FEBRUARY 4, 2025 – Army Capt. Timothy Bible stared hopelessly at the beige ceiling tiles and fluorescent lights above his hospital bed at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. It was January 2010, more than a month since his leg was amputated above the knee — what remained would take months to heal.
Bible’s mind raced with questions. What would he do? How would he care for his family?
A year earlier, his future seemed all but secured. In November 2009, after a decade serving as an infantry officer, Bible joined the ranks of the special operations community as a newly minted psychological operations officer.
“I was on top of the world,” he said. “I had just finished the pipeline, and I had a beautiful wife and healthy toddler at home.”
Tragically, disaster struck three days into the young officer’s new career. On Nov. 16, 2009, a distracted driver slammed into Bible’s motorcycle.
“I was T-boned going through an intersection,” he said. “I knew immediately it was catastrophic — I looked down and saw my ruined leg and thought, ‘wow, life’s never going to be the same.'”
Resilience and Recovery
During the quarterly 1st Special Operations Forces Truth event held Jan. 29, 2025, at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, Bible briefed the Special Operations Command team and hundreds of guests, sharing his story of resilience and recovery.
Bible expressed his support for the Care Coalition — part of the Warrior Care Program.
The ethos “humans are more important than hardware” forms the bedrock of 1st SOF Truth, which reminds service members and leaders alike that people remain the organization’s most valuable resource.
The Warrior Care Program — and the Care Coalition, specifically — exists in direct alignment with that ideal. Its mandate is simple: If SOF personnel are wounded, ill or suffer an injury while serving the special operations community, there’s a team ready to help.
Over 400 virtual attendees listened as Socom’s senior leaders emphasized the need to communicate the Care Coalition’s capabilities across the enterprise.
Socom Commander Army Gen. Bryan Fenton opened the forum with a focus on his top priority: people.
“We take care of our people,” he said. “We believe in starting with the human in all our approaches, and the Care Coalition is critical to that mentality.”
Fenton expressed gratitude to the service members and veterans who shared their experiences, and offered guidance to attendees, emphasizing shared understanding.
“First of all, to the men and women who provided testimonials, thank you,” Fenton said. “But your stories need to reach beyond this event — they must reach our people because whether they’ve been in for one day or 30 years, it’s their Care Coalition.”
That coalition saw Bible through his recovery and return to active duty, where he ultimately achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel. Bible credits the program for his return to duty after six months at Walter Reed.
“Members of the Care Coalition fought to be there for me when I needed it most,” he said. “I wanted to stay in the Army and go back to work; they supported me through everything.”
Care Coalition
Established in 2005, the Care Coalition is a congressionally recognized Warrior Care Program that ensures SOF community members receive the critical support they need after life-altering injuries or illnesses.
Through a structured approach encompassing four key phases — recovery, rehabilitation, reintegration and transition — the program allows service members to stay on active duty or transition to a civilian career.
During the recovery phase, recovery care coordinators guide SOF personnel and their families through the process using a comprehensive recovery plan, ensuring they have access to resources like assistive technology, education, employment and housing.
“Having the RCCs is critical because they have access to so many resources,” said Navy Command Master Chief Petty Officer Ryan Gray from Naval Special Warfare Group 4. “They’re trained to get the service member back to full duty as quickly as possible.”
The program’s reintegration phase leverages the Care Coalition’s Military Adaptive Sports Program, which promotes both physical and mental well-being among wounded, ill and injured SOF personnel.
Specialized athletic retreats and the Warrior Games provide participants with opportunities to stay active, compete and connect with the broader SOF community.
Army Master Sgt. Jerry Millan, the warrior care liaison for Army special operations, credited the Care Coalition’s Military Adaptive Sports Program for his quick recovery from stage-four cancer.
“I put a half-marathon on my calendar, scheduled six months out from my last round of chemotherapy,” he said. “I had to prove to myself that I could still do these things.”
Millan, who is attending the Invictus Games this year, explained his sense of urgency through the lens of a warfighter, desperate to be back in the fight.
“The Military Adaptive Sports Program provided me the opportunity to find new purpose in life [by] helping others going through similar situations,” he said. “[They] helped me rediscover my warrior identity.”
For those preparing to take off the uniform, the career transition program offers tailored support to help personnel successfully enter the civilian workforce. Career transition coordinators connect service members with fellowship opportunities, job placement programs, and education resources to help service members translate their skills into meaningful post-military careers.
“When the military is all you’ve known, the thought of life on the outside is a stressor,” said Bible. “But I’m taking advantage of one of the Care Coalition’s fellowship programs, and I feel ready — I’m trained.”
The Care Coalition’s benevolence program fills gaps by providing support that may not be covered by the Defense Department or the Department of Veterans Affairs. By working with charitable organizations and securing grants, the program provides essential goods and services directly to SOF personnel in need.
Speaking on behalf of her husband, Army Maj. David Carr, a special forces team leader, Lauren Carr described how the benevolence program delivered critical support after he underwent surgery for an epidermoid brain tumor.
“After the surgery, my husband faced a long, hard road to recovery, with daily, inpatient therapy,” Lauren said. “The Care Coalition helped me secure housing at the Fisher House when doctors transferred David to the James Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa.
She lauded the Care Coalition’s support, which extended well beyond lodging.
“The coalition significantly eased our mental, emotional, financial and physical burdens,” Lauren said. “They were a steadfast presence in the worst season of our lives.”
People First
In the SOF community, Fenton’s people-first approach is vital to unit readiness and nested with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Jan. 27, 2025, “Message to the Force.” Since SOF personnel are not easily replaced, Socom’s position is clear: Retention is at the foundation of SOF lethality and the Care Coalition is one of the ways to keep warriors on the team.
Fenton’s focus on people has produced marked improvements in retention across the enterprise. Backed by the Care Coalition, the community now returns 72% of wounded service members to active duty.
“We’re going to be with our warriors for the rest of their lives,” Fenton said. “If anything happens, we’re going to take care of you and your family. You have given us so much, and your care is our sacred obligation.”
DOD News