Juan Garcia, Veteran Peer Outreach Program (VPOP) Coordinator

U.S.VETS – Patriotic Hall

Juan Garcia joined the U.S. Army in 1999 at the young age of 19. Garcia medically retired in 2011 as a U.S. Army 16th Military Police Brigade / 82nd Airborne Paratrooper; Garcia served 12 years of honorable service. Garcia’s first deployment began September 11,2001 in

response to the attack on the Pentagon earning his first Operation Nobel Eagle Mission awarded by the President. Garcia’s service awards are too numerous to list including a Combat Action Badge and Army Commendation Medal for his heroism in direct combat fire fights with insurgents on the battlefield during combat missions.   

After the military, Garcia earned multiple degrees to include a Master’s degree from the University of Southern California and ultimately developed a passion for military social work. He then began his internship with U.S.VETS “Outside the Wire” as Lead Case Manager.

Fast forward 3 years, Garcia is now the U.S.VETS Veteran Peer Outreach Program (VPOP) Coordinator. VPOP is a veteran peer lead program that was designed to provide resource navigation and supportive services while reducing the negative stigma that overshadows accessing mental health and wellness within our underserved, unserved diverse communities; specifically, Orange County’s senior adult veterans, Asian Pacific Islander, Latino, African American and LGBTQ population, veteran families, and children. 



As a 100% service-connected disabled combat veteran, Garcia understands the struggles of reintegration and the mental health challenges veterans face as they struggle to rediscover their purpose.