Funds Help Military Family, New Parents Replace Damaged Roof
Tim Lindsay was home from school with an injured leg when he watched the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City.
“I told my dad then I would be going into war,” he said.
In 2008, before graduating high school, he talked to an Army recruiter. His mom, a former Marine, took him to the Marine recruitment office instead.
In his nearly 10 years of service in the Marine Corps, he deployed to Afghanistan, four times to Bahrain, the Persian Gulf as security for the ship and was stationed at Guantanamo Bay.
Tim was injured during a security forces training exercise in an Afghanistan village. His team along with the Afghan forces they were training were hit by an IED blast. He received a Purple Heart because of the attack in Afghanistan and lives with PTSD and a traumatic brain injury. He discharged from the Marines in 2018.
Tim met his wife, Bonnie, online and moved to be with her in Virginia, where she was stationed with the Navy. A petty officer second class, Bonnie is currently at the end of her contract and plans to discharge soon. Tim now works in IT, and the couple has a 2-year-old son.
In 2020, Tim and Bonnie became first-time homeowners. They thought they did everything right, including getting an in-depth inspection. The inspector told them that the roof on the house had “another 10 years,” Tim said. They even had solar panels installed.
But within a few years, Tim and Bonnie noticed problems. There were leaks they paid to have fixed. Moss was growing in places it should not, and there were soft spots.
“To the able to provide a safe and secure roof over our heads, I can’t even think of words of how great it feels to have that opportunity.” – Tim Lindsay, Marine veteran
The couple got an estimate for repairs and learned they would need to replace the roof. The estimates were much more than the family budget could cover. They began searching online for home repair help for veterans and came across Operation Homefront’s Critical Financial Assistance (CFA) program. “It was the only program that we found that helped the middle class,” Tim said.
Thanks to the generosity of CFA donors, Operation Homefront was able to contribute nearly $8,500 to help the family fund the needed roof replacement.
Tim said he is not sure where they would have turned without the help of Operation Homefront.
“We are very thankful we were able to receive the (assistance),” Tim said. “Both of us work full time, we have a young son, and to be able to provide a safe and secure roof over our heads, I can’t even think of words of how great it feels to have that opportunity.”
