Real Tools for Battle Buddies. No BS.
17 veterans kill themselves every day. $16.6B goes to VA mental health. 60% of at-risk vets never touch it. But they DO text their battle buddy at 2 AM. And that buddy has NOTHING to help them with. Until now.
The Motto
“OWN THE OUTCOME”
NOT BUILDING TOOLS FOR VETERANS IN CRISIS. BUILDING TOOLS FOR THE HELPER—THE BATTLE BUDDY WHO GETS THE 3 AM TEXT AND NEEDS BACKUP. BECAUSE VETERANS DON'T CALL HOTLINES. THEY CALL THE PERSON WHO WAS IN THE FOXHOLE WITH THEM.
The System is Built for the Wrong Dang Person
Veterans die by suicide every year
Never touch VA mental health services
Reach out to peers first before professional help
Spent annually on VA mental health
Here's What Actually Happens
When a veteran is struggling, they don't call 988. They don't schedule a VA appointment. They don't fill out a freaking form.
They text their battle buddy at 2 AM.
And that battle buddy? Has NO tools. NO backup. NO connection to professional help when they need it most. The current crisis system is built for the person calling—not for the veteran trying to help.
I'm building tools for the HELPER—the battle buddy who gets that text and needs real backup. Not another hotline. Not another app. Real tools.
✕What Helpers Face Now
- • No training for crisis situations
- • No way to safely escalate to professionals
- • No backup when they're overwhelmed
- • No follow-up after the crisis passes
- • Risk of secondary trauma with no support
✓What Helpers Need
- • Instant access to crisis resources
- • Warm handoffs to qualified responders
- • Backup support when needed
- • Automated follow-up for the veteran
- • Self-care tools to prevent burnout
Real Tools. No BS.
Crisis intervention is just one piece. Real stability means employment, housing, finances, and community.
Here's what I'm building—not someday, but NOW.
Want the Full Picture?
26 tools across 6 pillars. Gap analysis. Funding maps. The whole operational playbook.
For funders, partners, and anyone who wants to see exactly what we're building and how it gets funded.
Employment & Education
The Gap: Programs end at hiring. No retention support. No early warning when stuff's about to hit the fan.
The Fix: Real tools that keep vets employed—not just hired and forgotten.
Tools I'm Building:
- Job Match Ops: MOS to civilian job matching that actually works
- VR&E Ops: VR&E case management without the bureaucratic BS
- SkillBridge Ops: Connect vets to real apprenticeships, not dead ends
- Credential Ops: Track skills and credentials like a boss
Business & Entrepreneurship
The Gap: Mentorship is great. But who's actually helping you WIN contracts and EXECUTE?
The Fix: GovCon as a productized OS—we find opportunities, automate bids, deliver results.
Tools I'm Building:
- GovCon Command: Government contracting without the learning curve
- Procurement Ops: Opportunity scanning and bid automation
- Proposal Command: Win proposals with AI-powered playbooks
- Compliance Ops: Stay compliant without hiring a lawyer
Housing & Homelessness
The Gap: Good programs exist. But they're slow as heck and fragmented. Last-mile friction kills.
The Fix: Housing ops layer—risk signals, document automation, landlord matching that works.
Tools I'm Building:
- Housing Nav Ops: Connect vets to housing with voucher integration
- HMIS Ops: Track outreach with predictive analytics
- Legal Ops: Eviction defense and benefits appeals
- Income Ops: Job matching and financial coaching
- Outreach Ops: Find and help homeless vets before it's too late
Financial Wellness
The Gap: Benefits support is scattered. No crisis-linked financial triage. Just chaos.
The Fix: Financial cockpit that connects benefits to budgeting to crisis prevention.
Tools I'm Building:
- Benefits Ops: Maximize VA benefits without the runaround
- Expense Ops: Budget tracking that doesn't suck
- Debt Ops: Debt management and credit repair
- Microgrant Ops: Emergency financial assistance when you need it
Health & Crisis Response
The Gap: Crisis systems built for the person calling—not the buddy trying to help.
The Fix: Tools for the helper. Peer-to-clinical escalation where vets actually are.
Tools I'm Building:
- Buddy Backup Command: The flagship. Peer-to-clinical crisis escalation.
- Triage Ops: Smart crisis assessment and routing
- Care Ops: Coordinate care across providers
- Peer Support Ops: Structured peer support that scales
- Telehealth Ops: Connect to providers without the wait
Operations & Nonprofit Admin
The Gap: Nonprofits can't prove impact fast enough. Admin load eats mission delivery.
The Fix: Nonprofit ops as productized backend—grant tracking, dashboards, audit readiness.
Tools I'm Building:
- Grant Ops: Grant tracking and compliance automation
- Dashboard Ops: Real-time impact dashboards that funders love
- Volunteer Ops: Manage volunteers without the spreadsheet chaos
- Governance Ops: Board management and compliance made simple
That's 26 tools across 6 pillars.
Not vaporware. Not someday. Building them NOW.
Each tool is backed by gap analysis, funding vehicle mapping, and execution playbooks.
This is what happens when you give a redneck vet a laptop and a mission.
The Buddy Backup Button
Peer-to-clinical crisis escalation. No surveillance. No government BS. Just backup for the helper when their battle buddy needs it. Built for Discord and Messenger—where vets actually are.
Helper Activates
/backup command in Discord or Messenger when a buddy needs help
Responder Notified
Qualified responder receives alert within seconds
Veteran Consents
Veteran in crisis explicitly grants permission for support
Warm Handoff
Helper stays connected until responder takes over
Veteran Agency
Consent required at every step. The veteran controls who helps and when. No forced escalation.
No Surveillance
We don't store message content. No AI reading your conversations. Just routing help when asked.
988/VCL Always Available
We complement—never replace—professional crisis resources. Always a fallback to clinical care.
Join the Mission
Whether you're an investor, developer, clinician, or just want to help—we'd love to hear from you.
GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND SUPPORT SOMETHING REAL
This isn't about me. This isn't about any other vet.
This is about the battle buddy who gets that 2 AM text and has NOTHING to help with.
I can build a freaking reminder app for goodness' sake. But I can't do THIS without a little help.
Raising $25,000 to launch the Buddy Backup Button. Just a redneck vet with a laptop building tools that actually help. Every dollar goes to the mission.
Campaign Goal
Day 1 target: $7,500 (30%)
GiveSendGo—a faith-based platform. No corporate BS. Your money builds tools that save veteran lives. Period.
Give on GiveSendGoScan to Donate
Important Tax Notice
FOB is a project of True North Data Strategies LLC, a for-profit SDVOSB. Contributions are NOT tax-deductible. We are pursuing fiscal sponsorship for future tax-deductible giving options.
Ways to Give
Pick a tier. Any tier. Just DO SOMETHING.
Name on supporter wall + updates
Above + early platform access
Above + FOB challenge coin
Above + founding supporter recognition
Above + 1-on-1 call with Jacob
Above + name a feature
Higher tiers available on GiveSendGo: $1,000 Company Commander | $5,000 FOB Founder
Where Your Money Goes
Founder Stipend
5 months part-time compensation to focus full-time on building FOB and the Buddy Backup Button
Development & Infrastructure
AWS GovCloud hosting, security audit, Discord/Messenger integrations, responder dashboard
Pilot Program
2-3 veteran community partnerships, responder training materials, testing and iteration
Operations & Legal
Fiscal sponsorship fees, insurance, compliance documentation, administrative costs
Can't Give Money?
Then give your TIME. Your VOICE. Your SKILLS.
Share This
Post on social media. Forward to your veteran network. Tell your VFW or Legion post. Shares are ammunition. Your reach can do what mine can't.
Volunteer Your Skills
Developers, designers, clinicians, ops folks—I need your expertise to build this right. Hit me up on Discord.
Pray for the Mission
Pray for the veterans we're trying to reach, for wisdom in building these tools, and for the resources to keep going.
17 veterans will die by suicide today.
17 more tomorrow.
And 17 more the day after that.
Unless we give their battle buddies the tools to help.
Support the Mission NOWFunding Roadmap: We're pursuing fiscal sponsorship with nonprofit partners for tax-deductible donations, with plans for 501(c)(3) formation after establishing a 12-18 month track record.
No BS. No Sob Story. Just a Vet with Attitude.
Jacob Johnston
Founder & CEO
Name's Jacob. 20 Years Jumping Out of Airplanes.
20 years in the U.S. Army. Airborne Infantry. Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt. Bronze Star. Now 100% disabled vet with a bone to pick. Conservative redneck values. Zero apologies.
Just a Grumpy Old Man with a Laptop and a Mission.
Came out of retirement to help my son through a divorce and raise grandbabies. Now I'm all-in on this mission. Not going back to corporate America. Not now. Not ever. I build. I don't beg.
Here's What Pisses Me Off
17 veterans kill themselves every day. $16.6 BILLION goes to VA mental health and 60% of at-risk vets never touch it. But you know what they DO? They text their battle buddy at 2 AM. And that buddy has NOTHING to help them with. So I built something. The Buddy Backup Button is just one of many. Real tools for the guy who gets that 3 AM text from his brother who's hurting.
Built Different. Life Tried Me. I'm Still Here.
I don't care where help comes from—investors, volunteers, donations, whatever. Just a tough SOB with attitude, a laptop, and a wife who's stood by me for 30+ years through all of it. Need custom automation work? That's my business. I build. I don't beg.
True North Data Strategies LLC is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), bringing military discipline and mission focus to every project we build.