Born Primitive and Black Rifle Coffee partner to erase $35M in medical debt veterans and first responders

Two companies founded by military veterans are joining forces to eliminate up to $35 million in medical debt for thousands of America's military veterans and first responders.

By the numbers:

Born Primitive, a premium apparel and footwear brand, and Black Rifle Coffee Company are working with Operation Debt of Gratitude (ODG), a veteran medical debt relief campaign that Born Primitive started in 2024 and since that time has erased more than $50 million in medical debt for more than 25,000 veterans.  

What they're saying:

"We've always tried to leverage the platform to do some good, particularly for the veteran and first responder communities. And this was an idea that came up. To do something a little different around Veterans Day. And we thought, let's pay off some medical bills and hopefully alleviate some of the financial burdens from these people that have served their country. And over the last two years, it just continues to grow, said Bear Handlon, cofounder and CEO of Born Primitive and former Navy SEAL.

For the first time this year, in honor of America's 250th anniversary, the campaign is extending debt relief to first responders. 

"We're just making sure that we're taking care of the people who serve our country. We're proud to include first responders this year as well. Being the 250th anniversary of our country, we wanted to make sure we acknowledge the people keeping us safe here at home as well," said Handlon. 

What you can do:

Through Veterans Day, November 11, Born Primitive and Black Rifle Coffee Company are donating 100% of their online profits to the campaign — up to $35 million in total debt relief with partner ForgiveCo, a public benefit corporation, which identifies and verifies qualifying medical debt, purchases it, and permanently forgives it, using the funds to wipe out qualifying medical debt.  

Operation Debt of Gratitude wipes out $341,702 in medical debt for US Army veteran

Why you should care:

According to a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau study, one in four young veterans had medical debt in collections with research from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) finding that 11.5% of veterans ages 25 to 64 were very worried about their ability to pay medical bills if they became sick or were injured. 

Mara C., a U.S. Army veteran and Gold Star spouse from Denver, is grateful for the assistance she received during last year's campaign.  After losing her husband and fellow veteran in Iraq, and then surviving a car accident, she was left with $341,702 in medical debt.  That debt was paid off through Operation Debt of Gratitude.  

What they're saying:

"I don't think I can ever fully put into words what that moment did for me," said Mara C. "It wasn't just financial. It was like someone reached into the exhaustion I'd been carrying and said: you don't have to carry this alone anymore."

How it works:

ForgiveCo recipients are selected at random from those whose debt qualifies. There is no application, and each veteran or first responder learns of the relief by letter. Recipients with questions about their letter can contact the Operation Debt of Gratitude team at 
www.operationdebtofgratitude.org.

To take part and support Operation Debt of Gratitude, shop online at Born Primitive or Black Rifle Coffee Company through Nov. 11. Only online purchases at bornprimitive.com and blackriflecoffee.com count toward the campaign; in store and retail purchases are not included. Supporters can also donate directly, with every dollar paying off $50 in qualifying medical debt. 

For more information or to donate, visit www.operationdebtofgratitude.org.