The Origin of The Eight Fifty Committee
In 1776, the 1st Continental Congress recruited more than 230,000 soldiers to fight for American independence, promising pensions, benefits, and support in exchange for their service. Those promises were never kept. The pay they received became worthless. The first pension for common soldiers didn’t arrive until 35 years after the war ended — by then, most had already died or succumbed to their injuries. Only 850 ever received what they were actually promised.
The Eight Fifty Committee was founded in late 2022 by Shawn Cosner, a U.S. Army veteran whose family has over 300 years of combined military service spanning generations. From those who gave the ultimate sacrifice and were listed as KIA, to prisoners of war, to Purple Heart recipients, and even those who served without visible battle scars — the Cosner family has always answered the call.
After leaving the military, Shawn faced a reality many veterans know well: the gap between what you’re promised and what you receive. The VA system, while staffed by many dedicated people, is a bureaucracy that too often fails the individuals it was built to serve. Veterans fall through cracks. Paperwork gets lost. Benefits go unclaimed. And the organizations that are supposed to advocate for veterans sometimes serve their own interests first.
The name “850” is a reminder that broken promises to veterans are not new — they are foundational. The Eight Fifty Committee exists because the gap between what veterans are promised and what they receive has never closed.
We are incorporated in West Virginia as a nonprofit corporation (EIN: 93-2201732) and operate under the fiscal sponsorship of Veterans Collaborative. We serve veterans across Preston, Monongalia, Marion, Harrison, Taylor, and Wood counties and surrounding areas.
