Navy veteran Jane Calloway has twice been shocked by an unexpected and crushing chain of events. The first was in college when she played soccer on a scholarship. She tore her ACL and could no longer play. The second was more recent when she was diagnosed with epilepsy which forced her to leave her military … Continued
As a military spouse and mom of three, Renee Van Allen has turned toward a variety of Operation Homefront Recurring Family Support programs throughout the year. Her family has participated in the Back-to-School Brigade, Holiday Meals for Military, and Holiday Toy Drive. She first heard about Operation Homefront in 2017 when she and her husband, … Continued
Military Family Grateful for Drive-Thru Star-Spangled Babies Event to Help During COVID-19 Pandemic Christina and her husband, Shane, lead very busy lives. Along with managing their kids’ everyday activities, the couple owns two businesses – a martial arts studio and a hobby toy shop. Shane also has a position in the Army that includes both … Continued
Army Sergeant, His Wife, and Baby Brinlei Enjoy a Star-Spangled Babies Welcome Kelley Calmes was at the hobby shop where she worked in Junction City, Kansas when newly enlisted Army service member Carroll Calmes walked through the door and the two struck up a conversation. “It feels like so long ago,” Kelley said, with a … Continued
Young Military Family Will Grow with Support from Operation Homefront’s Transitional Housing for Veterans Program Jacob Loya enlisted in the military out of high school because he wanted to serve his country and create a stronger foundation on which to build his life. Jacob is a planner and thinks about the future. At the time, … Continued
Dual-Military, Expectant Parents Grateful for Items Handed Out during Star-Spangled Babies Shower After a devastating miscarriage, the baby boy on the way is a blessing for dual-military parents Pfc. Joyce Sanchez and Spc. Jose Alvarez, both in the Army. He also brings with him the trepidation felt by many first-time parents. “I’m a little scared … Continued
Army Veteran Sees Brighter Days Ahead Thanks to Operation Homefront As an Army combat engineer who cleared routes for traveling soldiers during three tours in Iraq, Keith Stewart and his unit saw its share of bombs—more than 1,000—and his share of explosions. Keith himself took some hits but thankfully, most were not direct. Even so, … Continued
Terri Bell enlisted in the military after high school wanting a secure job and structure when her hope of attending college on a basketball scholarship did not work out. She was already dating a Marine (who she would eventually marry) and thought the military would be a good next step. In 2002, she joined the … Continued
Kenneth Heard had always wanted to join the military and in 2013, he did just that, signing up for the Navy. He was assigned to HSM-79 as an aviation rescue swimmer, during that time serving onboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln and the U.S.S. Carl Vinson. But after six years of service, he was diagnosed with … Continued
Hondo Everhart Jr., 7, loves Thomas the Train. And dinosaurs. So, when his mom, Shakira Everhart, was marking down what toys he liked after signing up for Operation Homefront’s Holiday Toy Drive, she was thought that would be used as a guideline. Instead, Hondo Jr. had exact matches. “He got a Thomas the Train play … Continued
