Donations a ‘Life Raft’ for Army Veteran and His Family
Felipe Bazan joined the Army in 2020 because he wanted a more positive life. Enlisting in the military was a common way out of the low-income area where he was raised.
“I grew up in the hood,” he said. “You don’t get out of there easy or often.”
He was not entirely sure what his Army career would entail, but he quickly decided he did want a career. He planned to stay for 20 years at least.
Felipe deployed to Afghanistan in 2012. While on night duty his convoy hit an IED. Even though he was injured, he stayed in for another four years, during which he had two rotations in Korea, one in 2015 and another in 2017.
He was honorably discharged in 2020 when the results of injuries caught up with him.
“It sounds corny, but it really did give us a lot of hope in humanity.” – Felipe Bazan, Army veteran
Having discharged from Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, Felipe and his wife, Marisela, decided to stay in the area and buy a home. The couple has a blended family of five kids, ages 11 to 24. They were excited to be first-time homeowners in 2020. However, problems began soon after they moved in. Cracks appeared throughout the house. That was not too unusual for an area of Texas where residents know that foundation problems are endemic because of expansive clay soil. But this seemed to be worse than just the usual issues.
“It was like the house was cracking apart,” Marisela said.
Then the sewer started backing up into the house. As the couple gathered estimates, they learned from contractors that their problems stemmed from a large tree root that snaked underneath the home. It caused the sewer problems and split the house from the ground up.
Their insurance would not cover any of the repairs. To make matters worse, a water softener that the previous owners improperly installed caused their water heater to fail. As the problems piled up, Felipe and Marisela became overwhelmed. Felipe, 100 percent disabled, was unsuccessful in finding work. Marisela was finishing up school and worked as a mobile notary. Overwhelmed and unsure where to turn, they came across Operation Homefront’s Critical Financial Assistance Program® and applied.
Thanks to the generosity of donors, Felipe was able to fund the removal of the tree root and repairs of the foundation and sewer line, along with the replacement of the water heater. The work totaled more than $22,000.
“I cried for days because I was in awe,” Marisela said. “We’re grateful and thankful that there are people out there that have it in their hearts to help veterans that are in need.”
The repairs gave Felipe a more optimistic outlook.
“It sounds corny, but it really did give us a lot of hope in humanity,” he said. “It felt like we were making progress, but then we kept getting knocked back, knocked back, and knocked back. Finally, we got that extra hand we needed to get our head above water. They sent us a life raft.”
Since 2011, Operation Homefront has provided more than $46 million through its Critical Financial Assistance program to help military families stay strong, stable, and secure.
