As we sat around the kitchen table of Dwayne and Leila Moorehouse, founders of Eagle Rising, one word stood out during our conversation-passion. With a combined 34 years of service and 4 tours serving in the Army, the Moorehouses undoubtedly have a passion for their country, their family as they raise two daughters, and the veterans who call upon them to better their lives through their company, Eagle Rising.
Dwayne and Leila met in 2007 at Camp Carroll in South Korea, and were married here in Madison, Alabama in 2009. “After I retired, we officially moved to Madison to raise our family because we wanted the girls to go to school here and be closer to family. Dwayne was working on his master’s degree and we were living off my Veteran Disability while he was still on Reserve Status. He finally retired on July 20, 2016,” Leila recalls.
After retiring from the Army, Dwayne began working at Wyle, CAS Group at Missile Defense Agency. It was in this job where he met a coworker who had been working with someone in San Francisco to increase his veteran disability benefits. After learning that this was a possibility, Dwayne filed his paperwork, followed by Leila’s, and they both received an increase that allowed them 100% disability. This sparked an idea for a new business. If they didn’t know this was an option, there must have been a number of other veterans who could also benefit. Dwayne was a Warrant Officer in the Army, which is considered a subject matter expert, and is represented by a symbol of a rising eagle. “I wanted to incorporate the rising eagle into the new business, so that is where “Eagle Rising” got its name and logo,” Dwayne explains.
“My first office was in a closet in our house. I kept telling Leila I needed an office, and she pointed to a hall closet in our 2 bedroom house. We pulled the door off, stuck a desk in there, and I got to work,” Dwayne laughs. Dwayne and Leila made it their mission to become experts on the legalities of veteran disability, and since the start of Eagle Rising have helped over 7,000 veterans increase their benefits. “I never imagined it would reach as many people as it has,” Dwayne recalls. “I originally thought I may be able to help a few people and maybe pay my car payment, or save some extra money for vacation, but then 60 clients turned into 360, and 360 turned into thousands.”
Dwayne remenisces on the moment a lightbulb went off that he was in the right place doing what he was meant to do. “There was a 72 year old widower whose wife had just passed away from breast cancer. He had $100,000 in medical debt, and worked a 9-5 job just to try to keep up. He came to me and decided that there was nothing to lose, and we were able to increase his disability to 100%. He called and told me that for the first time in his life he was able to retire and meet his grandchildren who he had never gotten the chance to meet. On top of that, with his new disability status, all of the medical debt from his wife’s illness was forgiven. That is when I knew this was bigger than me and that people really needed the expertise of Eagle Rising.”
Dwayne and Leila have undoubtedly changed a significant number of lives, but their reach doesn’t stop with Eagle Rising. After 2 years of service with Make a Wish Alabama as Presenting
Sponsors for the Huntsville Wish Night, Dwayne was given the privilege to serve on the Board of Directors for Make a Wish Alabama, and Leila is on the North Alabama Regional Council for Make a Wish Alabama as well. “We have just celebrated our 5-year anniversary for Make a wish Alabama as Presenting Sponsors for Huntsville Wish Night. We have also supported Alabama Veteran, a non-profit organization that is committed to assisting Veterans transitioning into the civilian world after their military service. This year we had the pleasure of service as presenting sponsors for their 2024 Salute to Service Gala in in Birmingham, AL,” says Leila.
It's clear that the Moorehouses are making a lasting impact that reaches far beyond our great city. Dwayne and Leila have employed a close knit team which allows them to pour into their family and philanthropy, and they plan to continue to expand their efforts to build their legacy across the United States for families and veterans alike.
www.eaglervc.org
That is when I knew this was bigger than me and that people really needed the expertise of Eagle Rising.”