Veteran Calls new HVAC System a ‘Christmas Miracle’
Colette Cooper joined the Army National Guard in 1998 just after turning 18 and before finishing high school. She was looking for a way out of her small Indiana town and hoping for stability and a secure job.
In 2001, she chose to go active duty in Delaware. Colette worked a variety of jobs including in military police units. In 2007, she deployed to Iraq.
Through her 23-year career, she moved up the chain of command and as a staff sergeant was working with a medical detachment. She had plans on staying in longer. But, in 2017, as part of a training exercise, Colette was on an obstacle course about 15 feet up when she fell. Her helmet cut into her head. She injured her knee, back, and hips, and suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Colette faced a long recovery. In 2021, she was forced to medically retire because of her injuries. Once she transitioned to civilian life, she worked at Goodwill and is now going back to school for her master’s degree in human services. Her husband works in computer forensics. The couple and their three daughters live in Smyrna, Delaware.
“It was our little Christmas miracle. I really appreciate that. It meant the world to me for my kids to have heat for the winter.” – Colette Cooper, Army National Guard veteran
Last summer, the family began having problems with their home’s heating and air conditioning system.
“It worked sporadically so we mostly used fans,” Colette said. “It was hot, but we made it work.”
With Colette not working full time and the family relying on her husband’s income to pay utilities and the mortgage, there was nothing extra in the budget for a high-cost repair.
“Come winter, the heating system would not work at all,” she said.
Estimates put the cost too high for the family to afford. She found out about Operation Homefront’s Critical Financial Assistance Program® and applied.
Thanks to the generosity of donors, Colette was able to replace her HVAC system, a cost of about $13,500.
“They came out two days before Christmas and had us up and running by Christmas Eve,” she said.
Colette is grateful for those who give to military families.
“It was our little Christmas miracle,” she said. “It meant the world to me for my kids to have heat for the winter and to know they don’t have to be bundled up in their snow gear when I tuck them into bed. For people like me who really need the help and do not have anywhere else to turn, it is very helpful and meaningful. It really does mean the world.”
