Noah Currier, Founder of Oscar Mike Foundation and Oscar Mike Apparel, always wanted to be a Marine. His dad was a Marine, his grandpa was a Marine, so it was only natural for him to want to follow suit. Noah enlisted right after he graduated high school, even though he was only seventeen years old. Being a military family, his mom gladly signed for him to begin his military journey not knowing that very shortly a war would break out and Noah would be deployed.
With Noah’s second deployment came the invasion of Iraq and on the day before he was to come home from Camp Pendleton, he was in a car accident. He suffered several breaks in his neck which left him paralyzed from the neck down.
Like many veterans, Noah found himself in a dark place. He felt that everything had been taken from him; his job, his brothers, his way of life.
One day during this time, Noah was taken to an adaptive sporting event and then skiing. He began to realize that he could still accomplish things and that he was still relevant. He continued on with these sports, but the entry fees can be very costly, especially to someone having to bring a caregiver along. Noah had the idea to start selling t-shirts to raise money for these entry fees.
Back in the day, the UN was using the term, Oscar Mike. When you needed someone to get on the move or a unit to start moving, you would say, “I need you to get Oscar Mike”. There was no hesitation, just movement and you didn’t quit until the task was complete.
In that fashion, four guys in wheelchairs began moving. They began hanging shelves in Noah’s two-car garage and began stocking their first shirts. Now, they have the Oscar Mike Foundation and Oscar Mike Apparel.
The Oscar Mike Foundation exists to keep veterans on the move through adaptive sports. They have had 400 veterans from all over the country go through the program so far. They have granted over 1,000 sporting scholarships to veterans. Veterans visit the compound for a week for everything from wheelchair rugby to flying airplanes.
The apparel company exists to minimize overhead for the foundation. In building that portion of the business, the Oscar Mike team has created the most impactful, all-American-made brand in existence.
“For people who think they are saving a dollar or two by not buying American-made, I say to them – get ready to lose your job. In the long run, your job will eventually be lost too. Buying American Made goods and services must be a priority whenever possible”, according to Noah Currier.
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