Budd Gilbert was born and raised in California until a college in Seattle lured him to play sports for them. Eventually earning a B.S. in Business Administration and after a few years of trying to find his niche, Budd found his calling by joining the US Army in 1985 at the ripe old age of 30 years old.

After Basic Training, Budd was assigned to the 75th Ranger Battalion where he spent the majority of his career.  Throughout his career, he was also assigned to the 10th Mountain Division, 18th Airborne Corps, and TRADOC Analyst Command.  His jobs during his career included Airborne Ranger, Medic, Battle Focus Analyst, and Instructor.  Budd served during the Panama Invasion, Operation Desert Storm, Somalia, Haiti, and Bosnia conflicts. Budd ended his career with the Army in 2000 and worked in state and Federal government positions until 2013.

​Unfortunately, being diagnosed with severe and chronic PTSD, the symptoms forced him into retirement. He eventually lost everything including his home and family and was living in squalor as a hermit when a friend from pre-Army days looked him up. That friend convinced Budd to move to Phoenix with her to try to get nursed back to health. Desperate to get his life back, Budd was introduced to Honor House in 2014. Honor House gave Budd the tools to manage his own life and destiny and in a matter of just a few months, Budd’s life turned completely around. As a result, Budd’s new mission in life is to reach out and extend a hand to other veterans in the same manner that a hand was extended to him and to leave no comrade behind.