U.S. ARMY VETERAN ROBERT MITCHELL NAMED 2026 VETERAN CHAMPION FOR U.S.VETS’ MAKE CAMO YOUR CAUSE TO #HONORUSVETS

U.S.VETS invites Americans to honor military service by wearing camo this Veterans Day

LOS ANGELES, MI, UNITED STATES, October 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- U.S.VETS, the leading nonprofit working to prevent and end veteran homelessness, today launches its 2026 awareness and fundraising campaign, Make Camo Your Cause to #HONORUSVETS, and has named Robert Mitchell, a U.S. Army veteran and U.S.VETS Houston veteran peer specialist, as this year’s veteran champion.

Make Camo Your Cause to #HONORUSVETS turns camouflage into a visible symbol of gratitude for those who served, while raising the funds that keep U.S.VETS’ housing, employment, mental health, and peer-support programs reaching veterans in need. U.S.VETS serves more than 20,000 veterans and families every year, making public support for its programs essential to advancing its mission.

At the center of each campaign is a veteran champion: one person whose story gives the public a face for the mission. As the 2026 champion, Mitchell is featured in the campaign’s new short documentary and national public service announcements, and will represent U.S.VETS in media interviews and Veterans Day activations, and will serve as the voice inviting Americans to make camo their cause this November.

Few veterans embody the mission more completely. Mitchell enlisted in the U.S. Army at 17 and served as a Corporal from 1975 to 1981. After his service, addiction cost him nearly everything, and he spent roughly seven years homeless, much of it on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. In 1993, he became one of the first veterans housed at U.S.VETS’ original Inglewood, California site, referred by a VA social worker named Steve Peck, who would later lead the organization for nearly three decades. Today Mitchell serves as a veteran peer specialist at U.S.VETS Houston, helping veterans through the same journey he once made. He was also born on November 11, Veterans Day.

“Robert’s story reflects what is possible when a veteran’s determination is met with the right support,” said Darryl J. Vincent, president and CEO of U.S.VETS. “Robert came to U.S.VETS in our very first year, committed to getting sober and making a change in his life. He did that and so much more. Today, he is a homeowner and a colleague who helps other veterans navigate their own journeys. His willingness to openly share the hardest chapters of his life so other veterans know a way forward is possible is exactly what this campaign is about.”

“I went from homeless to homeowner in four and a half years because of U.S.VETS,” said Mitchell, who marked 33 years of sobriety on May 10, 2026, and now owns a home in his native state of Texas. “U.S.VETS gave me a hand up, not a handout. Now I get to do the same for my fellow veterans every day. Giving back has been a full-circle moment for me, and it fills me with gratitude and a sense of purpose.”

U.S.VETS has released a short documentary and national public service announcements sharing Mitchell’s journey, available at https://youtu.be/HOYw4JM0nZM. To join the campaign, visit honor.usvets.org/givetoday.

About Make Camo Your Cause to #HONORUSVETS
Make Camo Your Cause to #HONORUSVETS is a national campaign to show appreciation and gratitude for veterans and their military service, while raising awareness and funds to propel U.S.VETS’ mission to ensure the successful transition of military veterans and their families. Camouflage print is the official symbol of the campaign. Now in its sixth year, the campaign aims to raise more than $1 million this year alone, bringing its total to more than $3.5 million.
Originally designed to conceal and protect soldiers in combat, camo takes on a new meaning through #HONORUSVETS: a visible sign that you believe veterans deserve every opportunity to live with dignity and independence. U.S.VETS encourages Americans to:
SHOP camo at shop.usvets.org to benefit U.S.VETS.

WEAR camo year-round, with a specific focus on Veterans Day, November 11.
SHARE camo on social media using #HONORUSVETS on Veterans Day and post personal stories about those who have served.
DONATE $11 on 11/11 to help end veteran homelessness.

The Make Camo Your Cause online benefit shop carries U.S.VETS and #HONORUSVETS customized and limited-edition apparel and goods, along with cause-marketing products from campaign shop partners including Fourth Wall, Spouse-ly, CharlieMadison, Freedom Bear Coffee, Goody's Original Popcorn, Traysters, The Kindness Cause and more (usvets.org/shop-partners). All products are designed and printed in the USA. Proceeds directly support U.S.VETS. For questions on becoming a camo shop cause-marketing partner, email Heather Harvin at HHarvin@usvets.org or call 213.393.8425.

Since the campaign launched in 2021, hundreds of companies and individuals have participated by wearing camo on Veterans Day and sharing photos using #HONORUSVETS.

About U.S.VETS
Founded in 1993, U.S.VETS is the largest nonprofit organization with boots on the ground combatting America’s veteran homelessness crisis. Serving more than 20,000 veterans and families annually, U.S.VETS provides housing, employment assistance, mental health care, suicide prevention, aftercare and peer support to help veterans achieve stability and independence. From its first site in Inglewood, California, U.S.VETS has grown to 51 residential sites, 189 programs nationwide and four signature Veterans Connection Hubs focused on prevention and early intervention. Learn more at usvets.org.

Rachel Talen
Change for Balance
rachel@changeforbalance.com

Make Camo Your Cause with U.S.VETS and Army veteran Robert Mitchell