About the Soldiers Alliance Foundation
The Soldiers Alliance Foundation (SAF) is a non-profit foundation of veterans and military families working to support active-duty military personnel and Gold Star families that have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of a grateful nation. SAF also leads efforts to modernize outdated policies that still exist in military institutions, educating decision makers and lawmakers in pursuit of outcomes that safeguard men and women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
SAF seeks to find commonsense solutions to problems found at the heart of military institutions which can often negatively impact those who serve. We work towards policies that benefit active-duty servicemembers and their families, so their focus can remain centered on serving our nation.
SAF’s goal is to secure honorable and humane living conditions, opportunities, legal protections, and working environments for those who serve in the ranks of our military institutions and their loved ones that must carry on in the event of a tragic loss. We believe service members and their families deserve the same protections and considerations as the citizens they protect with their very lives.
Our mission honors the men and women serving our nation and gives them a voice without threat of reprimand. Those serving should know they’re not alone during their years of service. SAF serves as a resource our servicemembers can work with to seek equal treatment under the law and the betterment of their working environment without threats to their career.
We will never forget the men and women on the front lines. They should be a priority to those of us sleeping peacefully back home. SAF is a voice for those who protect us every day as they make sacrifices required by a life dedicated to serving our country.
Soldiers Alliance Foundation has two main areas of focus:
- Protections for active-duty military service members
- Support and services for Gold Star families that have made the ultimate sacrifice
Active-Duty Military Personnel
SAF highlights the need to eliminate conflicts of interest within our Armed Forces, starting with major military investigations. SAF’s model policies prohibit military commands from investigating themselves; which can lead to bias, inaccurate conclusions and intentional obfuscation of facts.
Gold Star Families
SAF is committed to supporting Gold Star families through programs that will benefit their mental health, physical well-being, and economic self-sufficiency after the passing of a loved one in service to our country. SAF funds programs and seeks changes that will best support those who must carry on in the aftermath of their loved one’s ultimate sacrifice.
Who We Are
Michelle Black
Michelle Black is a mother of two boys, a Gold Star wife, and the author of Sacrifice: The Green Berets, a Fateful Ambush, and a Gold Star Widow’s Fight for the Truth (G.P. Putnam’s Sons; May 10, 2022).
As the first woman in her family to graduate high school, she attended California Polytechnic State University where she graduated with a degree in environmental sciences and horticulture.
Michelle has a passion for writing. She has been published in various newspapers and magazines to include the New York Times, The Daily Beast, and Task & Purpose.
She lives in Washington State.
Karen Black
Karen Black is a wife, mother of two boys, a grandmother of four grandsons, and a Gold Star mother. She is a retired Career and Technical Education teacher with a B.A. in Education and a Master’s degree in Educational Technology. She holds National Board Certification in Career and Technical Education. She lives and is enjoying retired life in Puyallup, Washington.
Lieutenant General Francis M. Beaudette (Retired)
Over the course of his 32-year career in Army and Joint assignments, the majority of it as a Green Beret, Gen. Beaudette served with high performing organizations at varying levels, from a 12-man Special Forces ‘A-team’ to the 36,000-Soldier and Civilian US Army Special Operations Command. His recent assignments were Deputy Commanding General of the 1st Armored Division, Assistant Commanding General of JSOC, CG of 1st Special Forces Command and Commanding General of the US Army Special Operations Command.
Fran is a fluent French speaker and has had the opportunity to travel to nearly 80 countries. As an immigrant, service to his Nation has been an important hallmark of his career choices. His operational assignments, totaling six years of deployed time, include the first Gulf War; comprehensive Africa experience to include noncombatant evacuation operations in Sierra Leone and the Congo; multiple peacekeeping operations in Kosovo; numerous deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines and Jordan, all during eras of war, turmoil or crisis.
Fran was a distinguished academic and military graduate from the Citadel and holds a MA in Military Arts and Science from the US Army Command & General Staff College and a MS in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College. Fran, an avid outdoorsman, and his wife of 32 years, Liz, live in Charleston, SC. They raised three children: one a Special Forces military spouse, one serving in Special Forces, and one in college.
Jane Horton
Ms. Jane Horton is a respected and influential global leader for national security, humanitarian, and veterans. A fearless and relentless advocate, she successfully fosters bipartisan collaboration on legislation, policies, and programs to better the lives of veterans, service members, their families, and those across the globe.
Jane currently serves as a senior policy advisor in the United States Congress in Washington D.C. Previously, Jane was a senior advisor in the Office of the Secretary of Defense in the Pentagon. In this capacity, she advised on civilian and military personnel policy, military family policy, and international security affairs. She championed efforts to advance warfighter brain health and Gold Star family initiatives.
Some of Jane’s additional experiences as a special assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,an advisor to the Chief of Staff of the Army, and the congressional and military liaison to the Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States make her a sought after voice in the news and media. Her unique perspectives can be seen as a writer for publications such as Task and Purpose, Huffington Post, and The Drudge Report and has appeared on ABC, NBC, USA Today, Fox News, CNN, Voice of America, and numerous other outlets.
In the News
Join Us in the Fight to Protect the Rights of Those Serving in Our Military