As an American-made and American-owned brand, each year Evan Williams recognizes true American heroes through their exceptional stories of honor and bravery. Each veteran’s picture and story of service in their active duty and civilian life are featured on the side of the special-edition Evan Williams Black Bourbon label. The American-Made Heroes Foundation Fund, now in its second year, will award support through the 2021 Veteran Community Action grants. The 2021 Evan Williams American-Made Heroes were selected from more than 472 grant applications and are featured on more than 474,000 bottles available nationwide. Today, we’re excited to introduce you to this year’s class of Evan Williams American-Made Heroes.

Roman Baca, New York, Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps

A Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, Roman currently resides in New York where he is the Co-Founder of EXIT12. As a professional dancer and choreographer, Roman always admired how the artform could raise awareness for important social issues. His desire to serve disadvantaged and disenfranchised communities would ultimately lead Roman to take a hiatus from dance to enlist in the U.S. Marines. In 2001, Roman deployed to Fallujah, Iraq: one of the most dangerous areas in the country at that time. When he returned to the States following his deployment, he found that telling his story through dance was healing for not only himself but also service members in the audience. He began to invite veterans into the studio to explore their own stories through movement. In 2007, he co-founded EXIT12: a contemporary dance company dedicated to communicating war experiences through choreography to increase peacebuilding and cross-cultural understanding.

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“The easy thing to say is that we’d like to broaden our reach, work with more veterans and broaden our impact,” Roman says of the company’s future. “But there’s a bigger picture to that. We are particularly interested in connecting more veterans from all around the world, regardless of the conflict in which they served.”

Rita Aragon, Oklahoma City, Major General, U.S. Air Force (Ret.)

A retired U.S. Air Force Major General, Rita currently resides in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where she serves as Board President for Honoring America’s Warriors. In 1979, Rita was an elementary school teacher and single mother when a neighbor suggested that she enlist in the United States Air Force. Figuring it could help with her bills, she reported for six weeks of basic training, leaving her two young daughters with their grandmother. In the Air Force, Rita discovered that her experience in front of the classroom equipped her to be a military leader as well. She rose among the ranks in the Air Force, interfacing with units across the world and engaging in exercises in Italy, England and Australia. She went on to serve as the first female Secretary of Military and Veteran Affairs for the state of Oklahoma and was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2016. She now serves as board president for Honoring America’s Warriors.  

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“I have seen the physical and mental scars that can affect many of our men and women who have served,” she says. “We build and manage programs that directly impact and benefit these same men and women. I have seen the positive changes with programs that we have provided to our former service members.” Program highlights include a service dog program, special outdoor activities, seasonal gatherings, adaptive sports, and employment initiatives.

Antione Hines, Chesapeake, Va., Petty Officer, U.S. Navy (Ret.)

Antione, a former Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy, currently resides in Chesapeake, Va. where he is the Founder and CEO of Veteran’s HomeFront. Antione served as a Submarine Nuclear Electrician for 10 years and is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm and the Global War on Terrorism. After bouts of depression, homelessness and suicidal thoughts while struggling to transition to civilian life, Antione began volunteering with outreach programs that addressed homelessness and suicide prevention in the veteran community. Antione went on to establish his non-profit organization in 2016, with the goal to end veteran homelessness and improve mental health with the help of grassroots community efforts, personal empowerment opportunities, and peer-support relationships. To learn more about Veteran’s Homefront, visit https://www.veteranshomefront.vet/.

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“When I got out, I was going through a lot — depression, injuries, suicidal thoughts, and homelessness. But the community came around, especially other veterans,” Antione said. “They gave me a new mission in life, so I wanted to get involved too.” 

Michael Delancey, Pinellas Park, Fla., Lance Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps

A former Lance Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps, Mike currently resides in Pinellas Park, Fla. and is the CEO of Wounded Warriors Ability Ranch. Mike deployed twice in active duty: first to a remote base in the mountains of Afghanistan and then to Haditha, Iraq. While patrolling the streets of Haditha, Mike was struck in the lung by sniper fire. The bullet struck his spine and ended in his lung, paralyzing him from the chest down. Fortunate to survive, Mike was sent to a rehabilitation facility in Tampa, Fla., just 20 minutes from where he grew up. He received the Purple Heart for being wounded in action and was honorably discharged from the Marines in 2008. In 2015, he founded the Wounded Warriors Abilities Ranch – a wheelchair-accessible sports park featuring a half-mile track, sport court, dog park and memorial garden. The ranch’s mission is to inspire veterans of all conflicts to get out of the house and get active. They provide a supportive and healing environment that gives a new sense of hope, resilience and strength as veterans move forward in their journey. To learn more about the Wounded Warriors Abilities Ranch, visit https://woundedwarriorsabilitiesranch.org/.

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Joshua Perschbacher, Waterloo, Ill., Petty Officer, U.S. Navy

Josh, a former Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy, currently resides in Waterloo, Ill. and is the Director of Veterans Education & Transition Services at the University of Mississippi – Saint Louis. During his four years in the Navy, Josh completed two deployments to the Middle East as an Operations Specialist. He has dedicated his post-military career to helping veterans access education and professional networking opportunities through his nonprofit, The Vetwork. The Vetwork offers emotional support, professional development and employment opportunities to veterans and their families. Their long-term goal is to expand into other markets, creating a national network to bring even more people together. To learn more about The Vetwork, visit https://www.thevetwork.org/.

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“A rising tide raises all ships. It would help everyone if all the veteran organizations were working together to connect the community,” Josh said. Recognizing an opportunity to unify these groups and coordinate their efforts, Josh founded the Vetwork. “Helping my brothers and sisters when they transition out of the military has given me a greater sense of purpose, duty and sacrifice.”

Monique Brown, Tacoma, Wash., Staff Sergeant, U.S. Arm, Army Reserves, and National Guard (Ret.)

A retired Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army, Army Reserves and National Guard, Monique currently resides in Tacoma, Wash. where she is the Founder of FOB Hope. She enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1987 to help pay for tuition to a university. After three years in the Army and five in the Reserves, Monique joined the U.S. National Guard for the next decade. At the end of her tenth year, she was in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, when she decided to re-enlist. Instead of waiting the usual one year between deployments, four months later she was on a plane to Iraq. She would ultimately put in two full tours of duty in the Middle East before medical retirement in 2013. Monique settled into civilian life in Seattle, Washington, where she began working with organizations that served homeless veterans. She was shocked to see these men and women, who had raised their right hands to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, end up on the street. So she decided to do something about it, and FOB Hope was born.

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“FOB stands for Forward Operating Base,” Monique explains. “It’s where troops go to fill up on supplies before heading back out into the field.” FOB Hope collects sleeping bags, tents, toiletries and clothing to distribute to veterans in need, developing a relationship and building up trust to ultimately get them into emergency shelter, transitional housing or a permanent place to live. “It might sound selfish, but helping people makes me feel better,” Monique says about her work. “My ultimate goal is to build a tiny home village-with a park, garden, resource center and food bank-where veterans can live in community and support each other.”

Join us in congratulating the 2021 American-Made Heroes. Evan Williams Bourbon is proud to honor these veterans and uplift their stories of service. Learn more about the 2021 Evan Williams American-Made Heroes Program here.