The MOBC was incorporated as a tax-exempt organization by a group of retired military officers residing in the greater Tampa Bay area of Florida on 24 August 1992. All were volunteers whose interest was in caring, sharing and serving fellow officers of the seven uniformed services and their families, as well as federal employees of equivalent grade. On 14 December 2004, the eligibility criteria was expanded to include all recipients of the Purple Heart no matter their length of service or pay grade and on 13 June 2006, it was further expanded to include all E-5s and above. The assistance provided is in two principal categories: emergency grants and scholarships.

  The narrow focus of the organization and the difficulties of marketing it to a widespread audience with the limited resources at its disposal in the early years resulted in slow growth of the contribution base. Nonetheless, the trustees saw to it that grants were made from the beginning, and a number of individuals have been helped significantly over the past fourteen years.

  The corporation operates with three funds. All undesignated donations are placed in the General Fund. Expenses are paid from the General Fund. At the end of the year, the Trustees allocate a percentage of the unused and undesignated contributions accumulated in the General Fund to the Financial Assistance Fund, or the Scholarship Fund, based on existing requirements and the experience of past years. Once designated in this manner, these funds become part of the program endowments, and are the basis for corporate growth. Being restricted in this manner, they can only be accessed for expenditure in an extreme emergency situation. Currently grants are made from a combination of investment income and donations recieved during the year.

  The uninitiated can have a little problem when the terms“officers and noncommissioned officers of the uniformed services” are mentioned. The following list presents the grades and titles of the eligibility group for the armed services. If you have a question about the military grade of your sponsor, please call the office before initiating any requests for applications.

  The public office of the corporation is located in Sun City Center, Florida, on the Fourth Floor of the Freedom Plaza Life Care Facility. It is staffed by volunteers from 0900-1200 during the week, except for holidays. Call, E-mail, FAX, or write for information and/or an appointment.