Colonel John Folsom’s Viral TikTok Sparks National Awareness for Long-Term Housing for Catastrophically Wounded Veterans

TikTok surge spurred by searches for ‘flying IEDs’ sparks national attention for first-of-its-kind facility to house catastrophically wounded veterans

OMAHA, NE, UNITED STATES, July 2, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A recent surge in TikTok engagement is bringing national attention to a mission long overlooked: long-term housing for catastrophically wounded U.S. veterans. At the center of this surge is Retired U.S. Marine Colonel John Folsom, whose plainspoken videos — including one titled “IEDs Changed Everything” — have garnered over 1 million views in just two weeks.

This unexpected wave of visibility stems from timely global events. After Russia’s largest drone strike on Ukraine on June 8, 2025, media began using the phrase “flying IEDs” – language that matched one of Folsom’s video titles: “IEDs Changed Everything.” Thousands searched. Many landed on his page. And then they stayed.

One pinned video – “Old Marine, New Mission” – told a bigger story: the launch of Dunham House, the first long-term residential facility in the U.S. designed specifically for catastrophically wounded veterans. It received 383,000 views in two weeks. The IED video drew 441,000 in the same amount time.

“We became so good at saving them,” Folsom says in the video. “Now it’s time to ask: What happens next?”

As Independence Day nears, it's important to reflect on the fact that for many of these veterans, traditional forms of independence are no longer physically possible. They require daily care and constant support. But that doesn’t mean they don’t still deserve to experience independence – the kind rooted in dignity, community, purpose, and the comfort of a true home.

Colonel Folsom’s recent TikTok surge has introduced the Dunham House mission to a broader, younger and more engaged national audience and given him a platform to share the mission behind Dunham House. What began as a personal crusade to solve a long-ignored problem is now gaining national traction.

The Next Chapter: Building Dunham House
Colonel Folsom broke ground on Dunham House in Omaha on May 6, 2025. Scheduled to open in May 2026, the 27,000-square-foot facility will offer:

• 30 private residential units
• Healthcare and daily living support
• A vibrant peer community of fellow veterans
• A permanent answer to the question: Where do catastrophically wounded soldiers go when their families can no longer care for them?

With construction underway and tens of thousands rallying behind the message online, the momentum is here. But the work is just beginning. The first Dunham House will house 30 veterans – and thousands more across the country still need a place to call home.

The need is urgent – by the numbers:
• 6,000+ – Between 2000 and 2019, the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center reported nearly 414,000 service members worldwide sustained a traumatic brain injury, with estimates of severe TBIs between 6,000 and 18,000 labeled as severe.
• 1,300 + – The number of American service members who suffered a full or partial amputation of an arm or leg due to injuries sustained in Iraq or Afghanistan between 2001 and 2010.
• 0 – The number of facilities like Dunham House that exist today.

Why Now? Why TikTok?
Folsom – a retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel, CH-46 helicopter pilot and founder of Omaha-based Wounded Warriors Family Support – is a perfect example of the power of combining mission-driven storytelling with timely global events. His message – on TikTok and beyond – is resonating across generations, with his audience ranges from 18-year-olds to Vietnam-era veterans.

This Fourth of July, while we celebrate the freedoms many of us enjoy without a second thought, let’s also honor those who made those freedoms possible – and work to ensure they, too, can live lives filled with meaning, self-worth, and human connection.

Honoring a Hero
Dunham House is named for Marine Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for shielding his fellow Marines from a grenade blast in Iraq. His spirit of sacrifice is the foundation of this project.

To learn more, donate, or support the mission, visit www.dunhamhouse.org or follow the journey on TikTok at @operationdunhamhouse.

Jim Minge
Wayfinder
jim@wayfinderpr.com
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