Tool Troopers, a veteran-inspired garage brand, has set an ambitious goal: to become one of the leading private supporters of U.S. veterans. Founded in memory of a fallen friend in active duty, the company is combining its tool business with a commitment to veterans' causes. With more than 18 million veterans in the U.S. facing challenges such as PTSD, disability, and homelessness, Tool Troopers has pledged ongoing support for organizations including Wounded Warrior Project, Disabled American Veterans, Homes for Our Troops, and Team Rubicon. By tying its growth directly to giving back, Tool Troopers is positioning itself not just as a tool brand, but as a long-term ally in improving the lives of America's veterans.
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Tool Troopers, Veteran-Inspired Garage Brand, Sets Goal To Become A Leading Supporter of U.S. Veterans
At its core, Tool Troopers is a tool brand. We sell tools and accessories, offer practical DIY guidance, and help men and women everywhere find the confidence they need to tackle all sorts of jobs around their homes.
But the brand isn't just built around tools. It's built around brotherhood and unity, too!
We'll share more about our story below. But for now, we'll just say that we lost a good friend during active duty. And that hit us hard, especially when we thought about how much is actually given by our active service members.
So when we builtTool Troopers, we decided that it wouldn't just be about us and the tools we make. It would also be about helping the men and women who've given so much to protect our freedom.
There are more than 18 million living veterans in the United States. And living veterans make up about 6% of the nation's adult population. (1)
In other words, there are a lot of veterans out there. And most people don't know or don't recognize how hard life can be as a vet.
But when you take a look at the statistics below, you get a much clearer picture of what veterans struggle with every single day.
- From 2001 to 2021, an estimated 1.9 to 3 million Americans served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and approximately 600,000 have been diagnosed with PTSD. (2)
- The VA has said that about 30% of those who have served in combat have post-traumatic stress disorder. (3)
- Since 2002, more than 200,000 service members have suffered Traumatic Brain Injuries. (3)
- 30% of vets have a service connected disability. (3)
- Over 48,000 vets are homeless or at risk. (3)
- 40.7% of U.S veterans feel like a "guest" in their own homes. (3)
- Suicide, substance use, and homelessness are interconnected issues, and many veterans are at risk of going into crisis.
- 20% of high-risk deaths among U.S. veterans involved drug or alcohol use. (4)
- Between 1999 and 2010, twenty-two veterans committed suicide daily, with one occurring roughly every 80 minutes. The number is higher for Special Forces. (3)(9)
Whether they come home as injured veterans or without any injuries at all, it's easy to see why veterans struggle to re-integrate themselves into society.
And what's worse is that 84% of veterans say that the American public has "little awareness" of the challenges facing them and their families. (5)
So not only do a lot of veterans struggle physically, mentally, and financially. Most people can't even fathom what they've been through, or they don't know how many vets are struggling to get through the day.
VA Benefits Are Great, But Disability Benefits Aren't Enough
The history of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, also known as the VA, stretches back to the American Revolutionary War, fought on American soil between 1775 and 1783.
However, the Veterans Affairs department didn't become a dedicated federal agency until the 1930s and only transitioned into a cabinet-level federal department in 1989. (6)
Today, it is an essential organization for veterans. It provides them with health care, benefits, cemetery services, disability compensation, pensions, education benefits, home loan guarantees, and a range of other essential services.
Now, people need to understand how VA disability compensation is calculated and paid out.
Injured veterans are first assessed and given a disability rating, which determines their basic monthly payments and eligibility for additional benefits. Having dependents, like a spouse or children, also influences how much a vet will earn.
Now, let's assume we're looking at a veteran without dependents, who has received a 30% disability rating. According to the VA, their basic rate would be just over $537 per month. (7)
That might be a decent income. But that's only if it's supplementing the income they receive from other sources. If there are no other income sources, that $537 is barely enough to buy groceries for the month. In fact, the inflation-adjusted average monthly cost of groceries in 2025 is somewhere around $674. (8)
And with a 30% disability rating, there's a good chance that veteran will struggle to find work, or they may even be unable to hold a job. Plus, they may have additional medical costs or bills that exceed the VA benefit, leaving them with a significant expense gap to fill.
When you imagine a story like this, it's easy to see how VA benefits just aren't enough to help veterans cover the basic costs of living, like groceries, rent, utilities bills, and other expenses like transportation.
Fortunately, there are many organizations, like the Wounded Warrior Project, Disabled American Veterans, Team Rubicon, and Homes For Our Troops, that work hard to fill in those gaps and help American veterans achieve a better life back on home soil.
You can learn more about VA compensation rates here:Current Veterans disability compensation rates.
Our Story, Our Mission - To Give Back & Thank Every Soldier For Their Military Service
Back in 2010, Tool Troopers' co-founder Philip Hempel lost a good friend serving overseas.
According to Hempel: "The day we lost him, the world shifted. What once felt distant became painfully real. The price of freedom, paid by those who serve. We carry his memory forward, honoring him and all who serve to protect us."
Life is fragile. And that's whyTool Troopers has set out to be a leading supporter of U.S. veterans, with the aim of giving back and thanking every soldier for the work they do, on the ground, on the water, and in the air.
So when Tool Troopers launched, they decided to scout out four veteran-based organizations to support, among the many other veteran events they support around the states.
Here's a little about each of them.
- Wounded Warrior Project - This organization provides life-changing programs to injured vets and their families. WWP offers a wide range of support programs, which include adaptive sports, family support, financial readiness, mental wellness help, and the Warriors To Work program that assists veterans find employment.
- Disabled American Veterans - DAV is dedicated primarily to helping injured and disabled veterans access VA benefits and medical transportation. However, they also offer employment and entrepreneurship assistance, as well as transition services.
- Homes For Our Troops - Affordable housing is a major issue for veterans. And that's why this publicly funded nonprofit organization donates specially adapted custom homes to severely injured veterans.
- Team Rubicon - As a veteran-founded and led organization, Team Rubicon is dedicated to providing humanitarian aid to vulnerable communities all around the world. The organization operates both domestically and internationally, providing disaster response relief and long-term recovery assistance to all those in need.
Fallen soldiers never come home.
And there are millions of others out there who have lost loved ones, family and friends, husbands and wives, children and parents while serving. Nothing is ever going to change that or fill the spaces they've left in all our hearts.
But by donating and supporting organizations like these, even if it's just a small donations or a bit of volunteer work, it can help change and improve the lives of America's 18 million veterans who have already given so much.
So for all those who have served, or who are currently serving, we thank you for your service!
If you or anyone you know is struggling with PTSD due to military service, please contact theVeterans Crisis Line. Dial 988, then press 1, send a text to 838255, or chat online. There are also several other organizations and resources tohelp veterans in crisis that you can contact for counseling help.
References
- Schaeffer, Katherine. "The Changing Face of America's Veteran Population." Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 8 Nov. 2023, www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/11/08/the-changing-face-of-americas-veteran-population/.
- "U.S. Military, Veterans, Contractors & Allies." Costs of War | Brown University, Sept. 2021, costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/costs/human/us-military-veterans-contractors-allies. Accessed 18 Sept. 2025.
- "Veteran Facts." Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge, combatwounded.org/goals-and-achievements/veteran-facts/.
- Ruiz, Frank, et al. "A Practical Review of Suicide among Veterans: Preventive and Proactive Measures for Health Care Institutions and Providers." Public Health Reports, vol. 138, no. 2, 9 Apr. 2022, p. 003335492210852,https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549221085240.
- "Know Our Vets | George W. Bush Presidential Center." George W. Bush Presidential Center, 6 May 2025, www.bushcenter.org/publications/know-our-vets. Accessed 18 Sept. 2025.
- Department of Veterans Affairs. "History Overview - U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs." Department.va.gov, 6 July 2022, department.va.gov/history/history-overview/.
- "2020 Veterans Disability Compensation Rates." Veterans Affairs, 8 Sept. 2020, www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/veteran-rates/.
- Quicken. "20 Average Monthly Expenses to Include in Your Budget | Quicken."Https://Www.quicken.com/Blog/, 18 Dec. 2024, www.quicken.com/blog/monthly-expenses/.
- Wikipedia Contributors. "United States Military Veteran Suicide." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Dec. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_veteran_suicide.
Media Contact
Hank R. Dallin, Tool Troopers, 1 941-216-6131, [email protected], https://tooltroopers.com/
SOURCE Tool Troopers
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