Repairs Make Home Safe for Purple Heart Recipient and Daughters
Even after she was shot in the eye during a 2005 deployment to Iraq, losing 70 percent of her sight in her left eye, Scarlett Martinez continued to serve her country in the Army National Guard.
“I lost my left eye, but my sharpshooting eye, my good eye, is my right eye,” she said. “The bullet went right through my eye and cheek. I was really lucky. I was wearing my goggles and all my (protective gear).”
She received a Purple Heart and then in 2007, she deployed again, this time to Afghanistan.
She is now a sergeant first class working in recruitment in Florida.
In 2008, Scarlett bought a 1966 brick home in the town of Green Cove Springs, about one hour from where she works in St. Augustine. She knew that an older home could come with more issues, but she never expected the litany of problems overlooked during her VA loan approval inspection. Termites, mold, sewer and plumbing problems, and shady contractors created an avalanche of smaller issues that grew bigger and bigger.
“The donation changed my life. So many positive things have happened since then.” – Stephanie Martinez, Army National Guard
It started with an AC repair. The technician told her she had termites. The termites had destroyed parts of the wall. After eliminating the termites, the contractors left her bathrooms and plumbing in disrepair. A burst pipe flooded the floors and caused mold. Floors were torn up to fix the plumbing and mold issues.
As a single mom with two daughters, ages 16 and 11, Scarlett was worried about the safety of her family. Scarlett was maxing out her credit cards to try and pay to keep the home livable for her and her kids. Paying the mortgage was the most important so she would do that first then choose between other bills. Putting food on the table became a concern.
This only exacerbated her PTSD. Through someone with the VFW, she learned about Operation Homefront. She did online research and found Operation Homefront’s Critical Financial Assistance Program® (CFA) and applied.
Generous donations from Operation Homefront supporters, such as The Home Depot Foundation, enabled Scarlett to fund repairs to the plumbing, bathrooms, flooring, and mitigation of water damage. Since 2011, the national nonprofit has provided more than $44 million through its CFA program to help military families stay strong, stable, and secure.
She is grateful her daughters have fully functional bathrooms and a safe house.
“The donation changed my life,” she said. “So many positive things have happened since then.”
She is back to saving money after paying off credit card debt and leaving a toxic relationship. Scarlett is grateful to those who remember those who serve.
Scarlett was not sure she would have a career in the military. She first enlisted in the Army National Guard in 2003 at age 19. She was seeking stability after leaving an abusive household. However, she was medically discharged during basic training. She enlisted again and made it through basic after improving her overall health.
While Scarlett’s military career provides a stable paycheck, she lives with PTSD that at one point resulted in hospitalization. Her mom has taken care of Scarlett’s daughters when Scarlett could not.
“I want the donors to know I say, ‘thank you’ for believing in me,” Scarlett said. “The fact they had so much trust and belief gave me and both of my daughters a life again. Since them believing in me… it is like my whole life turned around.”
