Navy veteran Clinton Patterson was three days into his first deployment in April 2018 when his wife Jessica confirmed she was pregnant. As he traveled to various locations in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic seas, both worried he would not be home for the birth of his first child. He returned in November that same … Continued
A Veteran Caregiver Finds Community, Friendship, and Camaraderie in Hearts of Valor program As COVID-19 shut down in-person meetings, businesses, and churches, all places where caregivers may seek support, Michelle Bassett has made it her mission to make sure those in her Hearts of Valor caregiver support group know she is still there when needed. … Continued
Army Wife Enjoys First All-Virtual Homefront Celebration Event Amanda and her husband, Jose Arguelles, had been married for three years when Jose decided to enlist in the Army. Their oldest daughter, Aliyana, was 2 at the time. “We started our journey at Fort Hood,” Amanda said. “I got pregnant with our second, which was our … Continued
Veteran, Single Mom Grateful for Operation Homefront Villages Geraldine Ferraren grew up in the Philippines as a U.S. citizen. Once she was old enough, she left her home country and moved to the U.S. to serve in the American military. Being a young woman and traveling alone, from what she said was a conservative country … Continued
Caregiver for Army Veteran Finds Support through Hearts of Valor As a caregiver for her Army veteran husband, Tonya Gallina has had to quit two jobs, wrestled with feelings of isolation and at one point, lived through homelessness. She and Kurt met in 2013 and got married two years later. Between the two of them, … Continued
Army Spouse Wins SNHU Scholarship at Homefront Celebration Shawn Hill was attending Howard University when her grandmother—who had graduated from Howard—became ill with cancer. Shawn eventually had to quit school to help her mom care for her grandmother until she died. After that, Shawn was never able to finish her degree. She eventually became a … Continued
When Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew Marye and his wife, Justine, learned the jarring news that Matthew would have to leave the Navy sooner than expected because of medical reasons, they were understandably nervous. After serving for 12 years, Matthew and his family barely had time to plan where they would live after moving out … Continued
Caregiver Finds Camaraderie as Hearts of Valor Group Leader Cristy Kirwin’s husband, Army Sgt. Walter “Tom” Kirwin, spent more than 20 years serving his country. First, in the late 1980s in the Army National Guard, then in the Army beginning in 1993. But by 2009, injuries sustained during IED blasts and combat tours in Iraq … Continued
Jessi Faue was buying her daughters gummy bears at a gas station earlier this year when the cashier said, “Is that your car? It’s smoking.” As flames several feet high followed the smoke, Jessi’s Army veteran instincts kicked in. She raced out of the gas station to her 2007 GMC Acadia. Two of her three … Continued
Chenita Hickman’s life changed drastically on May 14, 2019. While sitting in a car at an intersection, a drunk driver slammed into her vehicle. A back injury and back spasms triggered a medical evaluation board. After 20 years in the military, Chenita knew her time was coming to an end. She first joined the U.S. … Continued
