"Train Hard – Fight Easy" is how we approach each day because we know from experience what awaits the men and women we train.
Point One, USA Founder & CEO-Bob Brush
The Navy Special Operations (NSO) community is composed of exceptional Warriors and family members who have experienced more loss and sacrifice than most human beings could ever comprehend. This united community always manages to bounce back and come together, understanding that the only way to honor those we have lost is to celebrate the lives left behind.
The Navy Special Operations Foundation (NSOF) exists to support all its members and we are honored to carry out this mission. There are those who choose to stand side by side with us and pay it forward to their brothers and sisters despite their own selfless sacrifice to this nation. These select few choose to contribute more than should ever be reasonably expected and we are grateful for the NSO families who go above and beyond to support our mission at NSOF whether it be through individual contributions or on behalf of their businesses.
This month we would like to highlight Point One USA, located in Virginia Beach, Va. Point One was started by Bob Brush, a retired Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Master Chief operator who retired and wanted to continue to serve this nation by providing top-tier training to the most elite warfighters in the world.
Here is a little bit Bob shared with us when we sat down for a Q&A…
What is your relationship to the NSO community?
When Mitch Hovenga and I retired from Navy EOD, we wanted to continue to influence future generations of EOD techs and to maintain involvement with our Navy Special Operations family, and its mission. Together with another Navy veteran, Michelle Glasscock, we started Point One, and we have worked hard to create a company that continues to serve the NSO community. We currently employ 39 veterans, 25 of which are former Navy EOD Techs and Divers. We have developed an organization that brings to bear an incredible breadth of EOD experience that has been shared directly with more than 900 EOD Operators either at our Virginia Beach or San Diego facilities, or on site via mobile training team in places such as Spain, Guam, Florida and Maryland.
What is it about NSOF's mission that resonates with you and inspires you to support?
Our world is safer because Navy Special Operations men and women made the choice to serve, because they made the choice to commit to a cause larger than themselves, and because they chose to give all they had to make a difference. In much the same way, the people involved in the Navy Special Operations Foundation have made equal commitments and adopted values and a vision that mirrors what Mitch, Michelle and I have strived to accomplish with Point One. We maintain continuing contact with the NSO community and relentlessly pursue improvement of our training and the support that we give our EOD Operators. We are also honored and fortunate to be able to support the foundation directly with our sponsorship and attendance of the Memorial 5K run, NSOF Annual Gala on both coasts and participation in the Gala auction in Virginia Beach.
How has NSOF impacted the community or your own family or loved ones for the better?
NSOF has been extremely proactive and successful in their efforts to establish relationships with local businesses and industry partners. Through those relationships, they have created opportunities and a conduit for organizations such as ours to be able to provide support directly to NSO families in ways that are ordinarily not available. We are extremely grateful for the opportunities for support that NSOF has created which allow us to continue to invest in our community.
How does NSOF differ from all the other Veteran Organizations that seek to help our Warriors and their families?
While there are many veteran support organizations that do a myriad of important and beneficial things for the veteran community as a whole, the Navy Special Operations Foundation is the only one that I know of that supports Navy EOD Technicians and Navy Divers exclusively. Ironically, whereas NSOF is very focused with their support, the NSO community can (and does) work for everybody; they support all four services and NATO in every theater of operations across the globe. NSOF is unique not only for their very specific patronage, but also in their drive to ensure that NSOF families aren't forgotten after the attention that accompanies tragedy and adversity invariably subsides. With a more focused beneficiary group, NSOF is able to provide more comprehensive and personalized support and assistance to our community.
Please tell us about your company or business, anything you would like us to share with our network.
We are truly built from an operational background and continue to stay in the fight day after day from a training perspective. A central goal for each of us is to help young and seasoned operators alike, so they don't have to relearn the hard lessons of the past the hard way. With this in mind, "Train Hard – Fight Easy" is how we approach each day because we know from experience what awaits the men and women we train. From the first time I heard these words, I felt compelled to live up to them; first as an active duty EOD operator for this great nation and now, as a small business owner and training provider. These words define where Point One came from, who we are now, and what we do every day to provide support for those in the fight for security and freedom.
We are humbled by everything that Point One has done for this community. Thank you Bob, Mitch and Michelle for all you do each and everyday for Navy Special Operations and this nation!
We kindly request that you thank these individuals by patronizing their business or simply by shaking their hands.
To consider becoming a partner to NSOF please contact us.