5th Squad began in 2016, founded by four veterans from Mississippi’s 184th Sustainment Command to build a strong brotherhood and address combat isolation in military life. After becoming an official nonprofit, 5th Squad provides immediate, impactful support for fellow veterans in crisis, filling gaps in traditional aid with quick financial help daily living, and rallies veterans together to foster a unique, service-oriented community.
“5th Squad started in 2016 with me, Adam Austin, Michael Collins, and Zach Morehead,” shared Lee Stringer, one of the founding members. “We had the simple idea of veterans helping veterans with immediate assistance. There are many organizations that help veterans, but government-funded programs can take awhile. We wanted to start a nonprofit that could provide that assistance immediately. If your lights are getting cut off today or you’re getting evicted in three days, you need that assistance now, not a week later.”
Veterans contact the 5th Squad through its website, social media, or a third party such as the VA. A copy of the veteran’s service verification that they served honorably or are currently serving, and a copy of their need is all that is required. The 5th Squad focuses on swift financial aid (Quick Reaction Funds) for housing, utilities, and groceries, and will pay the bill directly. This also helps combat veteran suicide by alleviating stressors from financial instability, a major risk factor.
“Once that need is met, we move on to the next veteran that needs some assistance,” shared Stringer. “It’s once per year, and up to three in a lifetime. We’re not here to just pay bills every month. We’re going to help that veteran get a better job, get better education, better benefits, get out of the rut some find themselves in.”
Over the last 10 years, 5th Squad has assisted approximately 4,500 veterans with about $450,000 in assistance. And that is all with one staff member and a board of nothing but veterans, and all volunteers.
The 5th Squad has also been giving back to the community for the last ten years, focusing on supporting Mississippi’s only children’s hospital, Children’s of Mississippi, located in Jackson. The annual event Ruck for Rugrats involves participants carrying rucksacks filled with toys on a 4.5 mile march to benefit the Children’s of Mississippi hospital, ensuring children spending the holidays in the hospital receive gifts.
“Not to compare deployment or military service directly to children in the hospital,” explained Stringer. “But, military families know what it’s like to not be home for the holidays while facing a difficult situation. We just wanted to bring some joy to those families and children during the holidays.”
“Last year, for our 9th Ruck for Rugrats \ we had a record-breaking 650 participants, hand-carrying four and a half miles, about $220,000 worth of toys to the Children’s of Mississippi Hospital. That’s about 90% of what they bring in annually from our single event,” shared Stringer.
For the 10th anniversary of the 5th Squad’s Ruck for Rugrats, they held their first-ever edition in Washington, D.C. The Ruck for Rugrats event in D.C. took place the first weekend of December, with participants completing a ruck march on the National Mall to raise funds and collect toys for children, with the specific goal of supporting the Children’s of Mississippi Hospital.
Mississippi National Guard troops, primarily military police from units like the 112th Battalion (including the 113th and 114th MP Companies), have been deployed to Washington, D.C., at the request of President Trump. Many of these soldiers were able to ruck as they would have had they been back home.
The 10th Annual Ruck for Rugrats in Mississippi, hosted by the 5th Squad, is happening on Saturday, December 13, 2025, with events in both Jackson and Meridian, MS, benefiting Children’s of Mississippi; the main event is at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson (check-in 9 AM, step-off 10:30 AM), but there’s also a special edition at NAS Meridian on December 12th, so check the 5th Squad Facebook page or 5th Squad’s website for specific times at the base.
You don’t have to ruck to still support all that the 5th Squad is doing for veterans and Children’s of Mississippi.
“You can go to our event page on our website; we have an Amazon wish list that we have created with help from the staff at the Children’s Hospital, and they get mailed directly to us,” shared Stringer. “You can also make a donation to 5th Squad so we can continue to provide emergency assistance to veterans right here in Mississippi in 2026.”
*Photos are courtesy of 5th Squad
