Call it a vision board, a scratch pad, a place to sketch out the plan: the "under construction" page for hyping and detailing what we're building is now live to anyone whose eye this message catches.

Once it's fully decorated and detailed, the site will receive a proper .charlieco.co page, and as for the sausage being made, it's right here:

https://foundryandforge.carrd.co/

Good night, sweet dreams, and we are so grateful for all the inspiration and support we have received through your prayers.

Spartan Four out

Dear friends, firekeepers, and family—

We wanted to share an exciting milestone in the mission of the Charlie Company Cooperative (c3). Thanks to your prayers, support, and generosity, we’re expanding our vision with a powerful new initiative launching in Summer 2026, with pilot programs on the docket this year.

You've read about our vision with The Forge, and we need to prepare the land, father and son style. We call it:

The Foundry: Legacy Edition

“The fire we make. The fire we pass down.”

This will be a 5-day off-grid crucible for fathers and sons, hosted on our 40 rugged acres in the Colorado high country. Together, these fireteams will train, hike, cook, and reflect under open skies—guided by combat veterans and supported by purpose-driven mentors.

We envision The Foundry as the beginning of a legacy.

Participants will not only grow closer—they will help shape and steward the land itself, blazing trails, building fire rings, crafting benches, leaving geocaches, and preparing the site for our flagship 14-day leadership crucible, The Forge.

Each fireteam will:

Navigate wild terrain together

Earn a custom-stamped Legacy Coin and Pocketknife

Write letters to one another by firelight

Climb Reckoning Ridge at sunrise

Host loved ones at a final Family Fire Night—where mothers, siblings, and grandparents are invited to witness what’s been forged

And at the center of it all?

A sacred question to you and your legacy:

“What fire will you pass down?”

My Story—From War to Rebirth

I’m Ian, a vet forged in fire—Kirkuk and Baqubah ‘06-‘07, Samarra ‘08-09, Kandahar ‘10-11. Three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, a year in garrison, then ETS’d in ‘13. What followed was a decade lost—PTSD swallowed me whole. I clawed back, got healthy, and in 2022 after the loss of another battle buddy to the post-war fight, I founded the Charlie Company Cooperative (c3), a nonprofit to help vets like us get properly diagnosed, rated, and healed through the VA.

Our first big project to fulfill our guiding principle of Grounding through Nature, we're building The Forge—our wildest, boldest mission yet.

The Grand Vision—The Forge

Picture this: 10 days off-grid on c3’s 20-acre wild lands near Denver, Tahoe, or Vegas. Twice a year, 12 elite combat vets—Rangers, Green Berets, Marine Force Recon, medics, infantry—forge 24 execs into sharper leaders. Vets teach survival, tactics, grit; execs bring strategy, leadership, systems. No booze, no weed, no signal—just the wild, a cleanse for us all. Execs earn a tactical kit—map Day 1, knife Day 3—every piece a story of sweat and steel. It’s iron sharpening iron, healing vets through purpose, and resetting execs for the real world. First event: April 2026 or sooner.

What We’re Building

This isn’t a retreat—it’s a crucible. We’ve got the land, the vision, and the crew—my old Special Forces cadre, battle buddies, mentors—ready to roll. Vets get paid $250/day plus travel to teach. Execs pay $6K/head, and we need seed cash to launch. $50K gets us there:

$15K Savings: Buffer for ops, permits, insurance—keeps us steady.

$15K Kits: Tactical gear for 24 execs + 12 vets—maps, LifeStraws, knives, coins—earned daily.

$10K Merch: Patches, hoodies, coins—spreads the word, funds the future.

$5K Site Prep: Camp setup, fire pits, trails—our wild lands ready.

$5K Marketing: Web, photos, push—fills those 24 spots.

This is c3’s first big play—help us forge a legacy. (Spoiler for The Foundry: Legacy Edition?)

Why It Matters

For vets, The Forge is purpose—teaching heals us, resets us, sharpens us. I’ve lived it: the dark, the climb, the fight. For execs, it’s a gut-check—10 days with the best, no crutches, pure edge. Together, we’re building something bigger: a lifeline for my brothers, a wake-up for leaders, a stand on our wild lands. Backers make it real—$25, $50, $100—every dollar forges this dream.

Join the Fight

Support us now. $25 gets a shoutout. $50 scores first dibs on merch. $100+ etches your name in The Forge’s story—maybe a patch with it. Vets, you get this—share it with your crew. Execs, this is your shot—fund your edge. Donors fuel the fire: savings, kits, merch, land, buzz. Let’s launch The Forge—together, we’ll do great things.

Take a knee, face out, drink water.

-Spartan Four

the Charlie Company Cooperative is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering Veterans by connecting them with Veterans Affairs, helping them understand Complex PTSD and traumatic brain injury, and helping them experience post-traumatic growth. https://charlieco.co EIN: 93-3744013.

Just a quick note to say our campaign for the Forge will be closed and moving to this campaign as a specific bucket, so to speak. All donations will help us first keep the lights on at CharlieCOCO, and second to building our larger initiatives.

Look for an update soon about our current financials, overhead, and diversification of donated funds.

Spartan Four out!

the Charlie Company Cooperative (c3) was born in November 2022 after another battle buddy lost the post-war fight. The loss of Brother Crego served as a spark — an idea rooted in lived experience and a deep desire to continue to serve and prevent further loss started taking shape.

Through 2023, my wife Hilary and I spent the year clarifying and laser-focusing our mission of brain injury education and VA empowerment. PTSD, C-PTSD, TBI, and military experience are inextricably bound and take intentional effort to address.

In 2024, we got to work — helping more than a dozen Veterans, both men and women, get educated and empowered, connected with the VA, diagnosed, properly rated, and on the path to post-traumatic growth and financial independence.

This investment in the Veteran community continues strong in 2025, and the mission is expanding. We’re walking alongside more Veterans this year, helping them navigate the VA maze, find their footing, and reclaim their story.

We’ve got big projects brewing — ones that will expand how, where, and with whom we serve. Can’t wait to share them soon, and if you're reading this here on GiveSendGo, you may already see The Forge campaign live.

If you’re a Veteran, love a Veteran, or want to be part of this work, visit https://charlieco.co, like and share this post, and ask how you can be involved. We’ve got room for you in the fire team.

Take a knee, face out, drink water.
-ian