Lexie Coppinger’s Post

Let’s talk about #impact. 📸Pictured: Mail Call onboard the USS George Washington. Not 1 crew member out of 5,000 sailors went without hearing their name called for Mail Call on this day. Not 1! While this may be *just* a mail call photo, it’s more than that. Take a second to look at every individual in this photo. Checkout the very prized TY Beanie Baby being held up. There’s something about a white tiger that had that individual stoked! Look at the excitement on the face of the individual holding up a deck of Magic the Gathering from Wizards of the Coast & mini board games from Hasbro. The entire crew received games; the competitions on that ship that are about to go down are going to be fierce! Checkout the multiple hand-written letters, the 550 paracord lanyards, the hats, & the scarves all handmade, written, & assembled by people all across the nation. More importantly - checkout the genuine joy & excitement & pure happiness. Those are REAL smiles! Everyone received mail this day. Everyone. Last month, Operation Gratitude had the incredible privilege of swinging into #SanDiego & hosting an unbelievable community care package assembly at the San Diego Air & Space Museum. In 2 DAYS we received 32 pallets of product, setup 4 assembly lines & knocked out 5,000 individual care packages stuffed to the brim with all sorts of good stuff! Volunteers from top notch leaders in the community like San Diego Wave Fútbol Club, San Diego Seals, Support The Enlisted Project (STEP), Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), Navy League of the United States, Rotary Club Of Coronado, USS Midway Museum, United Through Reading, Blue Star Families & SO many more showed up as a force & lead by example, displaying what it means to surround our deployed military with love & support. Here’s the thing though - this kind of impact is not in any way possible without the effort it takes behind the scenes to make it happen. ✨ Here’s where YOU come in…✨ ⏰ Time: Give your time. Come join us in an assembly! 🧶 Creators: Hand-written letters, paracord lanyards, & items from our Handmade With Love program go in every package. 🤝 Corporate Partners: Host your own assemblies at your workplace! 🍪In-Kind: Snacks & a variety of other items go inside each & every package 💵 Donate: Every package is shipped & delivered in one way or another. Unfortunately, those means don’t grow on trees! I encourage you to join the family we have over at Operation Gratitude. We have a place for everyone.❤️ Welcome to Team OG. 🇺🇸 #giveback #volunteer #remembereveryonedeployed #communityengagement #employeeengagement #corporatesocialresponsibility #socialimpact #csr

Let me put a face to suicide: SPC Joseph Billy Jason Coppinger - 21 years young If you’ve followed me for a bit, you might know Joey. Joey liked cars & motorcycles. He loved baseball as a kid & was good at it. Like…really good! Around middle school he was pitching at 80-ish MPH. He liked fast things! There was one time Joey, myself, & my husband went to a haunted house in Pennsylvania around this time of year. There was a haunted hay ride, maze, a big haunted house & we’d been there for hours! Joey did far better than me, keeping his cool, laughing, having fun while I had about 50billion mini-heart attacks. We got to the end of the house & a big, bloodied up character jumped out of a corner with a chainsaw & Joey quite literally took off screaming through a field as the guy chased him down. We all just about died laughing; even the haunted house character couldn’t keep his composure with how high pitched that scream was & how fast Joey took off! Then we got fried Oreos - none of us had ever had them before - & made our way home. One of the best memories ever. Joey honorably deployed to Afghanistan & if you asked any of his battle buddies about him, one of the very first things every, single one of them will tell you is how great of a friend he was. They’d tell you he was soft spoken but so funny - genuinely just naturally funny. They’d tell you he was steady & always got the job done. If you needed him, he was there. 6 months after he came home from Afghanistan, Joey took his life. I’ll admit - I’m not a fan of a day or week commited to figuring out how we can get our loved ones to not kill themselves. That *shouldn’t* even be a thing. There’s not 1 “solution” to suicide, & there’s not 1 solid way of preventing it. I’m grateful for the changes, opportunities, research, etc. that have come about in the 4 years since Joey left. Joey didn’t want to admit to not being what was strong or capable in his perception. He didn’t want to be a burden on people & he didn’t want to be the cause of anyone’s stress. Something like a wellness check by law enforcement would have been very embarrassing. Admitting he had thoughts of ending it all would bring medical attention that was also embarrassing to him. Joey called the VA suicide hotline & how he was talked to at that time was not helpful in any bit. He shot himself shortly after that call. Check on your buddies. Often the people who are struggling the most appear as the people who are some of the strongest among us. The one’s always doing things for other people; always caring & always showing up for others. They know how much it hurts to struggle, so they try to lift others up…even if it means they drown. Joey was good. His goofy smile was the best. He was loved more than he knew. Love on your people. Love them deep. Squeeze them tight. We miss you, Joey. #suicide #suicideprevention #pts #youmatter #gwot #gwotgeneration #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealth #mission22

September 12th, 2001. The day after. That was the 1st day people woke up without their loved ones by their side or in their home & realized they weren’t dreaming. The 1st day when an eerie silence settled over households across the nation as the day after began. Beds were still made from the night before. Alarm clocks went off as part of typical morning routines. Dogs waited by the door to hear the sound of their favorite person *ever* say, “ready for a walk?” Coffee shops & breakfast pit stops awaited regulars that would never show. Morning “I love you, have a great day” texts wouldn’t come. Rescue crews & volunteers were still desperately clinging on to shreds of hope as they dug through rubble. “Missing” posters glistened with morning dew …or maybe those were tears. Morning school bells rang as hallways echoed with silence. The entire world took a deep, resounding breath that reverberated hurt in the deepest parts of our souls. This wasn’t a dream. This was real. Reality. Damn… Day 1 of forever without 2,977 people began. Never again. #WeRemember #NeverForget #September11 #firstresponders #day1 #operationgratitude #socialimpact #911Day

Hey, little brother. I came to visit you the other day. Your grave is never where I find you, but the exact place you left this world is often where I close my eyes & swear I can feel your hand on my shoulder as I cry my eyes out, curled up next to that big tree on the side of the road while the world passes on. When the 1st state trooper arrived to your “scene”, he told us that one of the first things he noticed before he even got to you was the rescue gear in the back of your truck & knew in his gut that this was different. This was a first responder responding to the death of another first responder. Kris… You were accredited with more confirmed lives saved than the actual years you’d lived on this earth. You impacted hundreds of lives in saving dad’s, mom’s, brothers, sisters, friends, children, etc. You created ripples in your own life while casting rocks into others ponds, ensuring positive ripples were occurring in theirs too. You changed everything when you left this world. We’ve figured out how to live. We live genuinely mindfully intentionally. I changed my whole career trajectory when you left with a new focus on social impact. I blossomed in that field & found a “home” in serving others. Social impact & nonprofit welcomed me with open arms & I molded right in like a puzzle piece finding its place. While we all learned how to breathe again after your loss stole the air from our lungs, that doesn’t mean your lack of presence isn’t felt every, single day. You changed me, Kris. Your loss fueled passions ignited by hurt. Provoked intentionality engulfed by grief. Emblazoned purpose sparked by loss. You are in everything I do & fight for. You are in every action, advocacy, & adamant impact. Thank you for being who you are. Love you, little brother. Love, Lex #firstresponders #socialimpact #oceanrescue #nonprofit #purpose #mywhy

Over-the-moon-EXCITED to be part of Instant Teams Untapped 2024 Virtual Military Spouse Conference presented by T-Mobile. This conference, available globally 🌎, is full of powerhouse presenters, breakout sessions, activities and entertainment! ✨ There will even be 3 in-person events with a very special surprise from Operation Gratitude recognizing the incredible character’s military spouses encompass. Check the comments for specific details in these areas: ✔️Fayetteville, NC ✔️Clarksville, TN ✔️Chesapeake, VA Instant Teams has created a packed agenda with 40 speakers, 8 topic sessions, 8 breakouts, 3 keynotes and fun activities plus a big HIRING EVENT! These are just a few of the inspiring collaborations lined up 👇 To register and check out the full agenda, click here: https://hubs.la/Q02Nd2fs0 #militaryspouse #milspouse #militaryspouses #militaryspouseemployment #fortliberty #fortcampbell #nasnorfolk

This week has been a highlight & testimony to the priceless value of why I love my job. In working with units among every branch of the military, I’ve had the privilege & absolute honor of coordinating support for hundreds of thousands of deployed military personnel in every corner of the world. So much so that: ✔️ I’ve grown very familiar with many hull classification numbers (sub’s included) ✔️ I can tell you, at minimum, the region of a zip code, if not the country ✔️ Plus so many more odd & random facts that live rent-free in my head I could write a book series on the stories of the many spouses, chaplains, proud parents, service members, & unit leadership I’ve listened to. Their eagerness to just get support. Their desperation for resources. Their tears. Their genuine gratitude. Their incomparable pride in the service members who they’re surrounded by. Their shock in finding that support with no hesitation within Operation Gratitude no matter where they are or how little (or many) they’re with. I’ve never experienced what I did this week though. This week we assembled 5,000 individual care packages alongside over 325 volunteers in the San Diego community. Then…we delivered those packages in-person to the USS George Washington (CVN-73) Aircraft Carrier before they head out for quite some time. I can’t count how many times I teared up while on the USS GW because of how overwhelming it all was. I love my job. I really, really love my job. Touring the GW is an experience I truly don’t have words for. I don’t. We worked with the GW for over a year in prepping, planning, & executing this level of support. This meant the *world* to be able to personally hand-deliver to the men & women who are among the true individuals that hold this nation up & ensure our freedoms remain secured. THANK YOU to the entire crew of the USS George Washington (CVN-73) Aircraft Carrier! Thank you for all you do & the crew that makes up the incredible force that proudly bears such a name as the GW. Safe travels from all of us at “home”. ❤️ Ready for the next adventure! #operationgratitude #giveback #redfriday #remembereveryonedeployed #ilovemyjob #socialimpact

What assembling 5,000 individual care packages for an aircraft carrier looks like…👀 Operation Gratitude USS George Washington (CVN-73) Aircraft Carrier San Diego Air & Space Museum A huge shoutout to an absolute rockstar team! Margaret Barron Vicki Johnson Kristen Vauiso Christina Forino Tiffany Brown Not in San Diego? Don’t worry! This COULD be you too… ⏰ Time: Give your time. Come join us in an assembly! 🧶 Creators: Hand-written letters, paracord lanyards, & items from our Handmade With Love program go in every package. 🤝 Corporate Partners: Host your own assemblies at your workplace! 🍪In-Kind: Snacks & a variety of other items go inside each & every package 💵 Donate: Every package is shipped & delivered in one way or another. Unfortunately, those means don’t grow on trees! #Wishyouwerehere #operationgratitude #volunteer #giveback

In 48 hours the San Diego Air & Space Museum will be opening its doors to incredible folks throughout the #SanDiego community as Operation Gratitude assembles & hand-delivers 5,000 individual care packages to the entire crew onboard the USS George Washington (CVN-73) Aircraft Carrier. 💡In my almost 2 1/2yrs working with deployed personnel within every branch of the military & in every corner of the world through Operation Gratitude, I’ve worked with countless aircraft carriers…but I’ve never actually seen one, let alone been on one. (Our family’s Army…this is a big deal!) I AM like a little kid the night before Christmas Day. Will I sleep? Eh, who needs that? Am I about to internally combust? Yes. Will I potentially tear up out of sheer joy? Likely. This is one of the coolest opportunities I’ve been part of - to go from working alongside an entire community to support 5,000 military personnel to then hand-delivering those packages. Join us this Monday, the 19th & Tuesday, the 20th to be part of the magic.❤️ Register here: https://lnkd.in/ek_4cEZq #usnavy #navy #operationgratitude #supportourtroops #volunteer #giveback

💡About 10% of the #GWOTGeneration struggle with drug or alcohol abuse… 💡An estimated 90% of #veterans in the throws of substance abuse (addiction) do not get any type of addiction treatment. 💡Over 20% of Veterans with PTS also struggle with #addiction. 💡1 in 4 Veterans with a #mentalillness struggle with serious mental illness. (From American Addiction Centers July 19th, 2024) Recently Operation Gratitude supported an Addiction and Treatment Center with a Veteran Residential Program in #NewYork. My incredible co-worker & OG Veterans Programs Manager, Michelle, had this to share: “On behalf of Veterans here, I want to express our deepest gratitude for the incredible care packages. The thoughtfulness and generosity you put into each package truly touched our hearts. These packages not only brought smiles to their faces but also reminded them that they are not alone in this journey. The support from people like you makes a world of difference, and we are deeply appreciative of the time, effort and care that went into creating these gifts. Please know that your kindness has uplifted their spirits and reinforced their sense of community. Thank you once again for your unwavering support and dedication to our Veterans.” On #REDFriday we always #remembereveryonedeployed. But let’s also not forget those who have deployed & the struggles they still face every, single day. There’s far too many friends our family has personally lost to addiction & moments where they couldn’t see how loved & needed they were. Battle buddies who went through Iraq, Afghanistan, etc…& just couldn’t handle it all after coming home. ❗️There is nothing about addiction &/or mental struggles that titles you as weak. ❗️There is nothing about saying “hey, I need some guidance on how to tackle this. I need some help…” that titles you as someone who’s incompetent. ❗️The courage it takes to say, “I can’t do this alone…” takes significantly more courage than shutting it all away & trying to tackle life alone. Life’s not meant to be lived alone. Take time to heal. We’ll be here cheering you on all along. #operationgratitude #remembereveryonethatdeployed #veteransupport

#Charleston, SC! 📣 This Wednesday & Thursday, Operation Gratitude’s in your backyard at the North Charleston Convention Center! Looking for a way to #volunteer & #giveback? 6,500 care packages for 6,500 individual #veterans & #firstresponders will be assembled at this event & we could use all hands on deck! Day & evening volunteer shifts available. Checkout Vicki’s post below for more information & registration!