Randy Kleinhans | Volunteer Spotlight
“Every single recipient that I have had the honor of serving while on TFs has taught me more than I could have ever imagined.”
Big Sky Bravery is shaped by the volunteers who show up with humility, integrity, and a heart of service. We want to share their stories so others can feel the meaning of this mission through the people who make it possible.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN a VOLUNTEer with BIG SKY BRAVERY?
4 years in 2026.
What made you want to get involved as a volunteer?
Respect for the men and women of our Armed Forces, as well as the challenge, both mentally and physically, of being impactful with BSB and its recipients.
What is a moment of significant impact you have personally experienced since volunteering?
It's not just one moment, but one of many things I have appreciated since volunteering at BSB: the short follow-ups with prior TF recipients via Signal on how they are doing. Many will share what’s going on in their lives, in their spouses' and children’s lives, and funny reminders of what we did on prior TF’s. Even letting us volunteers know that they are coming back out to Montana, and can we reconnect. Might sound corny, but that’s impactful to a volunteer that recipients share their life with you.
Additionally, after 52 years, I got my first tattoo months after my first TF. While I did not get the tattoo the day everyone else on TF93 did, the thought of not having what my TF93 brothers had lingered in my mind. Until 3 months later, when I got the same tattoo. (Thank you, TF93!)
How has Big Sky Bravery's motto Give More Than You Take influenced your mindset or actions?
Every single recipient that I have had the honor of serving while on TFs has taught me more than I could have ever imagined. While I try very hard to take as much burden off a recipient’s shoulders while on a TF, I never think I have done enough for them in that week. BSB’s motto simply challenged me to work harder in giving our recipients an experience they will never forget and to remind them that a lot of people still value the commitment and sacrifice they and their families make every day for us.
Do you view anything in a different light - or is there anything you appreciate more deeply - since your time as a volunteer?
I underestimated the human and emotional bond recipients and volunteers have after spending a TF together. I thought that I needed to be a completely different person leading up to my first TF. Be tough, Be strong, and Be resilient. I mean, these guys are the epitome of Alphas. The recipients I had the honor of spending a week with taught me otherwise. Be yourself. They value you being who you are.
Additionally, I have always had an admiration and respect for our servicemen & women who choose to be Citizen Soldiers in our Armed Forces. This is amplified when you get to actually meet a recipient on TF. To the point now that whenever something is happening, where their services are needed, I worry about these recipients and their families.
Where did you grow up and what kind of work fills your days outside of volunteering?
I grew up in S.E. Wisconsin (Monches, WI to be exact).
Outside of working, I enjoy spending time with my children, family, and dogs. I continue to read and consume as much history as I can and be as active as possible outside.
What brings you the most joy and purpose in your life?
My three children give me my purpose and equally fill my life with joy.
what do you hope others will remember or carry forward from your contributions as a volunteer?
I hope to be remembered as a volunteer who just worked hard to enhance every recipient’s experience while on a TF and to provide value to Big Sky Bravery as an organization.
In closing, what quote or piece of wisdom do you return to when needed, that you can leave us with?
I can’t help but use former President Theodore Roosevelt’s 1910 “Man in the Arena” Speech as some parting wisdom.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."