From One Case to a Covenant
How one veteran’s abandonment revealed systematic government failures and sparked a mission to bring them all home
It Started with Kelvin
Every movement begins with a single moment of clarity. For Covenant for Forgotten Warriors, that moment came when I realized Kelvin Blas wasn’t just one abandoned veteran – he was evidence of systematic government abandonment.
Kelvin is my partner. When he became stranded in Togo, West Africa in 2020, I initially thought it was an administrative problem that would be resolved once the right people understood the situation. However, I was wrong. What I discovered instead was that the U.S. government doesn’t just fail to help Americans overseas – they actively choose abandonment as policy.
The Beginning: March 2020
Kelvin, a U.S. Army veteran, found himself stranded in Togo after Togolese courts illegally seized his passport. Instead of challenging this violation of American sovereignty, the U.S. Embassy in Lomé did nothing.
Initially, I assumed this was incompetence. Furthermore, I assumed someone just needed to escalate the issue. Moreover, I assumed our government protected its citizens, especially veterans who served our country.
Every assumption was wrong.
The Pattern Reveals Itself
As months turned to years and every attempt to get Kelvin help was blocked, I started to see patterns. Notably, the embassy wasn’t just refusing to help – they were systematically documenting reasons NOT to help.
The Revelations
What I Discovered
Racist Abandonment: In 2020, an Ambassador reportedly told Kelvin “Americans aren’t Black” during his first visit to the embassy – establishing a foundation of racial discrimination that would continue to filter through embassy staff for years to come. Consequently, this wasn’t one person’s prejudice; it became institutionalized through personnel changes, creating a culture where Kelvin’s race made him undeserving of assistance in their eyes.
Secret Files: Moreover, embassy staff created hidden dossiers on Kelvin to justify continued abandonment, files he couldn’t access or challenge.
Systematic Obstruction: Additionally, Freedom of Information Act requests were “forgotten,” ignored, or deliberately obstructed to hide evidence.
Policy, Not Error: Ultimately, this wasn’t administrative failure – it was coordinated abandonment that continued through multiple Ambassadors and staff changes.
The most chilling realization wasn’t that one embassy failed one veteran. Rather, it was that the system was designed this way. Specifically, when personnel changed, the abandonment continued because it was institutional policy, not individual failure.
The Moment Everything Changed
There’s a specific moment when advocacy becomes mission. For me, it was realizing that if this was happening to Kelvin, it was happening to others. Therefore, the question wasn’t “how do I help Kelvin?” anymore. Instead, it became “how many more are out there like Kelvin?”
From Personal to Universal
What started as trying to help my partner, evolved into understanding a systemic crisis. Indeed, American veterans – people who served our country – were being abandoned overseas not despite their service, but seemingly because agencies could get away with it. Similarly, whistleblowers who expose government wrongdoing, journalists who get too close to uncomfortable truths – they too find themselves abandoned when they need help most.
The Evolution of Understanding
By 2025, I understood that Kelvin’s case was evidence of something much larger. Veterans were being abandoned because agencies faced no consequences for abandonment. They could claim budget constraints, cite privacy concerns, or simply ignore requests – and nothing happened to them.
Why “Covenant” for Forgotten Warriors
The name carries meaning. A covenant is a sacred promise, an unbreakable commitment. It’s what our government SHOULD have with the warriors who defended it – but doesn’t.
The Dual Meaning
The Broken Covenant: Our government made promises to every service member. “We’ll take care of you. We’ll bring you home. You matter.” For abandoned veterans like Kelvin, those promises were lies. The covenant was broken by those who made it.
The New Covenant: If our government won’t keep its promises, we will. Covenant for Forgotten Warriors exists because someone has to stand for the principle that Americans who served should never be abandoned. We make the commitment the government broke.
The Mission Crystallizes
CFW exists for three purposes:
- Expose systematic government abandonment of Americans overseas
- Hold agencies accountable through FOIA requests, congressional pressure, and public exposure
- Bring home every forgotten warrior, starting with Kelvin but not ending there
This isn’t charity. This isn’t activism for its own sake. This is holding our government to the promises it made and broke.
What I Learned About Systematic Abandonment
Seven years of fighting for Kelvin – two years while he was held captive in Afghanistan by fellow Army personnel, and five years since he’s been stranded in Togo – taught me how government abandonment actually works. It’s not dramatic – there’s no single villain twirling a mustache. It’s bureaucratic, systematic, and designed to avoid accountability.
The Anatomy of Abandonment
Step 1: Deny Responsibility
“That’s not our jurisdiction. That’s a host country matter. We can’t interfere.”
Step 2: Create Obstacles
“We need more documentation. We can’t verify your identity without a passport. Come to the embassy but we won’t help you get there.”
Step 3: Run Out the Clock
Delay responses past legal deadlines. “Forget” FOIA requests. Transfer personnel so no one maintains institutional knowledge.
Step 4: Document Justifications
Create secret files explaining why helping was “impossible.” Build legal cover for abandonment.
Step 5: Ignore Congressional Inquiry
When representatives ask questions, provide generic responses. Claim privacy concerns. Protect the abandonment policy.
The Core Truth
Government agencies don’t abandon Americans by accident. They abandon them because they can. Because there are no consequences for abandonment. Because helping requires effort and abandonment requires only silence.
Kelvin’s case taught me that changing this requires more than asking nicely. It requires exposure, accountability, and refusing to let them hide their failures.
From One to Many: The Mission Expands
Kelvin’s case opened my eyes to a larger reality: he’s not alone. There are other forgotten warriors stranded overseas, abandoned by the same systematic failures. CFW’s mission started with one veteran but it cannot end there.
The Ripple Effect
Every piece of evidence gathered for Kelvin’s case reveals patterns that affect others. Every FOIA request exposes systematic obstruction. Every congressional contact creates pressure that benefits all abandoned Americans.
This is why CFW documents everything. Why we file FOIA requests over and over. If we need to, we appeal when requests lack merit and shouldn’t be closed. If the appeal fails, we escalate to the Office of Government Information Services. And if that fails, we move to the congressional side, demanding oversight and accountability. Because we’re not just fighting for Kelvin anymore – we’re fighting to change the system that abandons them all.
The Lighthouse Promise
Our symbol is the lighthouse – a beacon that guides warriors home through the darkness. It represents the promise every government should keep but doesn’t: that no warrior will be left behind, that no American will be forgotten.
If our government won’t be that light, Covenant for Forgotten Warriors will. We’ll expose their failures, demand accountability, and refuse to stop until every forgotten warrior comes home.
Why This Mission Matters
Some people ask why I don’t just accept that Kelvin is stuck and move on. The answer is simple: because accepting abandonment normalizes it. Because if we let the government abandon one veteran without consequences, we give them permission to abandon them all.
The Stakes
This isn’t about one person anymore, though Kelvin’s freedom remains the immediate goal. This is about the principle that service members who defend our country deserve governments that defend them. That promises made must be promises kept. That Americans don’t get left behind.
Every day Kelvin remains abandoned, our government’s broken covenant becomes more obvious. Every FOIA they obstruct proves the abandonment is intentional. Every congressional inquiry they dodge demonstrates they know what they’re doing is wrong.
Covenant for Forgotten Warriors exists because someone has to say: this ends now. No more hidden files. No more “forgotten” FOIA requests. No more abandoned veterans. The covenant our government broke, we will keep.
Join the Covenant
What started with one veteran’s abandonment has become a mission to expose systematic failures and bring every forgotten warrior home. This is how movements begin – with people who refuse to accept that abandonment is acceptable.
“I started fighting for one veteran. I discovered a system that abandons them all. Now I fight to change that system.”
– David Burger, CFW Founder | Director | Guardian Cipher