Continuing Service
11/24/2019 11:54:00 AM | General
Brian Reese, Hockey, Class of 2007
At the Academy
Brian Reese is a 2007 Academy graduate and a four-year hockey letterman. In his career, the forward played in 75 games and scored 15 goals and had 15 assists. As a junior, he was second on the team with 10 goals. As a senior, he was part of the first Air Force hockey team, and first service academy hockey team, to win a conference championship. He was on the ice as Air Force defeated Sacred Heart in the AHA semifinals and then Army in the AHA championship game, sending the Falcons to their first ever NCAA Tournament.
In his words – "When I look back at my time at the Academy, I think about what shaped and molded me into the person I am today. It was perseverance through adversity. The relationships I made at the Academy, and the lessons I learned as a cadet are unmatched. And then having the opportunity to compete on the ice at a very high-level taught me so much. Athletics is the ultimate leadership laboratory and I was blessed to form bonds with my teammates and coaches that I will never forget."
Since the Academy
After graduation, Reese spent 11 years on active duty as a contracting officer and served a combat tour in Afghanistan in 2011. In 2016, Reese founded VA Claims Insider with the vision of becoming the most trusted name in VA disability claims. The company provides veterans with access to and permission to use their proprietary resources to help veterans through the difficult VA claims process, which often results in veterans getting the VA rating and compensation they deserve in less time. His eBook, the "9 Secret Strategies for Winning Your VA Disability Claim" has been downloaded more than 250,000 times in the past three years, and is the No. 1 rated free VA disability claims guide for veterans.
In his words – "I had a tough deployment to Afghanistan in 2011. I came home with myriad of mental and physical issues. Feeling alone, I turned to alcohol and drugs and was doing some really dumb things. I was embarrassed by it. I felt like I was a high achiever, and when everything was crumbling, I started sharing my story and I heard from so many vets that were going through the same things and needed help. That started this incredible journey. I always wanted to be an entrepreneur, so it turned into a business, all self-funded, in the summer of 2016. In about 12 months, we very quickly captured a huge portion of the market share under VA claims. Now, we have a 125 people working for us all over the world, serving about 2,000 veterans a month in our membership programs and over 200,000 each month on our websites. What has been so gratifying is the unbelievable purpose and calling that comes with this. I was floundering after I took the uniform off. Now I know that all my experiences prepared me for this moment. We believe so much in what we are doing. We are changing lives. We've had veterans go from being homeless to owning their own homes. We've prevented veteran suicide. We've improved the financial future for thousands of veterans and their families. And we are doing it by using the power of community and social media".
Background
Originally from Brainerd, Minn., Reese earned all-conference honors in both hockey and football at Brainerd High School. He played junior hockey for the Billings Bulls of the America West Hockey League and helped lead the team to the 2002-03 regular season championship and placed third at the Junior 'A' Championships. A management major at the Academy, he was on the Dean's List and said entering his senior year that his goal was "to own his own business."
In his words – "I feel so blessed that all the events of my life have molded me into the person I am today. I believed that my destiny would be determined by what was inside of me. Instead of being reactive to what has happened, I could be proactive and do what is in my heart and now, I could not be more excited to draw on all these experiences and give back to those who have served our great country."
