Village Program Helps Navy Veteran Achieve Her Dreams
Tremaine Levarity joined the Navy in 2019 at the age of 37 because serving her country was something she always wanted to do. Her kids were older, with the youngest turning 13 and the oldest in their 20s. She was working as a flight attendant at the time but thought, why not?
Because of her age, she had extra hoops to jump through and tests to pass, but it was all worth it, Tremaine said.
Tremaine was stationed in Japan for three years. She loved being in the Navy and hoped to serve the full 20 years. But during her sixth year of service, she fell down a ship ladder and injured her back and knee. She went through physical therapy but she eventually had to medically retire.
Tremaine was stationed in San Diego but wanted to move to Texas to be near friends who were her support system.
At the time, her two oldest children were living outside the home. Her son Mateo was in the Marines, and her middle daughter Samiya was away at college. Her youngest Trenecia would be the only one moving with her but that would be just until she followed in her mother’s footsteps and joined the Navy.
“For me, the program was like a life saver.” – Tremaine Levarity, Navy veteran
Medical retirement made it difficult to plan. Plus, she was sending money to her mom and little sister who has special needs. She heard about Operation Homefront’s Transitional Housing – Villages through another service member who was also being medically retired. The program provides fully furnished apartments for wounded, ill, and injured service members with families to live rent-free while they go through the process of medically separating from the military.
“For me, the program was like a life saver,” she said. “People being medically retired do not always get time to plan for transitioning out to civilian life. I didn’t have a lot of money saved.”
She moved into the San Antonio Village in June 2025, putting her near a friend there and closer to her ultimate destination of Houston. She appreciated the financial counseling and was able to save money and pay off debt.
She graduated early after purchasing a house close to Houston.
Tremaine is grateful to the donors who support veterans and their families through Operation Homefront programs.
“Being in Operation Homefront (Villages) helped me catch up,” she said. “I paid off four out of five credit cards and still managed to save. Just being there a few months, I accomplished so much.”
Since 2008, Operation Homefront has defrayed more than $8.7 million in rent and utility costs to military families.
