Sitting on his living room couch surrounded by walls lined with The Rolling Stones posters, Kevin Phelps opened up a picture book with the logo of Operation Enduring Respect on the cover.
“This little saying right here, it says, ‘Say a prayer for the common foot soldier, spare a thought for his back-breaking work,’” Phelps said.
Phelps is one of the founders of Operation Enduring Respect, a non-profit organization focused on bringing wounded soldiers together through Texas football by sending them to football games.
Looking through the book, Phelps pointed out familiar faces from photos on all the pages. He can name each person and recall their stories.
“It’s certainly an avenue for people to express themselves. Learn from their experiences, share their experiences,” Phelps said. “We give people hope, we give people something to look forward to, we give people a bridge to transition back from the horrors of being over there.”
Growing up near a military base, Phelps was always familiar with the lives of veterans and how the transition back into society can be difficult after being wounded in combat.
“It was great with the camaraderie, and being around other wounded veterans,” said Marvin Cochran, an army veteran deployed twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan.
Cochran helped his father, a retired marine, fulfill his lifelong dream of attending a Red River Rivalry game through the project.
Although Phelps was raised in a household of Sooners, he was also very familiar with Texas football and referred to the team as the heart and soul of the Operation. He even has this season’s schedule taped right on his desk to ensure he never schedules over a game.
“I feel very fortunate to be a UT grad,” Phelps said. “I feel very grateful to be able to give back to the University.”
The 2012 Alamo Bowl was where the first seeds of the project were planted. Phelps’s friend Juan Jesus ‘JJ’ Chapa returned from war with numerous war stories and several friends still in the hospital. The idea dawned on Phelps that college football Saturdays had potential.
Following this epiphany, Phelps quickly hit the ground running.
The Operation worked closely with the Warrior and Family Support Center, which got the soldiers together and handled the ticket lottery. They also would go to Iron Works Barbecue before every game.
“They would provide transportation from Fort Sam up to the Iron Works, and we would stop at the Iron Works every time,” Phelps said. “Just better friendships through ribs.”
While Texas football games are the usual occasions for Operation Enduring Respect, an additional generous donation given to the Operation is a suite at the AT&T Dallas Cowboys Stadium every year on Thanksgiving day with a catered meal.
Besides enjoying these luxuries, Longhorn football games have given these wounded veterans a place of fellowship and also a place to be there for each other during their struggles with PTSD.
“If you have issues somebody else will say, ‘Hey, come here,’” Cochran said. “Just give (them) a hug and say ‘We’ve been there, we’ll get through this together.’”
After being moved by what the Operation does, Cochran joined and helped coordinate events.
Not only has Phelps been able to connect with around four thousand veterans, but he brought them to his favorite thing, a Longhorn football game, and even showed some of them the Longhorn tattoo on his upper arm.
“It’s what embodies the University,” Phelps said. “It’s about, ‘Get your Ph.D.,’ but most of all, ‘Get your Horns up.’”
The city of Austin declared May 5 2022 Operation Enduring Respect Day to recognize the charitable efforts of the organization.
Official newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin
