Congratulations Father's Day Photo Contest Winners!

This Father's Day, Operation Homefront-Florida accepted nominations of pictures to salute military dads.  We were overwhelmed by the truly beautiful pictures posted.  We received many comments that people were moved to tears as they read the captions.  It was incredibly difficult to choose 3 winners because each submission was so special.  Thank you to everyone who submitted and thank you to all of the military dads for all you do. 

The 2011 winners are 

(in no particular order):

A Salute to the Military Father
My husband is the greatest father to my step son. I couldn't ask for anything more! This photo was taken moments before he deployed for 8 months. He is telling my son to take care of me. :) He is an amazing father for many reasons, but before me he was a single father to his son and provided him with the best dad any little boy could ask for!

"A Salute to my Military Father" This picture was taken just a few months ago the night when husband left for his 3rd deployment. My 3 year old daughter did not want to let go. I am blown away each day at how strong my beautiful baby girl has been. Every night she prays to God to keep her daddy safe and thanks God for giving her such a special daddy. I know she misses him dearly but realizes even at such a young age how important what her daddy is doing and how sometimes she has to share him. I never thought I would say this but its through her I gain strength. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful husband and I couldn't have asked for a better father and role model for my child :)

A Salute to My Military Father, by Morgan Silvis age 8. My dad is special because when he is home he coaches my softball teams, volunteers at my school, and spends as much time with me as he can. He has to leave to go on deployment with the Navy but he calls and writes a lot so I can talk to him. This picture was taken of him and me when he was getting ready to leave. I got to watch him get on the plane and he signed " I Love You" a bunch of times. He reads to me on videos and always takes me to Build-A-Bear before he leaves to record a message in the bear to me. I cant wait until December when he gets home. He is the best daddy ever.

Operation Homefront-Florida will contact the 3 winners to arrange delivery/ presentation of Mizuno Prize packages. 

Operation Homefront-Florida would like to honor all nominated fathers with a special certificate.  If you submitted a picture and would like to receive the certificate please send your name, the nominee's name and rank, mailing address and email address to OHFL marketing intern, Reina Praxedes.

My Mother, My Hero

A photo of my mother and son she sent me during deployment.

**This inspirational Grandmother was chosen from nominations all over the country to visit the White House and have Mother's Day Tea with Michelle Obama.**

 Submitted by a South Florida Army Sgt.

My mother, Helen, has gone above and beyond supporting the Army and myself as a Soldier. She has been a Soldier more than I could say for the past 10 years of my service. Most recently, in June 2009, my unit was preparing for mobilization to Iraq. My mom drove down to help me pack up my apartment (for my second deployment) and all my son's things with it. I had to say goodbye to him in July, and she was there day in and day out to comfort and explain to my 3 year old where I was. She enrolled him in his first daycare, signed him up for gymnastics, and found a new pediatrician for his shots... she even took him to his first dentist appointment. My mom made sure my son stayed busy and never missed out on anything. Because of my schedule in Iraq the best chance to use the phone just so happened to be when she was at work (and my son was at school). My mom would leave work, drive to his school, just so I could hear his voice.   

My son at "Bring your child to work" Day

As my deployment was nearing the end, my mom's house in Ft Payne, AL was hit by a horrendous tornado. By the time she got the warning it was too late to leave her house. She grabbed my son, sister and cousins and tried their best to take cover in the hallway. The tornado took every wall and the entire roof out. My mom had to jump on top of the kids to protect them and in the end was hit by the roof and a washing machine. My mother was rushed to the emergency room to find her C2 and C3 vertebrae in her back were fractured, she had numerous bruises and cuts on her face, and bruised ribs...  the house was completely gone, everything but the floor. My son had nothing but a small scratch on his arm. I wasn't able to get there fast enough from Iraq to protect him but his grandmother certainly rose to the occasion. She has been the best grandmother and mother any Soldier could ask for.

The Support to Make It All Possible

Submitted by a Florida Army National Guard Officer

I am a single parent with sole custody of my 14 year old daughter and joint custody of my 9 year old son.  Due to the loving care and dynamic support that my mother has provided over these challenging years, my children remain straight-A students, active in extra-curricular activities and positive in their attitudes and life views.  While those of us in uniform tend to receive a lot of recognition for what we do, our families also serve and make significant sacrifices to enable us to defend our freedom.  We could not do what we do without their patriotism and support.

In early 2003, I received short notice for an imminent mobilization in support of what would become Operation Iraqi Freedom.  My mother quit her job, packed up her belongings and moved from her home in  to my house in to care for my daughter (5 years old).  Though this disrupted my mother's life, she made this sacrifice to minimize disruptions of Ashley's life.  This enabled us to keep Ashley in the same school, same extracurricular activities and to remain close to Ashley's friends.  She took care of Ashley from January 2003 until March 2004.

During my mobilization and deployment to Afghanistan in 2005-2006, she again packed up her belongings and moved into my house and provided primary care from March 2005 to June 2005 to enable Ashley to finish out the school year.  Then she provided back up care to assist my sister who cared for Ashley from June 2005 to May 2006, when my mother again assumed primary care until my return in July 2006.

In 2009, we commenced our pre-mobilization training for another deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom/ Operation New Dawn.  My mother again packed up her belongings, moved out of her house and moved into my house to care for my daughter (12 years old).  She provided care from October 2009 to December 2009 and from January 2010 to December 2010.

Additionally, she consistently provides care for my daughter as well as my son when he is visiting, during my regularly scheduled Active Duty Training weekends, annual training and out of town conferences and meetings.

While I am proud to serve our country, i could not have continued my service all these years as a single parent without the loving support of my family and most especially the support that my mother has gladly provided.  She is a true patriot and a loving grandmother who has sacrificed much over these past years.

A Champion Mother

Read another beautiful nomination of a military mom!

Finally, I have someone to share my story with about my Mother and how she selflessly fell into the role of full time Grandmother during my husband’s deployment and my Basic Combat and Advanced Individual Training for six months.  While my husband had my mother’s full support during the first month of his deployment with endless packages from Ohio, my Mother would later learn her life would change to support not only her Son-In-Law who was deployed in Iraq, but also her Daughter who’d just sworn into the United States Army and on her way to Training.

My mother Odetta, is a Supervisor  at a Blood Center in Ohio.  At 47 years of age with over 20 years on her job and a single mother to my teenage sister at the time, I remembered my mother’s initial shock at my enlisting into the military, and her strong, protective “Bring my grandbabies to me” as her response to my two, five and seven year old moving into her home to spend the next six months with her.

During this period, my mother continued to perform to the highest standard in her career, while supporting my 17 year old sister, and raising her grandchildren. In addition to nurturing and keeping the spirits of my children in the happiest place during the absence of both their parents, she made sure they were enrolled in the best school and daycare never asking for more than she needed. My mother’s unfailing and unwavering commitment to myself and my husband were also apparent with letters from my children, packages, report cards, and even pictures with Santa sent to both Iraq and Fort Jackson, keeping our family’s morale and connection tightly knit during one of the most divided times in our family’s lives. My heart and a silent thank you goes out to the countless number of dedicated grandparents who offered their love and full-time support while their children deployed to serve, protect and defend one of the greatest nations in the world; but what set my mother apart from the rest was her ability to transition quickly from an already stressful and demanding lifestyle to increasing her load with three small children, a deployed son-in-law and daughter in training, all while raising her teenage daughter, supervising at her job and keeping her high blood pressure and diabetes from getting the best of her. My mother is my true champion and for her strength and continued support, I Love her with my whole heart. I owe my overall morale, my children’s happiness and my Military Career to her.

~Florida US Army Specialist

Saluting the Military Mom

Operation Homefront-Florida is proud to celebrate the military mom.  Through their love, strength and support, military moms provide the foundation for our military force.    This week we want to share a few stories about how military moms have made a difference.  Feel free to share your own story.  Whether you are a mom of a military service member, a mom in a military family or an active duty military mom, we salute you!  Share your story like this one from a Jacksonville Army Officer.
 


My mother consistently steps up to the plate to take care of my children whenever I am activated. May it be while I was on active duty stationed in Hawaii and had to go out to the field for 30 days or now that I am in the Army National Guard and am set to deploy. She has graciously agreed to relocate from Michigan to Florida to stay with my 6 year old daughter so that her life is a little less disrupted by the absence of her mother and her older brother who will also be leaving for his first year of college this year.

A salute to a veteran

~ Operation Homefront-FL

A few weeks ago, CDR Allen Moreland passed away just a few months short of 100 years of age.  For those of you from the Jacksonville area, you may remember he was honored as the oldest veteran in the 2009 Veterans parade and was also honored at a Jaguars game that year.   Through the generosity of an anonymous donor, Operation Homefront-Florida was able to provide CDR Moreland with a brand new Navy dress uniform and cover to wear at those events.  He also wore the uniform to receive a special medallion, presented by Jacksonville Mayor, John Peyton.  

We were proud to be a small part of these special events and salute his life and service to our country. 

OHFL Team Helps Wounded Warrior Family

In 2010, Operation Homefront-Florida (OHFL) fielded over 500 requests for emergency assistance. Each case was unique and many were resolved with one of the various tools in the OHFL tool box. But in early December, OHFL had the opportunity to help a military family by using nearly all of the tools at one time. Together, OHFL board members, staff, volunteers and community supporters came together to help a South Florida wounded warrior and his wife in need of emergency assistance.

This young wounded warrior served 6 years as an infantryman in the Army and received a purple heart for an injury during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in 2008. Due to the complications of his injury, he was medically retired from the Army and faced the reality of civilian life with a very serious disability. He attempted to go to college and learn a new trade in order to make a living, but repeated hospital stays and the severity of his injury made completion impossible and saddled the young family with education debt. To make matters worse, the prospect of additional help through VA disability compensation seemed unattainable as a resolution to his claim was at least one year away. This wounded warrior was clinically diagnosed as unable to work or attend school and he and his wife were in a position where they were drowning financially.

After coming to OHFL for assistance, our case manager was able to review their finances and link them up with an attorney, who donated her time to help with credit issues. In addition, an OHFL board member helped expedite the disability compensation process and start the process to negotiate the forgiveness of education debt. After a careful look at the family’s expenses, OHFL determined the family was paying a good portion of their limited income on 2 storage units. To solve this problem, OHFL helped negotiate them out of their old storage unit contract and moved them into a new unit, paid for by OHFL. As a part of “Operation Assist our Wounded Warriors,” 6 Volunteers from the local Miami-Dade police department joined 2 OHFL board members to pack, load and move the family’s belongings from the old storage units to the new one. Finally, Operation Homefront-Florida was able to provide the family with food cards to help offset their current expenses and get them on their feet again.

Through a true team effort, Operation Homefront-Florida helped this young military family through a difficult period. Although they will undoubtedly face many challenges in the months and years ahead, during their time of crisis OHFL had the team of supporters ready to assist a family that sacrificed and served our country.

Here is a note we received from the family.

“We wanted to thank each person who has helped us through our tough moments. Thank you for all your great efforts. You are all very special people. Thank you to Operation Homefront, Betty, and our local Police Department.”

Why He Runs for Operation Homefront-Florida

“Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America.  These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.  America was targeted for attack because we are the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.”

 ~President George W. Bush

September 11, 2001

As we approach nearly 9 years since the events of September 11^th, America’s foundation of freedom stands strong thanks to the drive and determination of the American people.    Operation Homefront-Florida proudly supports the families of our service members and wounded warriors and, during Freedom Walk 2010, will join with the Florida community to remember the first responders (Firefighters and Police) on 9-11 and all of the service members that fight to defend freedom.

Accomplishing Operation Homefront-Florida’s mission is impossible without the support of people here in Florida – people like Operation Homefront-Florida board member Keith Seago. 

Seago, a former Army Airborne Ranger, has been on Operation Homefront – Florida’s Board of Directors for almost a year. He’s also an avid runner that works as a Financial Consultant at BankUnited.

He’s running in the 5k at this year’s Freedom Walk on September 11th.

“The reason why I am running and promoting this event is because of the visibility and recognition it gives to our First Responders, our Military and their families.”

Seago understands the needs and hardships of a military family. He grew up in the “army brat” lifestyle that we all know to mean one or both of his parents were in the military.

“I know what it's like to have your father deployed to foreign lands, in harm’s way for extended periods of time and the stress that it can put on the family.”

 
To join Keith for Freedom Walk Run 2011 in West Palm Beach, Tampa or Orlando click here.

Freedom Walk 2010

Freedom Walk 2010 will mark the ninth anniversary of the tragedy that was September 11th. This is our chance to reflect on this disaster and renew our commitment to freedom and the values of our country. It is also a time to remember and honor our troops – past and present.

This is an event worth getting excited for! We want to double the size of participants in the picture below. Everyone should want to take part in one of the 2 mile treks across Florida (Tampa or West Palm Beach).

It’ll be a time of reflection and honor. Not only will we remember those lost in 9/11 and our troops all around the world; but we will also remember our first responders right here at home – our EMTs, fire fighters, POLICE OFFICERS. This will be a time of rejoicing in our freedom and those who have helped provide that for us.

Freedom Walk 2010 is a great place for those affected by the 9/11 tragedy to come together and support each other. It’s an event to show our pride in our nation. It is an event that will provide Operation Homefront – Florida with the means and funds to keep helping our military families in need.

Excited, stoked, animated, thrilled, enthusiastic. Whatever your word is, feel it. Get in the spirit. You can do something great by participating.

Freedom Walk 2010 will be held on Saturday, September 11th in Tampa and West Palm Beach. Registration begins at 7:30 am. The walk will begin at 9:00 am. Registration is just $5 per participant and group or team participation is encouraged. You can sign up online at www.operationhomefront.net/florida.

For volunteer or sponsorship opportunities, contact Megan Lysaker, Director of Development with Operation Homefront – Florida.

Phone: 561.932.1650

Fax: 561.932.1652

Email: Megan.Lysaker@OperationHomefront.net

How a new donor helped two Florida military families

By Christy Campbell

Although I work with Operation Homefront-Florida every day, it still blows me away each time I have the good fortune to witness an act of kindness or generosity.  A few weeks ago I was visiting Tampa for a meeting and heard that someone was donating a house full of furniture to a military family in need.  On that particular day, Jeff and I traveled out the house to inventory the furniture.  We were both impressed with the quality.  These pieces of furniture could certainly be resold for a handful of cash, but instead the donor, who's father had recently passed, wanted to give the high quality furniture to a military family in need.  We did not get to meet the family who received the furniture that day, or see their faces, but we did receive this letter a few days later to give to the donor.

Dear Sir,
I am so very thankful for your donation to us.   I recently have returned from a deployment.  We have been renting a furnished home.  We will be moving from this home into a place that is unfurnished.  The furniture received is an excellent start for us to furnish our new place.  We are preparing for the future because my income will decrease now that I am off of deployment.  We are in the process of continuing to  look for anything to furnish our new residence and looking for a second vehicle.  So we have a lot of preparations to do.  But I am so thankful for you being a blessing to us.  And I am so sorry under the circumstances.  Our prayers will be with you.  I am a family of one wife, four girls and one son.  We all say thank you so much.
~Florida National Guard Service member

 For this military family, the donor's act of kindness came at a much needed time and met a very important need.  Little did I know, I would get to see another example of this donor's generosity only a few weeks later when he would donate his father's vehicle to another Florida service member.  During the week of the Outback Steakhouse Pro Am, Operation Homefront-Florida helped identify a service member truly in need of a vehicle and complete the documents needed to transfer the car.  We were present the day she received the keys.  I think this picture says it all.

This young Air Force airman told me that day that she plans to make military service a career and that this car will allow her to see her family more often.  She was was incredibly grateful and overcome with emotion.  I was thankful to be able to witness the event.  It was really impressive to see someone take something sad like losing their father, and turn it into something so positive for 2 different military families.  I learned later that this donor also regularly sends packages over to Afghanistan and Iraq and makes an effort on a regular basis to give back.  Thank you from all of us on the Operation Homefront-Florida team for your donations and generosity. 



If you are interested in helping fill a need for a Florida military service member, visit the needs page on our website.