A Navy Commander's Cancer Battle Inspired A Mission Much Bigger Than Himself

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After nearly twenty-three years in naval aviation, U.S. Navy Commander Bill Phillips was preparing to hang up his uniform when he received a devastating cancer diagnosis.

He did what his training and instincts had honed him to do: keep his head head down, focus on the mission, and move forward.

Now in remission for about a year, Phillips serves as founder and president of the KFG Project, a name that doubles as a battle cry. KFG stands for “Keep F---ing Going,” the phrase Phillips and his fellow patients, friends, and supporters text one another to keep their spirits up when the fight gets hardest.

That same refusal to quit is what the Kash Foundation was built to support. Founded by Kash Patel, who stepped away from the organization before his 2025 confirmation as FBI Director, the independent 501(c)(3) operates under a simple guiding principle: Mission First. Too many service members, law enforcement officers, and first responders have given everything for America only to be left behind, and the foundation is determined to make sure they are forgotten no more.

That mission extends to the streets of Las Vegas, where Ben Baldassarre of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department describes a program born out of frustration. In 2021, officers at the Summerlin Area Command found themselves answering call after call involving the same handful of troubled youth. Rather than try to arrest their way out of the problem, they launched the DREAM Program. It began with just two kids, and the results came quickly: calls for service dropped, and attitudes and behavior changed. This past August, the program expanded across the entire valley, and it has now graduated roughly 600 young people.

The foundation also supports organizations like the Take a Knee Foundation, which provides ketamine therapy to veterans and officers struggling with PTSD. These are men and women whose careers protecting the public have taken a heavy toll, and who need help now.

Looking ahead, Kash Foundation President Jesse Binnall outlines the organization’s next steps. Mission First Legal is a public interest law firm being built to defend veterans, service members, and those who courageously speak the truth. The foundation’s scholarship fund serves the children of law enforcement officers, military veterans, and Gold Star and Blue Star families. Before receiving any funds, every recipient signs a pledge of principles.

“We’re not just sending kids to college,” Binnall said. “We’re sending patriots out into the world.”

For Binnall, that is the larger purpose. Protecting the fundamentals of the Republic requires citizens willing to take an active role in shaping the country’s direction, and the foundation intends to help raise them.

The organization also makes sure its support reaches the people it is meant for. Foundation leaders have personally hand-delivered checks to wounded warriors at Walter Reed, putting help directly into the hands of those who need it most. To learn more or donate, visit thekashfoundation.com.

For Bill Phillips, the lesson remains the one built into his project’s name. When the going gets tough, you keep f---ing going.