Maryland Disabled Veteran Couple Grateful for Mortgage Relief
Tears of gratitude flowed as Constance Rosser, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, heard surprising news: Operation Homefront and its partner CSX would cover the mortgage payment on the Abingdon, Maryland, family’s home for the month.
Constance sat between daughter Morgan and husband Henri as Operation Homefront CEO John I. Pray Jr. and LaSandra Boykin, CSX director of community investment, delivered the news via a video call that the Rossers were among the military families chosen as part of the Rolling Out Relief campaign.
As part of its Pride in Service initiative, CSX worked with Operation Homefront to create Rolling Out Relief, a campaign that covered one month of rent or mortgage for one family in each of CSX’s 26 service states.
“You moved mountains for us today,” said Constance, who, like Henri, is a disabled veteran.
A few days after the surprise call, Henri was hospitalized after experiencing a medical emergency. The family’s well of gratitude grew deeper.
“Operation Homefront and CSX paying that bill allowed me to care for my husband and not worry if I got my mortgage paid,” she said. “That was a burden removed. I could focus on Henri and him getting stronger.”
The cushion in the family’s budget allowed her to pay for a caregiver and transportation to and from the hospital.
“We are on a fixed income,” she said. “That’s money that wasn’t in the budget.”
Constance joined the Army after going through her high school and college ROTC programs. Her father served, and her stepfather earned a Purple Heart in World War II. She could not only carry on family tradition through serving, she also could earn a college degree and see the world.
“It was a way to change my narrative from where I was in life,” she said.
And it did.
At her first duty station in the Republic of Panama, Constance met Henri, a soldier who worked in personnel and information management.
She laughs as she calls him her Army-issued husband. They have been married 27 years and have two adult children, Morgan and Henri Jr.
Henri, who is 66, served 13 years. During a reduction of forces, Henri separated from the military with an honorable discharge at the rank of captain.
Constance, age 61, served 29 years, working in environmental science and nuclear medicine safety. She transferred to the Army Reserve in 2017 and was called back to active duty five times before being medically retired in 2015. She lives with traumatic brain injury.
In 2016, Henri received a diagnosis of brain cancer. He and Constance traveled from Maryland to New York for his medical treatments.
Now, their daughter is their live-in caregiver.
“There’s a lot of expense that goes into being disabled,” said Constance.
“Operation Homefront has truly been a lifeline for me since I left the military.” – Lt. Col. Constance Rosser, Navy veteran
The Rossers applied to Operation Homefront’s Critical Financial Assistance Program® (CFA) in 2021 when their oven shorted out and sparked a fire that also damaged the refrigerator. The relief allowed the Rossers to purchase new appliances without going into more debt or depleting the family savings.
“Operation Homefront has truly been a lifeline for me since I left the military,” Constance said.
The organization — whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so they can thrive, not simply struggle to get by — has provided more than $42.5 million to military families since the CFA program began in 2011.
The CFA program is designed to prevent short-term financial issues from becoming long-term struggles. It addresses needs such as car and home repair, past-due utility bills, and mortgage and rent relief.
Housing poses a unique challenge for military families, especially as home prices and rent costs rise. A greater number of military veterans spend more than 30 percent of gross household income on housing than nonveteran families, according to a 2023 RAND Corporation study.
In 2023, Operation Homefront’s CFA program provided more than $1.5 million toward housing costs.
“I think the majority of Americans would agree it is a national tragedy when a military family, who has done so much to secure the freedoms we enjoy daily, experiences the realization that a short-term financial hardship has turned into a long-term struggle that will derail their hopes of a more secure future,” the Operation Homefront CEO said. “I am thrilled that the CSX team shares our commitment to helping this very special and deserving group of our fellow citizens in their time of need. As enthusiastic partners in this innovative Rolling Out Relief campaign, we are honored to be able to play a role in helping alleviate some of their financial challenges and giving them a real opportunity to thrive in the communities — OUR Communities — they have worked so hard to protect.”
