At the Bonfire Blog
Services for Dan Fordice
In Memory of Our Founder, Dan Fordice | May 12, 2026
It is with profound sadness that the Warrior Bonfire Program family announces the passing of our founder, Dan Fordice, who died Tuesday, May 12, 2026, doing something he loved. Dan was a veteran, an aviator, a builder, and a man who believed with his whole heart that no warrior should ever have to heal alone. In 2012, a single conversation with a combat-wounded veteran changed the direction of his life. From that moment, he gave everything he had to the men and women who had given everything for this country.
From Boston to Brotherhood: Five Purple Heart Veterans Still Standing Together Five Years Later
Five Post-9/11 Purple Heart recipients who first met on a Warrior Bonfire American Patriot Adventures retreat in Boston in 2021 reunited in 2026 to celebrate one of their own getting married — a powerful example of the lifelong bonds formed through Warrior Bonfire.
Stronger Together: Partnerships that Heal and Prevent Veteran Suicide
Research shows that veterans who feel connected to others are significantly less likely to die by suicide. Every shared laugh on the river, every quiet moment in the mountains, and every story told around the fire reinforces that connection. Together—with our partners, supporters, and community—we are building not just retreats, but lifelines. When organizations work together, we amplify impact!
Healing Through Homesteading: A Purple Heart Spouse Retreat
Once again the Warrior Bonfire Program hosted a truly unique and powerful retreat in Daphne, Alabama—one designed especially for the spouses of our nation’s wounded veterans. For many of these women, life revolves around caregiving, advocating, and managing the demands of post military family life. This retreat offered something beautifully different: the chance to unplug from the noise and reconnect with themselves through nature, community, and the empowering lifestyle of homesteading.
Winners in Every Way: A Volunteer’s Heartfelt Tribute to Our Purple Heart Heroes at Talladega
At the heart of every Warrior Bonfire Program event is the mission to honor, heal, and connect our Purple Heart recipients through meaningful experiences—and sometimes, those experiences happen in the most thrilling places.