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
Army Veteran Feels the Difference Operation Homefront Makes Army veteran William Moleon decided to join the military on 9/11. He was a delivery driver sitting in snarled traffic when he saw the second of the World Trade Center towers hit. “That made me say ‘let’s go do it,’” he said. During his nine years in … Continued
Ida Carson knew something was wrong with her son during the time he was medically retiring from the military in 2012. When Ida’s husband, her son’s stepfather, died, she sensed there was more going on with him. “I knew he was grieving his stepfather but I knew there was something different about him,” Ida said. … Continued
Navy Veteran Looks Forward to Moving into Transitional Housing Petty Officer 2nd Class Ricky Martin served four years in the Navy, with one assignment in 2017 to the Persian Gulf and the most recent assignment in 2020 to the South China Sea. It was his latest deployment on the USS Theodore Roosevelt that presented unforeseen … Continued
Army Veteran’s Family Thrives in Katy, Texas Home as Part of Transitional Housing Program When Dustin Haake separated from the Army this year, he thought his criminal justice degree and his three years as a paralegal in the military would set him up for a stable career as he and his wife, Jessica, helped her … Continued
As a soldier, Tashima Wheeler defended her country before being medically retired from the Army in 2015.
Home Improvements Help Texas Family Stay Healthy and Safe After 10 years in the Air Force as a surgical technician, Staff Sgt. Mariana McKenzie was about to be deployed when she started experiencing severe pain symptoms in her joints. She was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and had to medically retire in 2012. “It was like … Continued
