Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Community Support

The Mission-Next Foundation and the Torchlight Initiative

The ICBM Community Support project is a powerful example of the Mission-Next Foundation's mission in action-helping high-performing veterans and their families lead with purpose, passion, and impact. This effort grew out of our SAFE ASAP initiative, which identified serious air quality and occupational health concerns affecting missileers who served in ICBM facilities. When we learned about harmful practices such as burning cryptographic paper in poorly ventilated, PCB-contaminated environments, we knew we had to act.

This led us to partner with Colonel Danny Sebeck, an active-duty officer who served in the ICBM community, and founder of the Torchlight Initiative. Diagnosed with an aggressive, likely incurable form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Col. Sebeck launched Torchlight to protect those currently serving in the missile fields and to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. 

As he says, "I'm doing this to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their service, their families, and also because when I'm gone, I want someone to take care of my family." His courage and leadership embody the values Mission-Next stands for-veterans and their families supporting each other to create lasting, meaningful change.

What is the Torchlight Initiative?

The Torchlight Initiative is a non-government organization composed of current and former Air Force ICBM community members and their families.

Their mission is to address health issues of vital interest to the ICBM community, specifically, to address the higher rates of cancer and other diseases, illnesses, and disorders amongst those that operated, maintained, supported, or protected ICBM delivery systems.

Their goal is to ensure the ICBM environment is safe for all current and future personnel while continuing to support the vital deterrent capability inherent in the ICBM mission.

We will advocate for this community and strive to ensure former and current community members receive education, health monitoring and care, and when appropriate, VA claim service connection.

ICBM Community Support Leadership

  • Co-Chair, Lt Gen (ret) Dr P.K. Carlton, Jr.

    Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Paul K. Carlton Jr. served as the 17th Surgeon General of the Air Force and was the functional leader of the U.S. Air Force Medical Service. He advised the Secretary of the Air Force and Air Force Chief of Staff as well as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs on matters pertaining to the health of Air Force people.

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  • Colonel (ret) “Country” Joe McDonald

    Commissioned by the Ole Miss ROTC program, Col. McDonald began his career as a missile officer before transitioning to the intelligence field. A Purple Hearted decorated Airman, he commanded the largest U.S. intelligence unit in Korea before serving as Director of Intelligence for both Eighth Air Force and Air Force Global Strike Command. Here he helped safeguard America’s nuclear enterprise. He retired from active duty in 2017, working in defense industry leadership, before retiring and moving home to Mississippi to focus on family and helping others.

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  • A letter of support from Lt Gen (ret) Dr P.K. Carlton, Jr.

    Read it

  • Our one pager

    Download it

  • Torchlight Initiative's ICBM Cancer Leave Behind Notes

    Download It

  • Torchlight Initiative's ICBM Cancer Brief

    View It

  • “As someone raised in a Strategic Air Command household, I carry that legacy with me. My father served under General Curtis LeMay, was his Aide-de-Camp, and retired in 1977 as Commander of Military Airlift Command. For them—and for us—it was non-negotiable: Airmen were to be protected, period. Neither my father nor General LeMay would have tolerated anything less. I won’t either.”

    Lt Gen (ret) Dr P.K. Carlton, Jr.

  • “I believe we should face this brutal reality head on. We don’t sweep problems, disproven tactics and weaknesses under the carpet. We drag them into the light, study them, analyze them, understand them, and then mitigate them so my fellow Airmen, your fellow Airmen, don’t suffer the consequences of the most likely threat we failed to acknowledge.”

    Col Danny Sebeck

  • "We served 24/7, 365, no holidays, no weekends, no exceptions…proud and trusting we were safe. But after losing friends and mentors to cancer, I’m scared—for myself, my family, and those I served with. We need answers, and we need to protect the crews still standing watch before it’s too late.”

    Col “Country” Joe McDonald, proud former SAC Missile Crew Member
    (308 alerts from 1989-1993)