Our Mission:
Heroes Helping Heroes

AHERO (America's Heroes Enjoying Recreation Outdoors) connects Veterans with patriotic members of local communities by organizing outdoor events and social activities. Our goal is to heal the physical and psychological wounds of war and military service by:
- Introducing Veterans to resources and programs available to them to increase their overall quality of life
- Developing an informal support network of Veterans across the country
- Encouraging constructive communication and engagement
- Boosting morale
AHERO was organized and is operated by OIF and OEF Marine Corps and Army Veterans who understand the challenges today's war Veterans face in reengaging the civilian world.
94-98% of all donated funds goes back to the service members and Veterans in the form of program development, support and execution. AHERO has no paid staff members and we keep our overhead and administrative costs to between 2%-6% of funds raised on an annual basis.
AHERO was conceived and founded by Major Lee Stuckey, U.S. Marine Corps (Active Duty). Maj. Stuckey has served three combat tours in Iraq, and is currently at Camp Lejeune, NC. Maj. Stuckey has been awarded the Purple Heart (for wounds received in Iraq), Bronze Star, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a "V" device for Actions of Valor during combat, Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Combat Action Ribbon and other military ribbons/medals for outstanding service.
Lee suffered a brain injury from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in 2007. Lee's brain injury, coupled with the emotional trauma of several combat deployments, led him to the edge of suicide. Lee was tired of dealing with the nightmares and stress and put a gun to his head. As he was pulling the trigger, his cell phone rang and displayed the word "Mom." He immediately dropped the pistol and realized he needed help.
As a Marine Corps Officer, Lee realized that if he was struggling with psychological issues, thousands of Veterans must be silently suffering in similar ways. Lee began to visit Walter Reed Hospital and other military hospitals across the country and connected with the servicemen and women that he met at these facilities. He was deeply affected by the severity of the physical and emotional injuries that so many servicemen and women had endured. Approximately 22 Veterans a day are committing suicide to put the yearly average at a horrific 8,030 a year. Lee's new mission was to lower these numbers by sharing his story and reaching as many Veterans as possible, before it was too late.
Financial Information
Board Members
Major Stuckey is from Montgomery, Alabama. He received his early education from Trinity Presbyterian School, and transferred to Marion Military Institute in Marion, Alabama where he graduated high school in 1998. He enrolled in Auburn University in 1998 and spent a year in college before enlisting in the Marine Corps as a Machine Gunner. He graduated Parris Island as an Honor Graduate and received the rank of Lance Corporal. He graduated at the top of his class at both the School of Infantry and Machine Gunner School in December of 1999. Upon completion, he returned to Lima Company 3rd Battalion 23rd Marines in Montgomery, AL in order to finish college to pursue a Commission. Lee deployed to Iraq with Lima Company, 3/23, and was attached to an infantry line platoon executing patrols and raids. During his time in Iraq, he learned to communicate in Arabic, worked with the only Arabic interpreter assigned to the company, and acted as an interpreter and translator for his platoon. Upon Lee’s arrival to the States, he returned to Auburn in 2004 to finish school, and was reassigned as an Operations Chief to the 4th FSSG in Marietta, GA. While a Sergeant in Marietta, he assisted in running the battalion armory, taught small arms and crew serve weapons classes, and instructed Martial Arts to Marines in Headquarters Battalion, 4th FSSG. Along with his deployment to Iraq, he was also involved in Operation Cornerstone in Albania and Cobra Gold in Korea working with different militaries, teaching weapons classes and running patrols.
Sergeant Stuckey graduated from Auburn University in 2004, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Business with a concentration in Logistics. He attended the Officer Candidates School in the winter of 2005 and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant. Following graduation in January 2006, 2nd Lieutenant Stuckey attended the Logistics Officer’s Course before joining 2d Marine Division as the Platoon Commander and Executive Officer for Truck Company. Truck Company deployed in January 2007 to February 2008 and conducted Third Country National (TCN) escort missions as well as numerous tactical convoys throughout central Iraq. Upon returning from his second deployment, Lee began teaching Mixed Martial Arts to Marines with PTSD from the Wounded Warriors Battalion to assist them in dealing with their stress. Through this outreach he realized that this was a way to reach out to individual Marines and identify possible suicidal issues. He continued this program in order to give the Marines a positive outlet through martial arts as opposed to alcohol or substance abuse.
During his third deployment, he was certified as a Level 3 Army Combatives Instructor, where he taught and certified over 200 Soldiers in Modern Army Combatives. He served for 40 months on Recruiting duty until September of 2012 with the Recruiting Station in Montgomery, AL. He functioned as the Operations Officer and then as the Executive Officer.
In 2010, while in the Montgomery area, Captain Stuckey started America’s Heroes Enjoying Recreation Outdoors (AHERO). AHERO brings in Wounded Veterans from all over the United States to mentor and assist with the rehabilitation of those who have sacrificed so much for our Country in an effort to assist with suicide prevention. He still serves as the Chief Executive Officer for AHERO and to date; the nonprofit has supported over 1200 Veterans in just 7 years.
Captain Stuckey attended the Army Logistics University Captain’s Career Course where he graduated March 15, 2013. While attending this course he trained over 500 Soldiers in Modern Army Combatives, established a Toys-for-Tots Drive, and conducted numerous suicide awareness speeches. Captain Stuckey served as the Commanding Officer for Transportation Support Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 2, 2d Marine Logistics Group from May 2013-February 2014. Following his Company Command time he became the detachment Commander for the Logistics Combat Element for Black Sea Rotational Force 14.3 in Romania. Once he arrived there, 2d Battalion 2d Marines Battalion Commander made him the Support Center Director, where he managed all of the logistics for 2d Battalion 2d Marines.
Once he returned from Romania he moved to the 2d MLG G-3 where he served as the Deputy Current Operations Officer from May 2015-January 2016 until he was going through issues dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and a Traumatic Brain Injury from being injured in past deployments. Major Stuckey has now completed a seven month medical treatment program at the Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic and Wounded Warrior-East and has returned to full duty. Major Stuckey is currently stationed at the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab in the Wargaming Division, where he serves as an Action Officer. He received his Master’s degree from Marshall University with a focus in Leadership Studies, where he was also accepted into the National Honor Society due to academic excellence.
Major Stuckey’s personal decorations include the Bronze Star, a Purple Heart for wounds received in OIF 06-08, a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with a "V” for Valor and one Gold Star, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, and an Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.
From June 1991 to May 1999, he served as a Squadron Maintenance Officer and Operations Officer in multiple Heavy Lift Helicopter Squadrons assigned to Marine Corps Air Station, Tustin, CA and Marine Corps Air Station New River, NC. He participated in two Unit Deployments to Okinawa, Japan and a Landing Force 6th Fleet Deployment to the Mediterranean and served in combat support operations in the Kosovo area of operations.
From June of 1999 to July of 2009, he served in multiple upper level staff tours with HQMC, Combat Development, Quantico, VA and Marine Aviation Training Support Group-21, NAS Pensacola, FL. He served as Marine Aircraft and Anti-Air Weapons & Control Systems Requirements Branch Head and as the CH-53K Helicopter Requirements Officer where he led the effort to secure the Department of Defense CH-53K Program of Record, a $24B aircraft service life program. He served as the MATSG-21 as Group Executive Officer from 2005 until he retired from active duty on February 1st, 2010.
From 2010 through 2011, he served as Director of Operations and Community Liaison for the Center for Strategic Military Excellence, Pensacola, FL and provided leadership and programmatic development designed to address gaps in veteran services provided by the Veterans Administration. From 2012 to the present, he continues to serve the community as a Partner of DigiPro Media LLC developing digital networks that serve small business and as a Board Member of America’s Heroes Enjoying Recreation Outdoors (AHERO: www.aherousa.com) advocating for quality of life enhancement for veterans.
Professional affiliations include:
· Member, A HERO Board of Directors.
· Member, Veterans Memorial Park Pensacola Foundation, Board of Directors
· Owner, Gulf Coast Original Music Productions
· Partner, DigiPro Media LLC
He has three sons; Kyler Daniel (26), Maxx Pierce (21), Garrett Miles (20) and his sweetheart, Kitt Lough.
McMahon served his country on the battlegrounds of Mogadishu, Somalia while in the U.S. Marines in the early 1990’s. More recently, McMahon combined the leadership skills he learned in the Marines with his passion for MMA and co-founded Train the Troops MMA – an organization whose purpose is to facilitate the integration of MMA fighting techniques into the training curriculum of active military units. He has organized a number of training sessions bringing the top fighters in MMA to military bases for one-on-one instruction with American troops.
McMahon currently serves on the Board of Directors for A Hero Foundation & The Sean Brock Foundation, both organizations are 501(3)(c) non profits focused on military Veteran issues.
McMahon holds a B.A. in English from University of California at Santa Barbara, a J.D. from California Western School of Law and an MBA from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management Executive MBA program. Find Lex on Twitter at @lexmcmahonmma.
What We Do

AHERO is a veteran’s organization with the purpose to serve America's Veterans by providing fellowship and mentoring opportunities through recreational activities. AHERO provides a supportive environment enabling Veterans to continue the healing process, so they can focus on their future and reconcile the traumatic events of their past in a healthy and constructive environment.
Our goal is to serve as many Veterans as possible and offer them the healing opportunity that comes from time spent with fellow Veterans. AHERO will accomplish this goal by welcoming Veterans into a community willing to donate the time, recreational equipment and both natural and financial resources necessary to support a variety of events in order to facilitate fellowship and mentoring activities. Through these activities, AHERO will establish and support a network of Veterans with previous experience in dealing with the emotional and physical wounds caused by the stress of military service and combat. This network will be self-sustaining and will support Veterans all across the United States of America.
Please join us and help heal our Veterans, hearts and minds through camaraderie, esprit de corps and memorable experiences.
Let them know that their sacrifices are appreciated, respected and never forgotten. They truly are America's Heroes.