The hobby of airsoft has a very long and very rough history with airsoft veteran charities. The hobby has a lot of vets in it, both past servicing and currently serving individuals, from every branch of our military. Because of this, the good idea fairy comes along every few years and we get a new attempt at a veteran airsoft charity, revolving around the theory that airsoft can have therapeutic benefits for vets. The result is usually a big positive start, with a year or two of good vibes until the whole thing comes crashing down because someone lied, misrepresented themselves or mismanaged the operation. No matter how high on positive vibes and support these organizations fly they all end up in the same place as yet another cautionary tale.

Now it’s important to understand why these organizations rise so fast with such strong early support. It’s because civilians are quick to think vets are capable of no wrong, with this strange white knight mentality. Veterans on the other hand know better because they’ve seen the wizard behind the curtain. This idolization of vets allows creditable entry into the airsoft community for these types of organizations. That’s until those veterans I mentioned, those known to be skeptical, come along and shine some light on the ignorance. This is important because as long as civilians, and even some fellow vets, continue to blindly idolize every vet that comes along, we are going to get those that take advantage of that ignorance.

Each time one of these vet organizations comes along I hold my breath hoping that for once it gets done right. As a veteran myself I’ve always believed in the therapeutic potential for airsoft to help vets with PTSD and I’ve believed in the camaraderie it can provide to those vets feeling out of place in their civilian/post service life. Airsoft isn’t some silver bullet, cure all or the answer to every vet’s problem, but another potential tool in the toolbox of help. Now there are plenty of vets that aren’t broken and/or in search of help. Airsoft for these players is what it is for all the civilians that play, a good time playing dress up and war with friends. Not every vet is built the same and they don’t all fit into the broken/desperate for help narrative, but for those vets that need it I’ve wanted for an organization to come along and fill that need.

I hoped that when VFA (Veterans for Airsoft) came on the scene it could be the answer. I know the founder Freddy and the simple premise of connecting veterans with Milsim makes sense. I knew Freddy wasn’t a bad guy or one prone to evil intent to get ahead. Nonetheless, I did what I’ve done before, watched and waited giving modest support. I knew all these organizations started the same and the hype like plenty of other times was there. Criticism soon followed as it always does, some would say harder than usual this time, but if you’d been around seeing a decade of airsoft charity disasters you’d understand why VFA wasn’t going to just get a pass. There are a lot of vets just tired of the recycled idea of helping vets with airsoft and it never ending up done right. Now having given VFA (Veterans for Airsoft) plenty of slack to grow and develop it is time I circled back around and looked at what the community thought of the organization with a survey.

Writing a story or looking into any airsoft charity has always been received with early openness, followed by hostility from the organization of focus and at times its greatest supporters. Everyone is happy to get a positive fluff piece but gets mad at the possibility of criticism, even when that criticism might help them. This time has been no different. Undeterred I moved forward with my survey and like my last survey. The idea was to sample a cross section of the airsoft community. No one knew the questions in advance and I refrained from giving my personal opinion to any one except for one person who I spoke to about the project before I even started surveying. The idea was to get honest answers and not influence anyone’s responses. I wanted the data to show for itself and then hear the reasoning behind each answer from the participants. Those surveyed were players, business owners, industry guys, media guys and even some event producers. 55% of those surveyed were civilian with no military service and 45% were veterans. This is going to be important when I talk about each question and my overall conclusions after the questions.

QUESTIONS

Q1- Do you know what VFA’s mission is and where funds go?

72% of those surveyed said they knew VFA’s mission of connecting vets with Milsim. Yet only 52% understood where funds went. Many believed it went to forwarding their mission but admitted there was no information out there diving into the breakdown of how funds were used. This was especially concerning amongst vets surveyed who wanted to see numbers.

Q2- Compared to other airsoft charity attempts. How would you rate VFA in transparency?

76% of those surveyed rated VFA high on their transparency, feeling like they were open about their mission and saw their presence online. Now, several of those surveyed would point out that due to the behavior of past airsoft veteran charities the bar wasn’t exactly set high. Nonetheless the organization is seen as highly transparent even if there is a lack of hard data provided.

Q3- Why do we need VFA when any player or team could do the same thing for a Vet (i.e. taking them to events and lending gear)?

84% of those surveyed believe we need VFA or an organization like it because of the reach being greater than a team or an individual could get. An organization with a direct focused mission is better for directing of those in need from all across the community. Even those that believed we didn’t need VFA saw it as Freddy’s way of giving back, so it’s okay if it’s what he needs and not doing any harm.

Q4- Have you seen them at events with new Veterans being introduced to airsoft?

72% of those surveyed said they have seen VFA at events and some say they’ve seen or met the vets they are introducing to Milsim, but many can’t say who was or wasn’t new to Milsim. Most of the veterans surveyed point out that they felt there was a lot of repeat people going. This has made them worry that VFA is not bringing many new vets to Milsim, but taking out the same vets or vets VFA favored. This was further reinforced when a few of those vets surveyed confirmed they had received free tickets from VFA for an event they’d been playing for years.

Q5- Have you seen or heard of them using the action tracked chair they raised $10k to buy for disabled/mobility limited vets to use in airsoft?

75% of those surveyed said no, they had not seen the action track chair in use at events. Of the 25% of those that had seen the tracked chair, most said it was in photos, sitting at the VFA booth or in a video. Those that did see it in person admitted that the person riding in it was not a severely disabled Veteran as VFA claimed it was bought for, yet just a vet player trying it out. This is further confirmed by a veteran surveyed who had used it at an event, yet was actually able to walk. Of those surveyed most stated that the action tracked chair was a mistake that should just be gotten rid of, especially because of the negative attention it brings to VFA and the belief that it offers little benefit other than soliciting donations.

Q6- Do you believe VFA is making a positive contribution to the airsoft community?

88% of those surveyed believe VFA is making a positive contributions to the airsoft community, but are quick to point out it’s not necessarily positive for the veterans. This is odd to hear because you’d think if the organization is seen as overwhelmingly positive it was because they were accomplishing their mission. But it’s the belief of those surveyed that VFA’s positive message is bringing in new players in general. While they may not see the results or the overwhelming help for the vets, they are positively promoting airsoft which everyone wants. Vets by majority are not fans of the idea of a handout or belief that they may need a handout. That’s how an organization can have a positive impact while missing its core target with vets worried the organization add to the handout seeking stigma.

Q7- Should a charity be soliciting donations to pay for guys to play airsoft when Veteran homelessness, hunger and disabled services could use the thousands raised?

80% of those surveyed don’t see a problem with donations for this mission and accept it knowing there are other organizations to hit those bigger needs. VFA hits a niche and as long as people are informed when deciding to donate it’s up to them to donate or not. Knowing how their money is used was a big point for all surveyed civilians and veterans alike they wanted to know their money wasn’t paying for just a core group of vets close to the staff to enjoy airsoft.

Q8- Should VFA staff/board members be using donation funds to cover their expenses when traveling to events?

92% of those surveyed believe the use of donated funds for travel expenses was okay, as long as it was in support the organization’s mission, proportional and legally documented. Those that objected believed that if they are a non-profit, the staff paying for their own expenses is how they are contributing and not taking away from the mission. Now it’s totally legal for the organization to write off expenses but the key is being proportional and to disclose that spending. Veterans surveyed voiced a strong fear of the organization’s founders using the organization to underwrite their hobby. The big take away is that it should not cost more to cover staff members’ expenses than to accomplish the mission of bringing NEW vets into the hobby. One or two new vets brought cannot be justification to pay for everyone else’s expenses, as that isn’t the mission.

Q9- Would it be appropriate for VFA staff/board members to be compensating themselves for their efforts from donated funds?

64% of those surveyed agreed that if the VFA staff/board members decided to compensate themselves it would be fine as long it was not taking away from being able to accomplish the mission. Especially if working/managing the organization was taking up a majority of the staff member’s time. Plenty of charities take a modest compensation and it’s not against the law to do so. Now those objecting see it as a moral issue since it is a non-profit and the staff should be doing this as their way of giving back, not seeking to be compensated for volunteering.

Q10- Has VFA passed the test for what an airsoft charity should be in its execution?

62% of those surveyed believed VFA has passed the test, clearing the hurdles to be deemed a success. While plenty of people like Freddy and think the organization is good they haven’t seen the results yet. Especially noted amongst veterans surveyed there is still much skepticism, something that has them silently waiting to see more. More details, more results and more than just pictures of Freddy having fun at events.

My conclusion:

After a decade of bad experiences with veteran airsoft charities it’s easy to be skeptical or even outright against any new ones that come along. New organizations come along with lots of hype and promise to do for Vets what no other has done. We watch them grow, they end up fizzle out through scandal and the airsoft community is left with a bad taste towards new charities, for a short time. Now it’s VFA’s turn on the stage and in the spotlight, or more specifically Freddy. Whether he likes it or not he now has to navigate the minefield left over from a decade of mistakes. He has to be prepared to be judged, scrutinized and held to an insanely high standard. This is just something that has to be accepted if anyone wants to go down that very broken road of “Vet friendly” airsoft charities. I honestly don’t think Freddy and the rest of the VFA (Veterans for Airsoft) staff is really up for that challenge. I hope to be proven wrong.

It’s a shame because this survey shows a very accepting and overall positive view of Freddy and the organization. Sure, there are criticisms and concerns. Ones that demand accounting for by VFA, but no one I talked to flat out hated Freddy or VFA. There was a clear hard split between the way civilians and the way veterans felt. A couple crossovers, but overall it was definitive that civilians whole heartedly support the organization while most veterans were still a bit skeptical of it. Note that I said skeptical and not against it or hating the idea. It’s like I said before, civilians are just quick to jump on the help a vet bandwagon out of veteran admiration or maybe guilt, in comparison to veterans that remember we are all just human. Being a vet doesn’t make you a saint above reproach.

If Freddy and VFA were ready to accept criticism and do it better then they might be able to earn more of the support of the veteran community which they say it’s their very mission to help. Vets want to see real numbers on new veterans brought into Milsim and not just stats they feel are inflated. Vets want to see real numbers on where the money donated is being spent. Vets want to see that action tracked chair gone because they feel it was a $10,000 mistake. Vets want to stop seeing the same circle of guys being taken care of at events because it looks like they’re part of the VFA/Freddy fan club. And Vets mostly want Freddy to spend less time playing/leading events and spend more time leading/working at his nonprofit organization. That’s what Vets that like VFA and Freddy say, because they still believe the organization has a path to real success. These are the guys and the concerns that should be listened to because the greatest tragedy isn’t if VFA ends up being another bad actor in a long line of offenders. The greatest tragedy would be if the guys you say your mission is meant to help, decide to just keep sitting on the sidelines watching and don’t direct their battle buddies to you. They’ll keep doing that until they see something more than what VFA is currently putting out.

I don’t think Freddy is a bad guy and I believe he and those at VFA have the best of intentions. Myself and others have experienced backlash from the organization when they got wind that there was a critique or a question that may put them in a less than favorable light. Still, it doesn’t kill the idea of their mission for me, when I can see the intent beyond the human flaws. It’s not easy to put yourself in the spotlight and have others judge you actions/decisions. So with that in mind, I hope he reads this and takes the right positive actions. He’s doing plenty right and he has plenty he could do better. The responses of those surveyed are what those members of the airsoft community think about VFA. The ball is firmly in VFA’s court to work to win over those waiting to see more. Ironically, those waiting happen to also be the ones they say it is their mission to try and help.

Javier “Darkhorse”
Bringing you a community’s opinion this time. Not just one grunt’s opinion.  

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About The Author

Javier "Darkhorse" Franco, formerly from This Week In Airsoft, runs his own Airsoft Blog on Facebook called "One Grunt's Opinion." This article has been posted here as shared by the author.