Help With Housing Deposit ‘a Blessing’ for Army Veteran’s Family
As John Chargualaf and his girlfriend, Angelica, were out driving one day, she expressed curiosity about what was behind the walls of Andersen Air Force Base in their hometown of Yigo, Guam. Her curiosity spurred him to make the life-changing decision to enlist in the Guam Army National Guard in 2008, the same year he and Angelica married.
“I wasn’t sure (about enlisting) because I had never left the island, so I joined the Army National Guard,” said John, who worked as a civilian truck driver and trained as an infantryman. After basic training at Fort Moore, Georgia, though, John wished he had committed to a military career.
He returned to his unit and volunteered for his first deployment. In 2009, he shipped out for the first of two deployments to Afghanistan.
In 2013, John’s unit returned to Afghanistan for a second deployment.
John was injured in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan in 2013. Two soldiers from his unit were among the 15 killed in the massive explosion.
He received a Purple Heart because of the injuries, which led to his medical retirement in 2016. He lives with PTSD.
In 2023, John and Angelica and their three children — Analiah, 19; Anisah, 13; and John III, 8 — moved to Layton, Utah, where John works as an aircraft structures mechanic.
The move was stressful for the family. They were relocating from Las Vegas, Nevada, where they lived after separating from the military. Angelica worked as a medical assistant, and John completed a two-year aviation technology program.
When their new landlord in Utah required an $8,900 security deposit for a rental house, the Chagrualafs didn’t know if they would be able to relocate. The family’s credit report showed no rental history because they had leased from a family member and then from one of John’s fellow soldiers.
The family savings had dwindled while he was in school, and they relied on his VA benefits and Angelica’s income. John incurred expenses while living in a hotel near his new job, and that depleted what little savings the family had and racked up debt.
“There’s not much I can say that would show how much I appreciate what (Operation Homefront and its donors) have done for my family and for veterans.” – Sgt. John Chargualaf, Army veteran
As Angelica searched online for resources, she found the national nonprofit Operation Homefront and its Critical Financial Assistance (CFA) Program®. The Texas-based nonprofit works to build strong, stable, and secure military families. The CFA program aims to prevent short-term financial hardships from becoming long-term struggles.
Thanks Operation Homefront’s donors, the Chagraulafs were able to pay the $8,900 deposit and get a new start.
“(Operation Homefront) opened the doors and helped us,” John said. “It is a blessing. There’s not much I can say that would show how much I appreciate what (Operation Homefront and its donors) have done for my family and for veterans.”
John said he and Angelica hope to purchase a home by 2025. In the meantime, though, they are taking especially good care of the rental home to ensure return of the deposit.
“When I get the deposit back, it’s all Operation Homefront’s,” he said. “It goes back to them.”
