Standing in the Gap – The Andy Quattlebaum Warrior Hunt 2026

Recently, Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services (the Center) partnered and participated in support of the 2026 Andy Quattlebaum Warrior Hunt near Georgetown, S.C.

The Warrior Hunt, hosted by the Andy Quattlebaum and Blackwell Family Foundation, created a space for connection among veterans who have served from all eras. The Center’s role was to strengthen the infrastructure that makes that connection possible and sustainable.

Over the last year, the Center worked with foundation leadership to:
 

• Clarify desired outcomes beyond the event experience.
• Strengthen alignment between philanthropic investment and veteran impact.
• Develop a framework to measure connection, trust-building, and longer-term engagement.
• Identify partnerships that could extend the impact of the hunt beyond a single weekend.
• Position the event within a broader ecosystem of veteran-serving organizations.

 
Isolation among veterans rarely announces itself loudly. It shows up quietly — in disconnection from community, in the loss of trusted networks, and in the absence of shared identity after service. Events like the Warrior Hunt create powerful moments of reconnection. But moments alone are not systems.
 
Our work ensured that the 2026 Hunt was strengthened as more than a gathering. It was positioned as a strategic intervention point — one that can reduce isolation by linking participants to longer-term support, peer networks, and community-based capacity.

This week’s engagement reinforced something we see repeatedly in our work: addressing veteran isolation and disconnection requires more than programming. It requires structure, partnership, and intentional design.
 
On Friday, our blog will explore the deeper issue of isolation and disconnection among veterans — why it persists, where systems fall short, and what it takes to build durable connection at scale.
 
We hope you will read and continue the conversation with us.