Special Assistance for Veterans Endeavors

Good afternoon all! The Special Assistance for Veterans Endeavors (SAVE) is back in the business of helping those in need. I have recently become a member of the team, and have taken on the responsibility of change manager for the charity. As we look to re-brand the organization, we will still be able to lean on Fred Rendon Jr., for his experience and leadership to continue to be the compass bearer for the organization. With Fred's guidance, I will be managing the operations, and looking to continue to expand the footprint of SAVE.

I would like to tell you a little bit about myself to help get this new relationship off on the right footing. I was born and raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Duncanville specifically. After finishing school, I decided to join the military with my friend Travis. After careful deliberation, we decided that we could depart for initial entry training after the Christmas holidays. We didn't want to miss out on Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas and New Years Eve. I went to Basic Training at Ft. Benning, GA for Infanttry training. Upon completion, I went on to the Static Line Airborne training, at Ft. Benning, on Main Post. Travis and I received orders to the 101st ABN Div and reported after a short period of LEAVE.

While in the 101st, I served in the 3rd BDE, 187th INF REG and the Long Range Surveillance Detachment (LRSD) for 8 years. My time there included deployments to Kosovo and Iraq. I seperated from Active Duty late 2004, where I joined the Texas Army National Guard. After joining the NG, I was afforded the opportunity to go to Special Forces Assessment and Selection. I was selected to attend the 18E (Communications SGT) training. Once finished with the SF Qualification Course, I was assigned to SFODA 9536, where I served as the Jr. Commo SGT for about a year. The SFODA needed an Intelligence and Operations SGT, and I attended the 18F course shortly after.

Once I finished with the 18F training, I immediately deployed to Afghanistan. During my time in Afghanistan, I conducted several operations that would expose me to situations that my mind was not ready to process. This experience helped shape me into the person I am today, but had changed the way I processed basic information. Everyone was now a threat, or not a threat. Aside from the kinetic deployments, I have been deployed 9 additional times to build partnership capacity in developing countries. During these trips, I have sustained additional injuries.

Where SAVE is headed: I would like to expand our ability to reach additional Veterans who need our help. With Fred down in South Texas and myself in South Central Texas, we now have more operational reach than before! If you know of anyone within the San Antonio or Harlingen areas in need of Assistance, please share this site or our contact information. We would be glad to offer asssistance to those who are having a tough time dealing with pending VA claims, or those who need help submitting initial claims to get the help needed to live a normal life.

Thanks, and I look forward to working with those who answered the nation's call in a time of peace or armed conflict.

Best,

Lucas