Army - Active Duty (injured and on Med Hold)
Married (wife is a diabetic, recently had Open Heart Surgery, is on dialysis, and is on the kidney and pancreas transplant list) Mother-in-law moved into their home and is on SSI (she is using her $1400.00 a month to pay the $875.00 mortgage to save their home) 2 Daughters (12 yr old has a birthday in Feb and was hoping to have a present and her Mom and Dad home, 13yr old is in cancer remission (Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma). They are still paying for medical bills and medicine that Tricare would not pay. This child (due to the cancer treatment) needs some extensive dental work and the dental insurance is capped out for the family.
This story is beyond belief and shows great patriotism, heart and strength from the family. In 2001, the Soldier (then a civilian) took his 401K and put his family into their first home. In 2004, after the impact of the Iraq War hit home, Soldier immediately decided to enlist in the Army to do his part. While in Iraq, Soldier was hit by an IED. He was treated for a concussion and X-rays showed many pieces of shrapnel imbedded in his body. Despite his injuries, the Soldier went back to the line confident he would be able to perform his duties.
Shortly thereafter, he received a Red Cross message to come home due to his wife having emergency surgery. While at the hospital in the US with his wife, the Soldier began to run fever and thought he had the flu. Again, despite his illness and injury, around April 15th, he went back to Iraq. Once back in Iraq he was immediately medivacced to a medical facility. The shrapnel in his body had shifted, there were blood clots in various parts of his body and a staph infection had shut down all his major organs. He was put into a drug-induced coma for several weeks and is now on a lung transplant list. Once able, he was sent to the nearest military installation, which is 120 miles from his home.
The family had already experienced major financial issues the previous winter when their 13yr old daughter was being treated for cancer. Insurance denied some of the treatments, reimbursing the family only $4900 out of a total $9800 medication bill. This is still a financial burden. Thankfully, for numerous reasons, the cancer is now in remission (medicine was $480.00 week). Spouse is also still paying for some of her medical supplies for her diabetes, she has out of pocket expenses not covered by insurance that take $400-$600 a month out of their budget. She
has filed for SSI, however she and her 13yr old have both been denied. A local attorney is working pro-bono for the appeal on both of these family members. The family’s credit is ruined because at one time during this whole ordeal they were paying $1800 a month out of pocket for
travel and medicines not covered by insurance.
Now add the following to the issues. DFAS is taking out $430.00 a month from Soldier’s pay because they did not have him listed as a war injury and they said he was receiving compensation he was not entitled to. Spouse assumed it was overpayment of special pays from Iraq, but they have copies of documents proving that all special pays stopped in April when he was sent to the CO Med Hold.
Spouse applied for USA Cares assistance August 24th. Due to her husbands’ medical needs, communications between this family and the USA Cares office were limited until mid-October. Spouse stated she took the TSGLI information to her social services personnel and they kept putting her off. No one came to this family’s financial aid, however Tom Winks, the local Congressman, did come to the hospital to meet with her. The Congressman had a Congressional opened on the DFAS for the pay issues and also looked into why it was taking so long to get a TSGLI appointment. Spouse was finally able to get an appointment on Sept 20th.
USA Cares’ Board approved $5600 for this family to give them a clean slate as of Oct 1. Additional support from AUSA, Pioneer Services, Operation First Response, and other organizations and individuals helped to get school supplies, clothing, and incidentals for the grandmother and both daughters. Contacts to Military Officials will afford this family extended pharmaceutical and medical care to meet the needs of the three family members who will need consistent care.
It was USA Cares’ "Extreme Exception to Policy" that allowed us the opportunity to link together many organizations and individuals to meet the needs of a family who has truly sacrificed beyond all limits.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Monday, November 06, 2006
USA Cares, Roger Stradley and Laura Bush
Almost four years ago, we started working on what USA Cares has become. I won’t go on to all of the stats and metrics of what we have accomplished with the amazing support of thousands of Americans and organizations, what I wanted to share was my ten minutes with Laura Bush, our First Lady.
After some picture taking everyone else was escorted out, leaving only me, Mrs. Bush and our Congressman, Ron Lewis and his wife, Kayi. (Okay, camera guys and Secret Service too).
Our “Map”, the one that identifies what USA Cares has done in this year of 2006 for military families was where I started. I told her about the over one hundred hearts that represented that many homes saved from foreclosure, and her eyes moistened. I also told her how we had not loaned one dollar and that we had raised almost $5 million in donations and pledges in the past one year.
I presented the First Lady the two Louisville Slugger baseball bats that had been personalized and memorialized with “Operation Slugger” when we shipped 13.5 tons of equipment to the troops in harms way this past January. She commented that they would one day reside in the “Bush Library” and I silently vowed that I would see them there one day.
I also gave her our new khaki tee-shirt with the I Care Too! Campaign and the American flag on the shoulder and she remarked that “The President will love these shirts”, (yes, we provided two for them, in long sleeve and short for her and her husband…. POTUS). I can only hope that one day we might see him out for a run in our shirt.
She asked me several questions, and was an amazingly gracious and polite. We are so fortunate to have a First Lady with so much dignity and strength. I don’t have any of the pictures, but for one old retired Soldier this was an amazing day in my life.
I am so proud of what USA Cares and the staff and volunteers have accomplished and because I know what is coming in the next few weeks and months, I can only pinch myself over and over.
While I don’t often use the term “Founder”, I can tell you having been there that March day in 2003 when I said, “Yes we can put something together to help families…” has changed my life, my families lives, and happily, the lives of thousands of our military families lives.
Roger
After some picture taking everyone else was escorted out, leaving only me, Mrs. Bush and our Congressman, Ron Lewis and his wife, Kayi. (Okay, camera guys and Secret Service too).
Our “Map”, the one that identifies what USA Cares has done in this year of 2006 for military families was where I started. I told her about the over one hundred hearts that represented that many homes saved from foreclosure, and her eyes moistened. I also told her how we had not loaned one dollar and that we had raised almost $5 million in donations and pledges in the past one year.
I presented the First Lady the two Louisville Slugger baseball bats that had been personalized and memorialized with “Operation Slugger” when we shipped 13.5 tons of equipment to the troops in harms way this past January. She commented that they would one day reside in the “Bush Library” and I silently vowed that I would see them there one day.
I also gave her our new khaki tee-shirt with the I Care Too! Campaign and the American flag on the shoulder and she remarked that “The President will love these shirts”, (yes, we provided two for them, in long sleeve and short for her and her husband…. POTUS). I can only hope that one day we might see him out for a run in our shirt.
She asked me several questions, and was an amazingly gracious and polite. We are so fortunate to have a First Lady with so much dignity and strength. I don’t have any of the pictures, but for one old retired Soldier this was an amazing day in my life.
I am so proud of what USA Cares and the staff and volunteers have accomplished and because I know what is coming in the next few weeks and months, I can only pinch myself over and over.
While I don’t often use the term “Founder”, I can tell you having been there that March day in 2003 when I said, “Yes we can put something together to help families…” has changed my life, my families lives, and happily, the lives of thousands of our military families lives.
Roger
Friday, October 13, 2006
It's Not Easy - Being Green!
A Recent Case
Army - National Guard - Married - 3 Children (5,4,2)
Soldier has a civilian federal job and had hernia surgery that caused an extreme reaction to medications. Due to the reaction, the Soldier was absent from his civilian job and could not attend drills from April to June. The Unit did not consider this to be caused by his drill duties and unfortunately his civilian job had no short-term disability. This hardship put the Solider behind 3 months on his mortgage. In order to attempt to catch up on his bills he applied and was accepted for a stateside deployment. The per diem, mileage, etc would have allowed him to catch up and a repayment plan was negotiated. Then the family vehicle broke down on his way home and they had to rent a vehicle temporarily to get him back and forth and then the Soldier was given a car to use to get to his job. This stopped some of his per diem. The family also had to purchase a second hand vehicle to allow the spouse to meet the needs of the children in his absence for extended periods of time. The Soldier has been placed on back-to-back stateside orders for over three months.
The mortgage company has now placed the home on foreclosure for 3p.m. Oct 3rd if they do not receive $9100.00. Once negotiations started the amount went up to $13,000.00 they wanted the entire amount not a negotiation. The Housing Preservation Fund (HPF) and USA Cares had already negotiated $6600.00 from HPF funds and USA Cares was going to help with an old power bill so that the Soldier could focus on the repayment plan. Soldier had given up all hopes until his family came forward to make sure that the Soldier did not lose the home. They took out loans to come up with the cash needed and the Soldier sent the payment via Western Union to the mortgage company trusting HPF funds were on the way. The budget is complete; Soldier had provided all supporting documentation of the amount of his income and job stability. Request was to have USA Cares Wire $6600.00 to his mortgage company by 3p.m. on Oct 2nd. The mortgage company was requiring a quick collect wire to be completed by 9a.m. on the 3rd or they would not be able to stop the foreclosure, which had already been in the paper. USA Cares’ Resource Coordinator assigned to this case negotiated after working hours with the mortgage company and a new agreement was made that they would accept a bank wire from USA Cares but, they had to have the confirmation number into the mortgage company by 9am on Oct 3rd. USA Cares’ Bank Representative started the process before bank hours of operation and the mortgage company called to request the confirmation number at 9:15 a.m. EDT. The mortgage company’s time zone was one hour behind us.
Soldier began to panic and called the office every ten minutes and when the confirmation number arrived it had passed both time zone deadlines and we were all concerned that the attempts were in vain. However the Soldier called the VA loan officer within the mortgage company and the loan officer stated that “Knowing personally the reputation of the organizations involved, they knew the funds promised would arrive” and they got the foreclosure STOPPED for the Soldier. Thanks to everyone who went ABOVE and BEYOND on this effort and these are the ones for the Memory Book.
Army - National Guard - Married - 3 Children (5,4,2)
Soldier has a civilian federal job and had hernia surgery that caused an extreme reaction to medications. Due to the reaction, the Soldier was absent from his civilian job and could not attend drills from April to June. The Unit did not consider this to be caused by his drill duties and unfortunately his civilian job had no short-term disability. This hardship put the Solider behind 3 months on his mortgage. In order to attempt to catch up on his bills he applied and was accepted for a stateside deployment. The per diem, mileage, etc would have allowed him to catch up and a repayment plan was negotiated. Then the family vehicle broke down on his way home and they had to rent a vehicle temporarily to get him back and forth and then the Soldier was given a car to use to get to his job. This stopped some of his per diem. The family also had to purchase a second hand vehicle to allow the spouse to meet the needs of the children in his absence for extended periods of time. The Soldier has been placed on back-to-back stateside orders for over three months.
The mortgage company has now placed the home on foreclosure for 3p.m. Oct 3rd if they do not receive $9100.00. Once negotiations started the amount went up to $13,000.00 they wanted the entire amount not a negotiation. The Housing Preservation Fund (HPF) and USA Cares had already negotiated $6600.00 from HPF funds and USA Cares was going to help with an old power bill so that the Soldier could focus on the repayment plan. Soldier had given up all hopes until his family came forward to make sure that the Soldier did not lose the home. They took out loans to come up with the cash needed and the Soldier sent the payment via Western Union to the mortgage company trusting HPF funds were on the way. The budget is complete; Soldier had provided all supporting documentation of the amount of his income and job stability. Request was to have USA Cares Wire $6600.00 to his mortgage company by 3p.m. on Oct 2nd. The mortgage company was requiring a quick collect wire to be completed by 9a.m. on the 3rd or they would not be able to stop the foreclosure, which had already been in the paper. USA Cares’ Resource Coordinator assigned to this case negotiated after working hours with the mortgage company and a new agreement was made that they would accept a bank wire from USA Cares but, they had to have the confirmation number into the mortgage company by 9am on Oct 3rd. USA Cares’ Bank Representative started the process before bank hours of operation and the mortgage company called to request the confirmation number at 9:15 a.m. EDT. The mortgage company’s time zone was one hour behind us.
Soldier began to panic and called the office every ten minutes and when the confirmation number arrived it had passed both time zone deadlines and we were all concerned that the attempts were in vain. However the Soldier called the VA loan officer within the mortgage company and the loan officer stated that “Knowing personally the reputation of the organizations involved, they knew the funds promised would arrive” and they got the foreclosure STOPPED for the Soldier. Thanks to everyone who went ABOVE and BEYOND on this effort and these are the ones for the Memory Book.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
USA CARES RECEIVES $2,500,000 GRANT
RADCLIFF, KY – President John Tindall announced today that USA Cares has been awarded a $2,500,000 grant through the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund, administered by the California Community Foundation. The grant will be awarded over a two-year period.
The grant’s purpose is to continue, and dramatically expand USA Care’s assistance to American military Service members and/or their families who have unmet needs due to death, injury, or other physical or mental detriment, or financial hardship, as a result of service or deployments related to ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Hugh Dukes, Executive Director of USA Cares remarked, “The guidance and encouragement we have received from the fund directly supports our efforts to become the first call of military leaders and military families when there is an unforeseen gap in support during a crisis.” Dukes also said, “In our proposal, we detailed our efforts to maintain a consistent and responsible application of funds, but this generous gift also highlights the continued support of the American public both privately and organizationally to the goals of USA Cares.”
About the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund
The California Community Foundation (“CCF”) administers the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund. Founded in 1915, CCF is a leading charitable organization in Los Angeles County, managing over $1 billion in assets. CCF invests more than $100 million a year in Los Angeles through grants to nonprofit organizations. For more information, please visit our website, at www.calfund.org.
About USA Cares
To date, over 3,200 military family members have contacted or been referred to USA Cares, headquartered in Radcliff, Kentucky. Through aggressive advocacy, USA Cares staff has provided grant assistance valued at over $1.7 million in the first three years of operation. Working closely with other similar organizations across America, USA Cares strives to maintain a military family’s dignity and privacy, while working toward a responsive system to take the burden off the family during stressful times of mobilization or deployment.
Ongoing projects include Operation Arctic Linebacker supporting Service members in Alaska and the I Care Too! Campaign that is allowing thousands of Americans to visibly express their support to our Service members serving in harms way. Visit USA Cares at www.usacares.us .
USA Cares is a member of the Department of Defense’s program, America Supports You.
The grant’s purpose is to continue, and dramatically expand USA Care’s assistance to American military Service members and/or their families who have unmet needs due to death, injury, or other physical or mental detriment, or financial hardship, as a result of service or deployments related to ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Hugh Dukes, Executive Director of USA Cares remarked, “The guidance and encouragement we have received from the fund directly supports our efforts to become the first call of military leaders and military families when there is an unforeseen gap in support during a crisis.” Dukes also said, “In our proposal, we detailed our efforts to maintain a consistent and responsible application of funds, but this generous gift also highlights the continued support of the American public both privately and organizationally to the goals of USA Cares.”
About the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund
The California Community Foundation (“CCF”) administers the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund. Founded in 1915, CCF is a leading charitable organization in Los Angeles County, managing over $1 billion in assets. CCF invests more than $100 million a year in Los Angeles through grants to nonprofit organizations. For more information, please visit our website, at www.calfund.org.
About USA Cares
To date, over 3,200 military family members have contacted or been referred to USA Cares, headquartered in Radcliff, Kentucky. Through aggressive advocacy, USA Cares staff has provided grant assistance valued at over $1.7 million in the first three years of operation. Working closely with other similar organizations across America, USA Cares strives to maintain a military family’s dignity and privacy, while working toward a responsive system to take the burden off the family during stressful times of mobilization or deployment.
Ongoing projects include Operation Arctic Linebacker supporting Service members in Alaska and the I Care Too! Campaign that is allowing thousands of Americans to visibly express their support to our Service members serving in harms way. Visit USA Cares at www.usacares.us .
USA Cares is a member of the Department of Defense’s program, America Supports You.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Stradley and Dukes form "Operation Arctic Linebacker"
This letter was written by USA Cares founder and operations guru Roger Stradley. He and Hugh Dukes (USA Cares Executive Director) have responded to needs in Alaska.
As many of you know, Hugh and I just returned from a weeklong trip to Alaska, where we provided 17 USA Cares briefings in six days. We covered Fort Wainwright, Fort Richardson, Eliese AFB and Elmendorf AFB and also an opportunity briefing with a family involved with the Family Assistance Center at Fort Greely. This includes a briefing to the Chief of Staff, US Army Alaska, Colonel Hagen.
We were treated very well, almost too well. As you may also know the 127D Inf. Brigade had about eight days notice that it was staying in Iraq for an additional 4 months. So instead of coming home last Tuesday, they will not come home now until the 15th of December. 68% of the unit was scheduled to depart, and the same number is arriving or has arrived, placing a terrible strain on the entire support infrastructure at Wainwright.
We have already begun to assist them; we started with eliminating the waiting list for basic family needs at the Lending Closet.
We also briefed the 4th Brigade, 25th Inf. Division rear detachment and senior spouses in Richardson. That unit leaves for Iraq in October.
We have launched Operation Arctic Linebacker because these families need our help. There are four unique situations that cause us to do this. 1) Remote location 2) Severe weather approaching 3) Unexpected extension to assignment 4) Replacements signing in now.
This is the mission statement:
In response to the unique challenges confronting the Alaskan based military units during the war on terror, USA Cares, using its national reputation and resources, coordinates both direct and indirect support to our Alaskan based military service members and their families.
These units face unexpected extension in Iraq, approaching severe winter weather, incoming families expecting to replace departing families and the impending deployment of both active and National Guard units from this remote area of operation known as US Army Alaska.
And these are some of the objectives we have set, many of them already underway.
- Eliminate all outstanding waiting lists for essential quality of life needs from local lending closets and thrift stores
- Conduct a “looking forward” assessment of needs in view of Ft Wainwright approaching 180% strength by December
- Develop the ability to provide food cards within two hours of request at both Ft Wainwright and Ft Richardson
- Develop a family services action team to overcome the time difference between Radcliff (EST) and Alaska time
- Develop, coordinate and facilitate corporate support from the lower 48 to USAAK units to include other branch of services
- Develop, coordinate and facilitate charitable and service organizational support from the lower 48 to USAAK units to include other branch of services
Pat and her team have already initiated steps to deal with the time difference, and the best news of all is that we have one of our former volunteers on the ground. Tonya signed in the day before we arrived, and immediately volunteered to rejoin USA Cares. The local Red Cross Station Chief has provided her with an office, furniture and computer, and she is already working hard to tell the USA Cares story and work with families.
We have established a checking account at the local on post MAC Federal Credit Union (They waived all fees) and are cutting checks for use at the commissary, free of charge. We have pre-positioned $5,000 in the fund (Many thanks to Republic Bank), and in a media release coming out Friday in Alaska and here in the states through America Supports You early next week we will offer others to help us help them by donating directly to an Alaska fund, for Alaskan-based troops and their families. The address to the credit union will be listed, and they are ready to take deposits, notify us of names and addresses and we will provide appropriate thank you’s and receipts. We have stated that any funds deposited in this site, will only be used for program expenses associated with assisting military families.
We believe this could very well become as big an event for us as was Operation Slugger. We have one large corporation that is going to mobilize it’s 4,000 employees to pack up items that are desperately needed in lending closets there and send them very soon. We expect other similar offers as the word gets out.
I guess if I had to sum up our view of what is happening up there, it only takes a sign to show you. There were hundreds of banners hanging on the fences that lined the road on to post, all hung there with the expectation that their husband, daddy or mom would be in their arms in just a few minutes. Instead, they still stand the wall and defend us. We owe them the best, and I know we an organization that is more than bumper sticker deep in our support to them.
We were told up there on more than one occasion, that a lot of people and come up and said they wanted to “help”, but we were the first ones to actually do something.
We did, because of a great team called USA Cares, and all the generous contributors and supporters.
Roger
As many of you know, Hugh and I just returned from a weeklong trip to Alaska, where we provided 17 USA Cares briefings in six days. We covered Fort Wainwright, Fort Richardson, Eliese AFB and Elmendorf AFB and also an opportunity briefing with a family involved with the Family Assistance Center at Fort Greely. This includes a briefing to the Chief of Staff, US Army Alaska, Colonel Hagen.
We were treated very well, almost too well. As you may also know the 127D Inf. Brigade had about eight days notice that it was staying in Iraq for an additional 4 months. So instead of coming home last Tuesday, they will not come home now until the 15th of December. 68% of the unit was scheduled to depart, and the same number is arriving or has arrived, placing a terrible strain on the entire support infrastructure at Wainwright.
We have already begun to assist them; we started with eliminating the waiting list for basic family needs at the Lending Closet.
We also briefed the 4th Brigade, 25th Inf. Division rear detachment and senior spouses in Richardson. That unit leaves for Iraq in October.
We have launched Operation Arctic Linebacker because these families need our help. There are four unique situations that cause us to do this. 1) Remote location 2) Severe weather approaching 3) Unexpected extension to assignment 4) Replacements signing in now.
This is the mission statement:
In response to the unique challenges confronting the Alaskan based military units during the war on terror, USA Cares, using its national reputation and resources, coordinates both direct and indirect support to our Alaskan based military service members and their families.
These units face unexpected extension in Iraq, approaching severe winter weather, incoming families expecting to replace departing families and the impending deployment of both active and National Guard units from this remote area of operation known as US Army Alaska.
And these are some of the objectives we have set, many of them already underway.
- Eliminate all outstanding waiting lists for essential quality of life needs from local lending closets and thrift stores
- Conduct a “looking forward” assessment of needs in view of Ft Wainwright approaching 180% strength by December
- Develop the ability to provide food cards within two hours of request at both Ft Wainwright and Ft Richardson
- Develop a family services action team to overcome the time difference between Radcliff (EST) and Alaska time
- Develop, coordinate and facilitate corporate support from the lower 48 to USAAK units to include other branch of services
- Develop, coordinate and facilitate charitable and service organizational support from the lower 48 to USAAK units to include other branch of services
Pat and her team have already initiated steps to deal with the time difference, and the best news of all is that we have one of our former volunteers on the ground. Tonya signed in the day before we arrived, and immediately volunteered to rejoin USA Cares. The local Red Cross Station Chief has provided her with an office, furniture and computer, and she is already working hard to tell the USA Cares story and work with families.
We have established a checking account at the local on post MAC Federal Credit Union (They waived all fees) and are cutting checks for use at the commissary, free of charge. We have pre-positioned $5,000 in the fund (Many thanks to Republic Bank), and in a media release coming out Friday in Alaska and here in the states through America Supports You early next week we will offer others to help us help them by donating directly to an Alaska fund, for Alaskan-based troops and their families. The address to the credit union will be listed, and they are ready to take deposits, notify us of names and addresses and we will provide appropriate thank you’s and receipts. We have stated that any funds deposited in this site, will only be used for program expenses associated with assisting military families.
We believe this could very well become as big an event for us as was Operation Slugger. We have one large corporation that is going to mobilize it’s 4,000 employees to pack up items that are desperately needed in lending closets there and send them very soon. We expect other similar offers as the word gets out.
I guess if I had to sum up our view of what is happening up there, it only takes a sign to show you. There were hundreds of banners hanging on the fences that lined the road on to post, all hung there with the expectation that their husband, daddy or mom would be in their arms in just a few minutes. Instead, they still stand the wall and defend us. We owe them the best, and I know we an organization that is more than bumper sticker deep in our support to them.We were told up there on more than one occasion, that a lot of people and come up and said they wanted to “help”, but we were the first ones to actually do something.
We did, because of a great team called USA Cares, and all the generous contributors and supporters.
Roger
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