R3’s Northwest Florida Team spent the afternoon with the Stronghold SOF Solutions Team who hosted the 2023 Special Operators Transition Foundation (SOTF) – “The Emerald Coast is Grateful event.” The SOTF event was held on Saturday, September 30, 2023, at the Stronghold compound near Bonifay in Northwest Florida.

SOTF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to helping Special Operations Forces (SOF) veterans transition from the military into their next successful career. SOTF hosts SOF veteran transition events across the United States and provides them with opportunities to meet and potentially be recruited by companies that value their military service and recognize their potential for future success. Ten special operators and their families attended this SOTF event with diverse SOF backgrounds including Army Green Berets, special operations pilots, and Air Force Pararescue.

In addition to opening their world-class SOF training facility for the event, the Stronghold Team provided live fire demonstrations with a team of SOF operators conducting a hostage rescue. Exciting as the live fire event was, the live music event featuring SOF veterans Donnie Reis and Scooter Brown of the War Hippies energized the evening and got everyone fired up for the main fundraising event—the auction. Like the EOD Warrior Foundation’s Memorial Auction held every year in May, military memorabilia is donated and auctioned off to raise money for a good cause. The SOTF event was a resounding success raising tens of thousands of dollars with all proceeds supporting a non-profit that helps SOF veterans transition to their next successful career following their dedicated service to our great nation.

As an agile, employee-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, R3 is committed to supporting organizations and causes that make a positive impact on veterans’ lives.  At R3, we believe that our success is measured not only by our bottom line but also by the impact we have on our communities and the world around us. R3 is honored to have been a part of this important event and is committed to continuing its support for the SOTF and other organizations like it.