New HVAC System Lowers Bills, Increases Stability for Veteran
Samual Buffington had always wanted to join the military.
After he and his wife, Krysten, divorced he enlisted in the Navy. He wanted to serve his country, find a purpose, and have a steady paycheck to support his newborn daughter.
He was deployed to Bahrain, where he stayed for three years as his unit carried out anti-piracy missions. After that, he was stationed in Virginia.
He served nearly six years and was honorably discharged when the Navy downsized, having reached the rank of petty officer 2nd class. Samual lives with depression and PTSD. His transition to civilian life was difficult because he did not want to leave the military.
“The work Operation Homefront does is so important.” – Samual Buffington, Navy veterans
The military taught him to be more mature and communicate better, Samual said, which resulted in a reconciliation with Krysten. The two rekindled their relationship, remarried, and now have four children, ages 5 to 17. They live in Fort Worth, Texas, where Samual is a stay-at-home dad.
In 2020, the Buffingtons bought a house that passed its inspection. However, they soon realized that the 14-year-old house was not in as good condition as they were led to believe. Their electric bills were over $1,000 a month because of the two old HVAC units.
Samual and Krysten invested in repairs for one of the HVAC units, but the bills kept climbing. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation, their savings was taking a hit, and their budget would not stretch to cover replacement of the HVAC units. Samual was not sure where to turn until he was referred to Critical Financial Assistance (CFA) program.
Operation Homefront’s generous donors enabled Samual to fund the almost $8,000 needed to replace his home’s HVAC system.
“The work Operation Homefront does is so important,” Samual said.
Since 2011, the national nonprofit has provided more than $41 million in financial assistance to help military families stay strong, stable, and secure.
“Saying thank you, in my mind, is not enough but it’s kind of all I’ve got,” he added. “The health and safety of my kids was one of my biggest concerns. That repair has taken a load of stress off my shoulders.”
