After graduating from the University of South Florida in 2009 John Robinson joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served in Afghanistan.
Upon his return home - and now a veteran - he felt the need to do more, and so he created an organization called Post 9/11 Veterans.
“Our whole goal is not just to help vets, not just to help the community,” Robinson said. “It is to bridge the gap between the two and really bring attention to the community to the returning veterans as well as the community members.”
While serving his country overseas, Robinson made friends with a little pal and the pair would hang out. His new pal: a border collie/lab mix puppy named Winston.
Robinson knows full well the challenges vets face returning from war.
“A lot of veterans, they come back, they lose their sense of brotherhood and belonging that they once had," he said. "What we try to do is bring the community and vets together and give them that sense of belonging through community outreach programs and social events."
Those programs include visits to Tampa’s Trinity Cafe.
“I was able to bring 10 local vets and supporters over there to serve food to the homeless, to the needy and really give them some kind of personal connection," he said.
His group also supported vets families with Christmas gifts for the children.
Now a state certified firefighter/EMT, Robinson volunteers another 30 to 40 hours a week to this community-supported non-profit.
For this former active duty Marine, Robinson is now geared to American veterans of all branches and the place that is their home.
“We believe that our returning vets need to feel welcome and we believe, from the community’s standpoint, as returning vets we offer a lot," he said. "We can bring a lot to the table as far as the community and as far as your business."