"I want to do my part to give them something back": Local nonprofit led by veterans helps those still overseas
SACRAMENTO — Continuing the mission even after they've served in the military, a group of veterans is now helping those still overseas.
They want them to know that even though they're far away, they're not forgotten.
Navy veteran Scott Raab knows how to put his mind to a mission, and this one comes from his heart.
"I've still got messages I got when I was overseas. They're in my C Bag right now," he said.
Scott signed up for the Navy shortly after 9/11. In 2006, he served aboard a guided missile destroyer in the Persian gulf.
That time away made home even more important. Now, the outreach director for Move America Forward, the nonprofit led by veterans, sends care packages to U.S. troops deployed all over the world.
"We were putting Halloween candy, energy waffles, a bunch of Girl Scout cookies," Scott said. "The veterans serve us and I want to do my part to give them something back."
On Veterans Day alone, he and volunteers with the Placer United Soccer Club, many with family in the military, packed more than a thousand boxes.
"Because I know a little how it feels to have people go out and serve and stuff," he said. "I feel sad because they're away from their family all the time."
Serving even after he's served, Scott wants today's soldiers to know they may be far, but they're not forgotten.
"We're all red, white and blue, but veterans, they're used to serving, they're used to doing good. And when you get out, you don't just lose that. It's ingrained in you," he said.
Moving America Forward doesn't just pack care packages on the big days or even around the holidays. They're set up to send boxes all year long and people can even personalize what they send.