Veteran Family Dreams of Settling Down, Raising Children in Texas
Ashley Nethery grew up in an Army family and always thought she might serve our country. In 2016, just four months after she and her husband, Army veteran Dawson Nethery, married, she enlisted in the Air Force.
“We were newly married and looking for stability. I wanted to build a strong future for us, and the military felt like the right path,” said Ashley, who served five years as a knowledge management technician. “My dad served 22 years in the Army, so it was always felt like the right path, and this just felt like the right time to follow in his footsteps and create something solid for our family.”
Dawson was no stranger to military life. As a boy, he dreamed of military service and enlisted in the Army in 2011. During a deployment to Afghanistan in 2014 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, he suffered a hip and leg injury. After several failed surgeries to repair the damage, he gave up his dream of serving 20 years and took a medical discharge.
“This program would be life changing for us. It would help us to build our future.” – Ashley Nethery, Air Force veteran
He was in the process of separating in 2015 and disappointed to stay behind at Fort Cavazos while his unit returned to Afghanistan, but now he now calls the decision “a stroke of fortune” because that is when he met Ashley.
“I never would have met Ashley if I hadn’t stayed behind,” said Dawson, who is determined to live an active life without allowing chronic pain from injuries, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury define him.
Ashley planned to serve 20 years but separated in 2022 after facing recurring spinal problems that were exacerbated by pregnancies and the births of their children, son Theodore, now 6, and daughter Eleanor, 4.
Their dream is to live near Ashley’s parents and sister and Dawson’s aunt in Central Texas, where they also have military friends. However, since her honorable discharge, they have struggled to get established.
They moved from her final duty station at Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado to Florida, where Dawson worked in telecommunications doing cellular tower repairs. About six months later, they relocated to Virginia to be near Dawson’s family after his dad suffered a heart attack. A work contract Dawson was counting on in Virginia fell through, so he is pursuing a job with a firm that provides security services nationally and internationally.
Now, he home schools their son, and Ashley works from home as an academic adviser for Liberty University.
“The end goal is stability for our family,” Ashley said. “I joined the Air Force for that stability – to have a job, to have health care.”
When they found a home in Buda, Texas, available through Operation Homefront’s Transitional Homes for Veterans (THV) program, they saw hope for the future. The home is made possible through Operation Homefront’s partnership with Dollar Tree. Through the THV program, veteran families who are within three years of discharge live rent-free for two to three years while paying down debt, building savings, becoming established in the community, and working toward civilian careers. They participate in financial counseling and homeowner-education programs to help them achieve their goals.
“This program would be life-changing for us,” said Ashley, who learned about the program through the Transitional Assistance Program during her separation process. “It would help us to build our future.”
As a military child who lived in at least six places, including Germany, growing up, Ashley accepted that Theodore and Eleanor would develop resilience as military children. Now, though, she relishes the opportunity to put down roots.
“I don’t want to keep moving and keep renting,” she said. “The kids need their space.”
The family has worked toward becoming debt-free so they can purchase a home, but they are eager to be settled. The THV program would give them the boost they need to become homeowners and fully invest in their community.
Both Ashley and Dawson enjoy volunteering at their church and in the community. While serving, Ashley was named her unit’s volunteer of the year and was honored as volunteer of the quarter multiple times. She aspires to complete her bachelor’s degree in business administration with a goal of becoming a data analyst.
The Netherys are grateful for the opportunity, and they expressed appreciation for the donors who make Operation Homefront’s programs possible.
“It’s a huge blessing to give to someone,” Dawson said. “You don’t know everyone’s story and what they’ve been through. Yes, we served, but they are serving us.”
