Larry McAfee left the Marine Corps and ran into the part nobody prepares you for. Not the job search exactly, and not the
paperwork exactly, but the stretch in between where you are supposed to figure out who to call and nobody has given you the list.
He found Combined Arms nearly a decade ago. This fall he starts an Executive MBA at Rice.
"Texas Veterans Network was there for me during some of the toughest moments of my transition," he says. "They reminded me that veterans don't have to fight every battle alone. The uniform may come off, but the mission continues."
This week, the network that helped him passed a number worth stopping on. More than 100,000 veterans, service members and military-connected families connected to resources across Texas.
Combined Arms launched TVN in 2020 with support from the State of Texas, aimed at a specific problem. The services existed. Finding them did not work.
A veteran who needed help had to go looking: a phone tree at one agency, a waitlist at another, a nonprofit three counties over that might or might not still be running the program you read about online. Every organization was doing its part and none of them were connected to each other.
TVN connects federal, state, local and nonprofit partners through one coordinated referral network. A veteran creates a profile once. Requests route to vetted organizations that can deliver: employment, housing, food assistance, benefits guidance, mental health resources, family transition services. The platform tracks whether the connection closed.
In those six years, Texas became home to the largest veteran population in the country and, through TVN, the first interconnected state for veteran referral services.
2025 was our highest annual impact to date, with 13,468 unique veterans and service members connected to 46,775 resources across the state.
This year has also brought four VetConnect resource events and nearly 50 food distributions, which is what a lot of this work looks like on the ground. Not a dashboard. A folding table in a parking lot on a Saturday morning.
None of this works without the organizations doing the work.
TVN's statewide reach is made possible in part through grant funding from the Texas Workforce Commission, and strengthened by collaboration with the Texas Veterans Commission, the Texas Veterans Land Board, local nonprofits, workforce organizations and veteran-serving agencies across Texas.
"As we mark six years of the Texas Veterans Network, a partnership with the Texas Workforce Commission, we're setting a new standard for how states serve those who have served us," said Mia Garcia, Executive Director of Texas Veterans Network powered by Combined Arms. "We've connected more than 100,000 service members, veterans, and their families to critical resources through a trusted network of partners, demonstrating the power of collaboration to support our nation's heroes."
"The Texas Workforce Commission is proud to support the Texas Veterans Network in reaching this incredible milestone of more than 100,000 veterans and families served," said Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Joe Esparza. "This partnership is strengthening veteran employment and workforce readiness across every region of the state, ensuring Texas remains the ideal destination for veterans and military-connected families to build their futures."
The same architecture now runs beyond Texas, which was the point. A state can build something better than what it inherited, and other states can use it.
"From the Gulf Coast to West Texas, TVN is built to meet veterans where they are," Garcia added. "The next chapter is about deepening that reach, strengthening our partnerships and continuing to deliver measurable impact for veterans, service members and families across Texas."
The work ahead is less about scale than follow-through. Deeper partner collaboration. Better referral closure. Making sure a veteran in Amarillo gets the same experience as a veteran in Houston.
Larry put it better than we can.
"Adversity doesn't define you. How you respond to it does. Keep moving forward, keep serving, and never let a difficult chapter convince you that your best chapters aren't still ahead."
If you or someone in your family needs support, start at texasveterans.network or call 844-489-8387. It takes a few minutes and the network takes it from there.
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Combined Arms (CA) is a 501(c)(3) organization committed to transforming the way veterans and military families connect with vetted resources needed to thrive across the nation. Through innovative technology and informed data analytics, the Combined Arms platform unites top-tier veteran service organizations, state and federal agencies, and communities with data-fueled insights. For more information, visit CombinedArms.us.