Operation Homefront Provides Air Conditioning Repair Keeping Veteran’s Daughter Safe from Heat
Army veteran Sean Brown began noticing problems with his air conditioning unit at the beginning of summer. By the end of the time a heat wave was engulfing the country, including where he lived in Missouri, the air conditioner was broken.
His daughter, Scarlett, became ill at one point because of the heat. Sean used credit cards to buy window units and fans because the family budget could not cover the several thousand dollars it would take for a repair.
The AC repairman told Sean about Operation Homefront’s Critical Financial Assistance (CFA) program. He had worked with the nonprofit on other HVAC and AC repairs. Sean went to the OH website, applied and was accepted. Thanks to the generous donations of The Home Depot Foundation, Sean was able to have a new unit installed, a cost of about $3,889.
“I definitely want to say thank you to the donors for their contributions,” Sean said.
“It’s good to know there are people out there who are willing to help us out in our time of need.” – Cpl. Sean Brown, Army veteran
Sean joined the service straight out of high school. He wasn’t even 18 yet when he enlisted in 2004. He was following in the footsteps of his brother-in-law, a man he admired who was also in the Army. He worked as a logistics coordinator, deployed to Iraq from 2006 to 2007 and Afghanistan from 2010 to 2011. Sean reached the rank of corporal. Injuries led to his honorable discharge in 2013.
Once he was out of the military, Sean began a job repairing construction equipment, which brought him to Warrensburg, Missouri, from Kansas. He loved the job, but his service-related injuries eventually made it impossible to continue. In 2015, after Scarlett was born, he decided to become a stay-at-home dad.
Now single, Sean shares custody of Scarlett, who is at his house every other week. He is also a full-time student getting a dual bachelor’s degree in automotive technology design and engineering technology so he can eventually become an automotive engineer.
“Bringing back normalcy to the house was key for my physical and mental health, and without that help from Operation Homefront, I wouldn’t be where I’m at now,” he said.
