line (MyVA411)
Call 800-698-2411

Claims Assistance
Free assistance is available through:
DAV (Disabled American Veterans)
The American Legion
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)

Benefits Management
Veterans may research, apply for, and manage benefits through:
VA.gov
The EBenefits Portal

How to Request Assistance

Operation First Response no longer opens a public application window.

If you believe you qualify and are experiencing an emergency financial hardship, please email:

info@operationfirstresponse.org

In your email, please include:

  • Full name of the Service Member or First Responder

  • Branch of service or First Responder role

  • A brief description of the emergency situation

  • A contact phone number

For Gold Star Families

Please include:

  • Name of your fallen Service Member

  • Branch of service

  • Your relationship to the Service Member

  • A brief explanation of your current need

For Families of Fallen Active-Duty First Responders

Please include:

  • Name of the fallen First Responder

  • Department or agency

  • Your relationship to the First Responder

  • A brief explanation of your current need

Chain of Command representatives, casualty assistance officers, rear detach, family readiness groups and department leadership may also contact us on behalf of a Service Member, First Responder, or surviving family.

Submitting an inquiry does not guarantee assistance. All cases are evaluated individually based on eligibility, urgency, and available funding.

23 Years of Service

For nearly 23 years, Operation First Response has stood beside our nation’s Heroes — responding in moments of crisis, walking hospital corridors, supporting grieving families, and stabilizing households when everything felt uncertain.

From our earliest days serving Active-Duty Service Members to the expansion of programs supporting Veterans and First Responders, our mission has remained rooted in one unwavering principle:

Show up. Stand firm. Serve with integrity.

As operational demands increase and families face real-time crisis situations once again, our purpose remains clear:

To stand beside those currently serving, and to honor those who have served, through decisive action, compassion, and steadfast commitment.

For 23 years, we have answered the call.

And we will continue to do so in honor of a grateful nation.