In 2009, Jim Kelley's son, Spc James Kelley, a medic in the Army's 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado, was seriously wounded in Afghanistan. It was of course a time of confusion, anguish, and expense as Kelley and others in the family put their lives on hold and traveled across the country to be at Spc Kelley's bedside. During his recovery, lots of people offered to help Kelley's son. The local military support group was there for Kelley's wife. As they picked up the pieces, however, Jim Kelley realized that there was little available for dads. So, he decided to do something about it.
The result? FathersOfTheBrave.org, whose purpose is to offer support and fellowship to the fathers of America's military men and women. Kelley points out that there are many great organizations out there, large and small, that offer support to the troops and their families, like Blue Star Mothers, which has been looking out for military moms since 1917. Until now, though, there really hasn't been much for military dads. Fathers Of The Brave is dedicated to changing that.
Through an active online message board community, Fathers of the Brave offers military dads a place to vent, ask questions, and share the pride that they feel every day, as well as a place to go during the tough times. Kelley's prolific blog posts offer articles and links of interest, and the Fathers Of The Brave Facebook page makes staying in touch easy via mobile phone or online. In an interview with me this week, Kelley, who you can contact directly at jim@fathersofthebrave.org, said:
