Some leaders build organizations. Others build movements. For Tanner Steven Courtney, the journey toward founding Ready & Forward began not in a boardroom or business incubator, but during one of the most challenging periods of his life.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A Navy and Marine Corps veteran whose service included working alongside Marine Corps infantry and scout sniper elements, Courtney’s life was dramatically altered by severe medical complications, multiple surgeries, extended rehabilitation, and a period in which he became semi-paralyzed from the waist down. What followed was not simply a recovery story. It became a lesson in resilience, faith, service, and purpose.
Today, he stands at the center of Ready & Forward, a veteran-led movement dedicated to service, stewardship, leadership, healing, historic preservation, and community impact across Southern California.
Yet to understand the mission, one must first understand the adversity that shaped it.
Many organizations begin with a strategic plan.
Ready & Forward began with a question.
How can suffering become service?
While navigating rehabilitation, adaptive sports programs, veteran communities, and ongoing recovery, Courtney witnessed two realities simultaneously. He encountered extraordinary resilience among veterans and adaptive athletes, while also observing the isolation, loss of purpose, and disconnection that many individuals experience after military service, injury, or major life transitions.
Those experiences became foundational.
Rather than viewing recovery as an ending, he began to see it as the beginning of a larger mission focused on helping others reconnect with community, leadership, healing, and purpose.
A pivotal moment arrived during participation in a disabled veteran program in late 2025. Around the same time, Courtney became deeply involved with Historic Camp Lockett, the former home of the 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers. The experience introduced him to a legacy of courage, discipline, perseverance, and service that would ultimately shape the philosophy of Ready & Forward.
The organization’s name itself is derived from the historic motto of the 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers, a symbol of determination in the face of adversity and a guiding principle for the movement’s future.
The influence of the Buffalo Soldiers extends far beyond symbolism.
Throughout the organization’s vision, there is a consistent emphasis on honoring history while building the future.
Courtney believes that communities are strengthened when they understand the stories that came before them. This belief has led Ready & Forward to actively support awareness surrounding the long-term restoration vision for Historic Camp Lockett, an important cultural and military landmark with deep historical significance.
The organization’s commitment to stewardship reflects a broader philosophy that preservation is not merely about protecting buildings or artifacts. It is about protecting stories, honoring sacrifice, and creating opportunities for future generations to learn from those who came before them.
In an era increasingly defined by division and short attention spans, this commitment to historical stewardship offers a distinctly long-term perspective.
Ready & Forward intentionally avoids fitting into a traditional category.
It is not simply a nonprofit initiative.
It is not merely an event organization.
And it is certainly not designed as a conventional festival.
Instead, it operates as a collaborative platform designed to unite veterans, active-duty military personnel, first responders, nonprofits, wellness providers, educators, students, civic leaders, businesses, and community members around shared purpose.
At its core are five foundational principles:
People over profit.
Service over self.
Stewardship over neglect.
Unity over division.
Love, courage, and faith over fear.
These values shape every aspect of the organization’s work and reflect a belief that meaningful change occurs when people choose collaboration over competition.
Courtney frequently emphasizes that many organizations are already doing remarkable work. The challenge is not a lack of good missions. The challenge is creating opportunities for those missions to work together.
A HUMAN MOMENT
Perhaps the most powerful aspect of this story is not the scale of the vision but the humility of its origin.
Much of the groundwork for Ready & Forward was developed while Courtney was still recovering.
Hospital rooms became planning spaces.
Rehabilitation programs became networking opportunities.
Adaptive sports communities became sources of inspiration.
Veteran support systems became collaborators.
The mission was not built after recovery.
In many ways, it was built through recovery.
That distinction matters because it reflects a deeper message embedded throughout the organization’s philosophy: healing is not the absence of struggle. Healing is the decision to continue moving forward despite it.
The most visible expression of the Ready & Forward mission is Legacy Fest USA.
Positioned as a large-scale America 250 civic activation, Legacy Fest is designed to reimagine what a community gathering can be.
The event combines leadership development, veteran resource awareness, adaptive wellness experiences, historical storytelling, community dialogue, cultural engagement, family programming, live entertainment, ceremonial tributes, and opportunities for meaningful connection.
The vision is ambitious, but its purpose remains simple.
Create an environment where people can gather under common ground.
The initiative is intentionally nonpartisan and seeks to bring together individuals from diverse backgrounds through shared values of service, leadership, stewardship, and community.
For Courtney, Legacy Fest is not about entertainment first.
It is about impact first.
Entertainment becomes the vehicle.
Community becomes the destination.
LEADING THROUGH COLLABORATION
One of the most notable aspects of Ready & Forward’s growth has been its collaborative approach.
The organization has established partnerships and working relationships with veteran organizations, nonprofits, universities, wellness providers, adaptive communities, civic stakeholders, and community leaders throughout Southern California.
A particularly notable example involved a 13-week collaboration with California State University San Marcos, where senior capstone students participated directly in branding development, website creation, financial analysis, operational planning, marketing initiatives, and community engagement efforts.
Rather than studying a case study, students experienced the realities of building a grassroots civic movement in real time.
The partnership reflects Courtney’s broader belief that leadership is developed through participation, not observation.
Long before founding Ready & Forward, Courtney demonstrated a pattern of service oriented leadership.
During Hospital Corpsman school, he organized the David Warsen Legacy Ride & Service Trip in response to Hurricane Harvey, mobilizing fellow students to travel and assist affected communities.
Years later, during his own recovery journey, he completed significant adaptive rehabilitation milestones, including participation in cross-country adaptive cycling programs.
These experiences reinforced a leadership philosophy grounded in action rather than recognition.
Those who have worked alongside him frequently describe him using words such as resilience, integrity, character, humility, and service.
The consistency of those descriptions suggests that the mission and the messenger are closely aligned.
THE VISION AHEAD
Looking forward, Ready & Forward’s ambitions extend well beyond a single event or organization.
The long-term vision includes supporting the restoration of Historic Camp Lockett, expanding veteran wellness initiatives, creating adaptive recreation opportunities, developing youth leadership experiences, strengthening nonprofit collaboration, and building community-centered models that can be replicated elsewhere.
Yet despite the scope of the vision, the organization’s central message remains remarkably simple.
People need connection.
People need purpose.
People need community.
And when individuals come together in service to something larger than themselves, extraordinary things become possible.
FINAL THOUGHTS
At a time when many institutions struggle to create meaningful connection, Ready & Forward offers a different approach.
It begins with service.
It grows through stewardship.
It succeeds through collaboration.
And it endures through purpose.
For Tanner Steven Courtney, what started as a deeply personal journey through adversity has evolved into a broader mission focused on healing communities, preserving history, empowering future leaders, and reminding people that unity remains possible.
The movement’s name captures that spirit perfectly.
Stay ready.
Move forward.
About the San Diego Standouts Series
The San Diego Standouts Series from San Diego Weekly highlights individuals whose leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, and service are helping shape the future of San Diego, California, the Cali-Baja region, and communities connected to the region around the world.
Share a Story Worth Telling
Community nominations and story ideas are welcome.
Learn more or submit story ideas at:
Profiles featured in the San Diego Standouts Series are selected by the San Diego Weekly editorial team to highlight individuals whose leadership and service are helping shape San Diego and the Cali-Baja region. The Editor’s Choice is for individuals whose impact on San Diego and the broader region is undeniable: the founders redefining industries, the advocates transforming communities, and the visionaries building what comes next. Past and current considerations include civic leaders, nonprofit founders, tech entrepreneurs, educators, creatives, and cultural icons across the San Diego and Cali-Baja region. These editorial recognitions are independent features and honors, there is no fee required to be selected.
San Diego Weekly also offers separate sponsored storytelling and advertising opportunities for organizations wishing to highlight their work through paid promotional features.
Sponsored collaborations are always clearly labeled to distinguish them from editorial recognitions.