2022

Dan enlisted in the Army in the beginning of his senior year of high school in 1990 in response to the news of Iraq invading Kuwait and the subsequent United States Military involvement, however the war was over by the time he graduated and left for training.  Dan initially spent eight years on Active Duty, serving in both Europe,  and at Fort Bragg, NC with HHC XVIII ABN CORPS. Upon ETS, Dan couldn’t give up wearing the uniform so he simultaneously re-enlisted in the National Guard after separation from Active Duty in 1999.

While serving in the CA Army National Guard with HHC 579^th Combat Engineer Battalion, the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon shook the world as well as Dan, who was putting himself through school at Sonoma State University. Very soon after 9/11 Dan was deployed for Operation Noble Eagle, which was a stateside deployment. SSG Nevins was ultimately deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom II, in January of 2004, was attached to First Infantry Division and assigned to a new task force, Task Force Tacoma.  After several months of combat and a ridiculous operational tempo, on 10 November 2004 his life would be changed forever when an IED detonated beneath his vehicle while headed out on a 72-hour dismounted counter-insurgent operation. As a result of the blast, Dan ultimately lost both legs below the knee, suffered a mild/moderate TBI and lost his Platoon Sergeant, friend, and mentor, SFC Mike Ottolini.

Dan spent nearly 2 years at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, with over 30 surgeries, as well as 3 subsequent visits for other necessary surgeries over the years.

After medically retiring from the Army, Dan went back into pharmaceutical sales, and when he found no joy in that field, he searched for ways to give back. First at the PGA TOUR, where Dan and his team stood up the TOUR’s Military Appreciation Initiative, called “Birdies for the Brave” which have raised over $15million for player supported military charities. After success there, Dan went to his dream job at Wounded Warrior Project and is still involved today, but now as an entrepreneur he serves more as an ambassador and spokesperson. Dan and his wife, Kaylin also work on a  small non-profit, Warrior Spirit Retreat, where he uses yoga, mindfulness and meditation to help heal the invisible wounds of war and give back directly to those who have served and suffered.

Most recently, Dan was diagnosed with Stage 3 Colon Cancer and is currently in treatment at Mayo Clinic. Dan’s chemotherapy treatment is scheduled to end the week before this incredible opportunity, so this will be a HUGE blessing for both him and Kaylin.

Dan has 3 daughters and one granddaughter. Daughters Karyssa (28), Carly (12) and Catherine (5) are the best things in his world and his proudest achievement is having the title of “Dad”, followed closely by the title of “Big Poppa” which is what Heidi (5) calls him in lieu of Grandpa.

Dan recently married his forever bride, Kaylin, in April of 2022 after 7 years of dating and parenting their daughter, Catherine together. Kaylin is a career massage therapist, however she has left the workforce to care for Dan full time, while he finally undergoes treatment, after a surgical nightmare from the tumor removal surgery had him hospitalized for a month. Kaylin is solid gold and the best partner a man could ask for.

Dan and Kalin both enjoy being out in nature, camping, shooting, golf as well as more cosmopolitan interests like the theater (especially musicals), dining out and an occasional trip back to Sonoma & Napa County to collect some amazing wines. Dan is a horseman and has shown cutting horses at the Futurity in Fort Worth, TX almost every year since 2008 in a special event called the “Celebrity Cutting” which raises funds and awareness for a local cancer charity called the Careity Foundation and Dan has even won twice and has the belt buckles to prove it.

Chris retired as a 1SG, combat engineer, that spent 21 years in the Army. He grew up in the middle of cornfield country in Lincoln, Illinois. He has an older brother (also a soldier, he is a COL in the Army currently serving in Germany) and a younger half-brother. He spent time in both Illinois with his Mom and stepdad and Ohio with his biological Dad.

He lost his right leg below the knee, broke several vertebra in his neck, and shattered his upper right arm in a motorcycle accident in 2005. He remained on active duty service for more than 10 years and retired at the end of 2016. In 2010 Chris reinjured his residual limb avoiding an RPG attack in Afghanistan. After several years of continued issues with his limb not healing, he ultimately had a revision to cut off another 4 inches of his limb at Walter Reed in 2015. This is where he met Kelly.

Kelly is a Physical Therapist and was working in the amputee clinic at Walter Reed. Kelly comes from a military family, her Dad is a retired COL and helicopter pilot with 28+ years of service as well. Kelly grew up as an Army brat all around the world, moving often. She has 2 younger sisters. Her family lives about an hour from Walter Reed and never wanted any service member to be alone on a holiday. Many stragglers have spent holidays at their home over the years. Chris joined for 4^th of July and spent the whole day talking to Kelly’s Dad- realizing her Dad provided air support to Chris and his unit on the ground while both were deployed to Bosnia. Through lots of mutual friends, the rest is history.

Chris and Kelly moved to Maine in the summer of 2017 to work for the Travis Mills Foundation. Kelly is now the Chief Operating Officer for TMF, as well as a contractor at the local VA to help with amputee care, and adjunct professor at 3 universities to help teach amputee rehab. Chris also works for the foundation as the Chief Facilities and Maintenance Officer. Together, with a wonderful team, they run the day to day operations of the Foundation.

After years of an infertility journey, they now have a 22 month old daughter that is the greatest thing to ever happen to either of them. Her name is Emma and she is every bit of the fiercely stubborn and independent bits of her parents in the form of a tiny human. They have 2 dogs and are enjoying living on several acres out of the hussle and bussle of the DC area. They enjoy being outside as much as possible, hiking, swimming, and exploring what still feels like their new state.

He joined the Army in 2004 and was stationed at Ft. Stewart along with his stepdad.  They deployed together twice in the same battalion. Tim was on his second deployment in Iraq as an artilleryman when he was left a double amputee after an IED explosion. On June 19, 2007, shortly after taking over as the driver of a Humvee, his vehicle rolled over a pressure plate IED that exploded through the floorboard, immediately amputating his right leg below the knee and his left leg above the knee. The reaction by the medic and medevac team saved his life.  He was stabilized and transported to a local hospital before later being airlifted to Landstuhl, Germany and finally to Walter Reed Army Medical Center where he rehabbed for nearly two and a half years.