WHAT IS BATTALION 22?
BATTALION 22 is a (pending) 501(c)19 foundation that is rewriting the script on serving our great veteran community. We pride ourselves on being a ‘boots on the ground, take the hill’ type of organization that brings the fight to support veterans directly to them, with weekly gatherings in Orange County, California. Our primary mission is to reduce veteran suicide rates through a combination of various social bonding experiences. All veterans are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Our weekly meetings are a combination of several social entities into one environment. They’re kind of like a motorcycle club in that there’s lots of bro hugs and camaraderie. They’re kind of like a 12 step program in that we encourage clean living. They’re kind of like a motivational seminar in that there’s plenty of positive reinforcement. They’re kind of like a therapy group in that there’s an opportunity to share experiences. They’re kind of like a church in that they’re based upon Judeo-Christian, Buddhist and Stoic principles. And they’re kind of like a military unit in that we keep each other on our toes with a goodly amount of horseplay and humor.
BATTALION 22 is the direct result of this man, Rob Richter, my younger brother. A former Marine and UCLA graduate, he seemingly had life figured out. His friends say that he was the glue that held them together, that he was the guy that all the women wanted to date, and the men wanted to be more like. Sadly, Rob took his life in September 2023. Nobody saw it coming. NOBODY! He just didn’t fit the preconceived notion of a suicidal veteran.
If Rob were here right now I would hug him and say: “Please don’t leave us. You are a central character in the story of so many people’s lives, and you bring those stories hope, and levity, and humor. There are pages upon pages of as-yet unwritten content where you’re needed to be the unsung hero, again, an inspiration, again, and the leading man in a good woman’s romance. Nobody wants this charming and complicated character to succumb to the villain. Everyone, all of your family and myriad friends, want to band together to prop you up while you regain your strength, so that you will take your rightful place in the remaining acts of these stories.”
BATTALION 22 is for all United States military veterans and their supportive partners. Whether you served a few years in the reseves or spent twenty years on the front lines, you’re one of us. If you’ve ever struggled, as most of us have, if you’re currently in need of support or want to support fellow veterans, we want you here. There’s no judgement, just your fellow brothers and sisters in arms looking out for each other and having some laughs along the way. Join us!
Meetings
When: Tuesdays
Time: 19:00 Hours to 21:00 Hours
Location: The Crossings Church
Address: 2115 Newport Blvd.
City/State: Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Join us for camaraderie, positive reinforcement, opportunities to share your truth with a sympathetic audience, as well as options to help fellow veterans.
Donations
As it turns out, helping others, even with the purest of intentions, is a costly endeavor in this day and age. As such BATTALION 22 is now excepting donations on behalf of our great veteran community. 100% of the monies that we collect go towards overhead for our weekly meetings and quarterly events. Board members are NOT paid nor reimbursed from donated funds. To make a donation, please contact our treasurer, Alan Clark, at the email link provided beneath his photo.
Grunt
< $1,000 in Donations
Gunner
$1,000+ in Donations
COMMANDER
$10,000+ in Donations
Bronze Star
$50,000+ in Donations
Silver Star
$100,000+ in Donations
Board Members
Dr. Erik Won
Chairman
“Never was so much owed
by so many to so few.”
Winston Churchill
Mat RIchter
Founder
“Life is beautiful. Society is ugly.
Don’t get the two confused.”
~Mat
Alan Clark
TREASURER
“… by their fruits ye shall know them.”
(Matthew 7: 20).
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Of Council
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VP of Events
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Brian Thom
VP of Membership
There’s no normal life, Wyatt, there’s just life.”
Doc Holiday – Tombstone, 1993
Nick Gonzalez
Master At Arms
“Life is neither good nor evil, but only a place for good and evil.”
Marcus Aurelius