In 2010, former Marines Will McNulty and Jake Wood were living on opposite sides of the country deciding what to do with their civilian lives. When a devastating earthquake struck Haiti that winter, Will and Jake traveled to Haiti with a team of medics, doctors, and military veterans, treating 3,000 patients in just 18 days. They discovered that disaster zones are eerily similar to combat zones, and many of the skills they had learned in the military allowed them to be effective in the realm of disaster relief while fulfilling their need for continued service.
When they returned to the U.S., Will and Jake set up Team Rubicon as a formal nonprofit to provide ongoing and long term service opportunities to other veterans seeking a sense of purpose, community and identity as civilians. Team Rubicon responds nationally and worldwide to natural disasters such as tornadoes, earthquakes and hurricanes, as well as engaging in domestic service opportunities such as Habitat for Humanity home builds and trail maintenance. Since 2010, Team Rubicon has led over 15,000 veteran, doctor, firefighter and medic volunteers to help hundreds of thousands of people get back on their feet after a disaster.