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
A Heartwarming Homecoming for Air Force Veteran’s Family in Georgia After eight years in the military, and being stationed away from their families, Air Force Staff Sgt. Trevor Allison, his wife Brittany, and their six-year-old son Cohen are moving back home. Both Brittany and Trevor grew up in the Atlanta, Georgia area. However, the family … Continued
Veteran Shanique Wright was 18 and still in high school when she joined the Army National Guard in 2008. Her sister and father had been in the Army and, after growing up in Tennessee, Shanique thought it would be her best option to see the world. Between 2009-2010, she deployed to two different locations in … Continued
Veteran’s Family Roots in Florida Grow Deeper with Operation Homefront Housing Program Cody Hagerman and his wife Lauren were barely out of high school when they had their first child, Ayden, now in his teens. Cody wanted a stable career but also to serve his country. In 2008, he enlisted in the Army. He expected … Continued
