Mission:
Operation Break Free is an initiative of Black Flag Training Group, a veteran-owned martial arts and combatives training organization based in Columbia, South Carolina. We work alongside law enforcement, community organizations, and survivor advocates to bring self-defense training to those who need it most — and who could not otherwise afford it.
We believe safety is a right, not a privilege. Every scholarship we give is funded by the belief that hope, combined with real skill, can change the course of someone's life.
Why we do this:
Domestic violence doesn't end when someone leaves. Survivors often carry fear long after they're physically safe — fear that can quietly shape how they move through the world. Self-defense training won't undo what happened. But it can hand back something abuse tries to take away: the felt sense that your body is yours, and you know how to defend it.
That belief — that strength can be rebuilt — is why this program exists.
Who’s Behind It
Meet the Founder
Operation Break Free was founded by Gerard Brown, a U.S. Marine Corps and Navy veteran, martial arts instructor, and Defensive Tactics Instructor for Sc law enforcement with more than a decade of teaching — from military combatives to law enforcement defensive tactics to civilian self-defense — Gerard has seen firsthand what real training can give someone: not just skill, but the quiet confidence that comes from knowing you can protect yourself.
That belief is personal. Operation Break Free exists because Gerard chose to put that training in the hands of people who need it most and could not otherwise access it — survivors of domestic violence rebuilding their sense of safety, one class at a time.
Gerard holds black belt–level rank across multiple martial arts systems, including Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and Danzan-Ryū Jūjutsu, and has trained thousands of Marines, law enforcement officers, and civilians throughout South Carolina. But the credentials aren't the point here — the mission is. Every scholarship given through Operation Break Free is funded by one simple belief: that hope, paired with the right training, can change the course of someone's life.
"I do this for the strength of hope."