For more than two decades, the American Freedom Foundation (AFF) has stood as a powerful advocate for Veterans, service members, and their families. Cofounded in 2004 by Jack L. Tilley, 12th Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA), and longtime music executive Ted Hacker, AFF was born from a shared mission: to give back to those who serve.
After years in the Nashville music industry, Hacker’s life changed during two morale-boosting tours with SMA Tilley, performing for troops stationed in Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Uzbekistan. “It changed our lives so dramatically that we came home and decided to devote our lives to serving Veterans and their families,” Hacker said. From that point, AFF became their “next mission.”
What began as a series of nationwide benefit concerts—raising more than
$1.5 million for local Veteran charities—has evolved into three cornerstone programs that continue AFF’s legacy of service:
- Your Next Mission® Video Podcast: Now in its sixth season with more than 220 episodes, this weekly series educates Americans about the service and sacrifice of our military community while connecting Veterans with critical resources. The podcast reaches thousands through Your Next Mission’s robust YouTube channel.
- Your Next Mission Veterans Hiring Events: Your Next Mission partners with corporations and nonprofit organizations to hold hiring events to help transitioning service members and military families find meaningful civilian careers.
- Your Next Mission Veteran Community Support: This program provides one-on-one assistance tailored to individual needs, powered by a network of 125 nonprofit partners. In just over a year, nearly 900 Veterans have gone through this personalized outreach program.
Through each initiative, AFF’s work reflects its founders’ belief that successful reintegration begins with connection—connecting Veterans to opportunities, employers to talent, and communities to the stories that inspire them to serve those who served. The organization’s long-term vision is to expand these connections nationwide through technology, partnerships, and storytelling that bring visibility to the ongoing needs of America’s military community.
AFF is also part of the Face the Fight Coalition, a national alliance dedicated to ending Veteran suicide and reducing the stigma associated with suicide. “Everything we do comes back to one purpose—serving those who served,” said Hacker. “And we’ll keep doing it until the day we die.”
Veterans, families, and supporters can subscribe to the Your Next Mission YouTube channel to access episodes, resources, and upcoming events. To volunteer or learn more, visit americanfreedomfoundation.org or yournextmission.org.
