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.

What Dan built was more than a program. It was a family. Thousands of Purple Heart recipients across this nation have sat around a bonfire because of him, have found brotherhood because of him, have found their way back because of him. His impact does not live in numbers or statistics. It lives in the hearts of every veteran whose life he touched.

To know Dan was to feel seen. He carried joy into every room and left every person he met feeling valued, heard, and important. He often said he could never have a bad day after spending time with our veterans, because they reminded him what truly mattered in life. That was Dan. Grateful, generous, and fully present, every single time.

He believed deeply in the words that became the heartbeat of this organization:

“Pain shared is pain divided. Joy shared is joy multiplied.”

We are heartbroken by this loss. And we are forever grateful for the life he lived, the mission he started, and the love he poured into every corner of this work.

The Warrior Bonfire Program will continue. That is the promise we made to Dan, and it is the promise we make to every veteran we serve. We will keep building bonfires, brotherhood, healing, and hope, in his name and in his honor, for as long as there are warriors who need us.

Dan Fordice will always be larger than life. And he will always be part of every Warrior Bonfire.

Rest easy, Dan. We’ll take it from here.

The Warrior Bonfire Program Family