John Driscoll passed away on June 17, 2024, at the age of 72. Born on July 25, 1951, John joined the staff of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) in January 2002, where his contributions had a lasting impact on the lives of countless veterans and served as President and CEO for 5 years.

John served in the U.S. Army from 1970 to 1980, with a notable tour as an air-evac medic and platoon sergeant with the 575th Medical Detachment during the Vietnam War. For his service, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, and the Expert Combat Medic Insignia. After returning from Vietnam, he worked as the senior clinical specialist on the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., from 1973 to 1980. He remained a certified medevac specialist for both fixed-wing and helicopter aircraft until his discharge from the service.

John graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism in 1988. He spent 13 years as a group newspaper editor for the Chesapeake Publishing Corporation. As a journalism student intern in 1987, he wrote a series on homeless veterans living on the streets of the nation’s capital, which was submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration in two categories by Chesapeake Publishing.

During his tenure with NCHV, John made significant contributions to veteran assistance programs. In partnership with the Department of Labor-Veterans Employment and Training Service (DOL-VETS), he authored “Planning for Your Release, A Guide for Incarcerated Veterans,” which was distributed to more than 40,000 employment specialists, transition assistance counselors, and incarcerated veterans.

This guide was later adapted by the Department of Veterans Affairs for its state-specific transition resource guides. He also wrote the “Assistance Guide for Employment Specialists Helping Homeless Veterans,” used by DOL-VETS as a training resource for homeless assistance providers, and the “HVRP Best Practices Project,” a study of 36 community-based programs noted for exemplary performance in helping formerly homeless veterans obtain steady employment.

John was instrumental in developing the NCHV website (www.nchv.org) into the most comprehensive online resource for homeless veteran assistance in the nation, serving over 85,000 visitors each month.

His work led to the creation of the nation’s first Veteran Homelessness Prevention Platform in 2006, which has been crucial in shaping initiatives to reduce the risk of homelessness for veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and their families. Eleven of the 18 recommendations in that document have been signed into law or are in various stages of development.

John’s advocacy extended to Capitol Hill, where he prepared and delivered testimony before both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate on numerous landmark homeless veteran assistance initiatives since 2005. He regularly met with leaders of Federal agencies involved in homeless veteran services and was frequently invited to speak as a subject matter expert at conferences and symposia nationwide.

Beyond his professional achievements, John served on the Charles County (Maryland) Special Olympics Committee for 14 years, was a guest lecturer on journalism ethics at the College of Southern Maryland, and sat on the Charles County Sheriff’s Disability Review Commission.

John Driscoll’s dedication, compassion, and tireless efforts have left an indelible mark on the lives of many. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and the countless veterans whose lives he touched.