In April 2004, Anthony Smith was hit with a rocket-propelled grenade while deployed in Iraq. The impact from the blast destroyed his hip, a third of one of his femur, his right kidney, and part of his right arm, in addition to impairing the vision in his right eye and his hearing. Initially pronounced dead and placed in a body bag, a nurse searching for his dog tags saw air bubbles coming from one of his wounds and realized that Anthony was still alive.

Returning home, Anthony was faced with a long road to physical recovery, not to mention the sense of loss he felt in no longer being able to serve his country. At this critical juncture in his life, Anthony found The Mission Continues, an organization that seeks to create opportunities for returning military members to continue to serve their country and honor their fallen service members, while also educating civilians on the assets and leadership potential of returning veterans.

Today, after several years of recovery, Anthony is giving back to his community in Arkansas. An avid athlete before joining the military, Anthony is now serving as a Mission Continues fellow, using martial arts to mentor young people and help develop their character and athletic skills. Reflecting on his experiences, Anthony said, "Service in the military has taught me that living life is bigger than me. If people want to understand life and have purpose, it comes from helping your fellow man and those in need of your assistance and wisdom. As young people see and hear about my struggles in life, I hope they will be encouraged pursue their own dreams, regardless of their circumstances."

Creating Service Opportunities at Home
The Mission Continues was founded in 2007 by Eric Grietens, a United States Navy SEAL Officer, who used his combat pay to set up the organization after returning from Iraq. Working from the belief that Americans not only need to thank their returning soldiers, but show them they are still needed, The Mission Continues offers three programs—Fellowships, Service Projects, and Thought Leadership—all of which seek to utilize the strengths veterans gain during their military service by offering them new opportunities to serve at home.

The Fellowship Program helps veterans translate their wartime strengths and experiences into skills that can benefit themselves and their communities. Through the program, The Mission Continues places veterans in community service roles that facilitate professional development. Each fellowship ranges from 14-28 weeks in length, during which participants volunteer with a local charitable organization and provide a substantial service to their community. In addition, fellowships are constructed to pay tribute to fallen service members. Each fellow has the opportunity to choose a fallen service member to honor, or to be assigned one by the Travis Manion Foundation.

The Mission Continues' Service Projects are designed to give civilians the opportunity to support the veterans in their communities by working with them side by side. These projects are open to civilians, veterans, and active military personnel, and can be one-day or long-term projects.

As a thought leader, The Mission Continues conducts and disseminates research intended to change America's perception of its veterans. On this front, The Mission Continues has partnered with Civic Enterprises to understand the impact of continued service on returning veterans, and also with Washington University in St. Louis to assess the long-term impact of the Fellowship Program on participants' health, family, education, and employment outcomes.

Growing to Serve More Veterans
To date, The Mission Continues has awarded 116 Fellowships in 24 states, and more than 15,000 volunteers have supported Fellows through 270 community service projects. Recently the organization has experienced rapid growth and is set to award 100 fellowships in approximately 40 cities in 2011. The Mission Continues has also set aggressive growth targets for the next year and plans to grow to award In 150 fellowships in 2012, in addition to improving the quality and impact of its programs.