Citizens to Soldiers International’s mission is to defend global democracy by helping people around the world secure their freedom. Our vision is a free, peaceful, and democratic world.
Our values are:
Democracy: we believe that democracy is the foundation of any legitimate government and commit to supporting democratic values in our work.
Independence: we are independent of any state or non-state actor. We welcome partnerships – but we execute our own policy.
Chivalry: we uphold a martial ethos that values fairness, service, and decency alongside prowess, loyalty, and honor.
Humanity: we seek to alleviate suffering, promote human dignity, and preserve life.
Accountability: we are financially accountable to our donors and ethically accountable to the communities we serve.
Dan Blakeley served with the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. During his years of service, he deployed six times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Dan graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees. After graduating, he began seeking out and mentoring fellow veterans, to ensure they had a better transition and preparation for post military success. Dan’s passion for veteran success and telling their stories was the inspiration for his first book, The Twenty-Year War, and subsequent museum exhibition, The Twenty-Year War: Our Next Greatest Generation (2022). When Russia encompassed the borders Ukraine in the Fall of 2021, Dan was pulled into a media frenzy seeking how US veterans felt about the impending war. It was during that time of discovery that he learned of a clear void in preparedness in the civilian populace. This was the initial drive which inspired him to co-found Citizens to Soldiers International.
Ethan Wilson commissioned out of ROTC as a U.S. Army Armor officer in 2006, served as a cavalryman in Germany, and deployed to Iraq from 2007 to 2008. After leaving the Army in 2010, he obtained a Master’s degree focused on international and human security and has primarily worked since as an analyst and project manager on aid interventions in conflict, including five years living and working in Turkey in various roles for a major international stabilization program delivering aid to opposition-controlled Syria. He became involved in international support to Ukraine after the Russian invasion in February 2022, from which C2SI was born, and currently works for a Washington, D.C.- area nonprofit that supports researchers and investigative journalists from Ukraine and elsewhere in Eastern Europe.
Adrian Bonenberger is a widely-published writer and journalist, and authority on trends impacting the military. A co-founder of C2SI, he travelled twice to Ukraine to train Ukrainians — first, to train citizens, next, to train soldiers — staying for a total of 2 1/2 months. He believes in the power of small unit tactics, teams, and leadership to transform a country, and is eager to help democratic countries and militaries achieve their potential. He deployed twice to Afghanistan in combat, once with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, and again with the 10th Mountain Division. He is valorously decorated.
Help C2SI accomplish our mission of promoting global democracy by supporting our immediate needs:
