Harrison Bernstein has always had aspirations of Training football On a professional level, in 2019, after more than a decade of work, that opportunity came, but Bernstein's passion for coaching had evolved into something more.
He would sacrifice that dream to give back to a community that decided to risk making the ultimate sacrifice.
Harrison Bernstein, president and founder of Soldiers to Sidelines, started the veterans charity in 2010. (Soldiers on the margins)
Bernstein is the president and founder of Soldiers to Sidelines, a veterans charity whose mission is to provide a renewed sense of purpose to members of the military community through coaching while serving the youth community.
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Speaking to Fox News Digital, Bernstein said the idea for Soldiers to Sidelines came about in 2010 after his time in the Washington Commanders, when he served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for three years.
“I was a high school football coach and a colleague of mine was determined to help service members in the area get involved in football coaching, because the news was rife with people returning from the Middle East looking for purpose, looking for a way to reconnect and find some renewed happiness and purpose,” Bernstein explained.
“And it was a colleague who suggested that we take some of the local veterans to high school football practices and make them part of the team and teach them how to coach football.”
Washington Commanders' Harrison Bernstein poses for his 2009 NFL headshot at photo day in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by NFL Photos via Getty Images)
Bernstein admitted that he wasn't interested in the idea at first. He was working on perfecting his own training technique in hopes of getting back into it. the NFL.
“At that point, my intention was to go back to the NFL and become an amazing defensive backs coach, right? That's what I thought I wanted to do.”
However, after much insistence, Bernstein agreed and held a seminar attended by only six people. To his surprise, Bernstein's plans for his future had changed by that time and Soldiers on the sidelines born.
“Inspiration wasn't something fleeting for me. It was something that evolved within me and has now become my life's work.”
Soldiers in training receive more than $1 million in college scholarships from the U.S. Army at an NFL game
Those who have completed the certification process have gone on to become coaches at all levels: high school, college, and even professional level. (Soldiers on the margins)
“Once I started connecting with veterans and service members and started seeing how much their life was changing, you know, hearing stories, I mean, some stories were really profound, where people were struggling with the latest bad decision and to get them out of that and understand that they had a renewed sense of purpose really affected me. So much so that I gave up a career as a football coach at the highest level to devote all my time to this.”
More than 1,800 “soldier coaches” have been certified through the program in eight different sports. Veterans account for 38 percent of certified coaches, while retirees and active duty service members account for another 25 percent and 27 percent respectively.
The program is free and available to veterans, service members, military spouses, and veteran families. After completing the certification process, Soldiers to Sidelines offers ongoing learning with online courses, webinars, workshops, and more.
Those who have completed the certification process have gone on to coach at all levels: high school, college and even professional level. However, for Bernstein, the biggest impact can be seen in those who coach at the youth level.
More than 1,800 “soldier coaches” have been certified through the program in eight different sports. (Soldiers on the margins)
“Our country is suffering from a shortage of coaches, and quality coaches too. Most coaches are volunteers, there is no formal training, and unfortunately, many of the civilian coaches are selfish – they do it for personal reasons rather than simply investing in the kids. Some do, many don't. But our soldier coaches, who are accustomed to selfless service, are truly investing in the kids. Our vision is to create an army of 10,000 character-based soldier coaches who will influence millions of kids every year.”
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Another goal of Soldiers to Sidelines is to ensure that the U.S. military remains an “all-volunteer force,” as Bernstein puts it.
“The US military is suffering a national security crisis because Recruitment is lower “The number of Soldiers participating in military service is higher than ever, and the propensity to serve is lower than ever. And that's important because we now have the luxury of an all-volunteer force… Soldiers and Sidelines is here to ensure the future of the all-volunteer force. And we can do that by having the most inspiring, motivational leaders, our Soldier coaches, in the community to show kids that a life of military service is a good thing. And they'll also grow as people, as leaders, they'll be fit, they'll learn to solve problems, they'll serve their country, so we're bringing those values back.”
The program is free and available to veterans, service members, military spouses and Gold Star families. (Soldiers on the margins)
Bernstein’s hope is that Soldiers to Sidelines will grow to work with all major sports leagues, but more importantly, that more people will be encouraged to join the program to become Soldier Coaches and, in turn, make a positive impact in their communities.
“We're on track to have 10,000 soldier trainers influencing over a million kids a year. Think of that impact. It can literally change the fabric of our country.”
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