INDIVIDUALS

Since its foundation in 2005, Freedom Is Not Free has had the honor and distinction of following the direction of its Purple Heart Board in allocating funds to both individual grant recipients, and to other organizations’ worthy programs benefiting our wounded heroes, their families and the families of the fatally wounded. Since 2005, Freedom Is Not Free has given more than $1 million in grants to over 300 individuals, families and organizations.

Freedom Is Not Free considers grant requests from active duty, honorably discharged and retired military personnel from all branches of the military -- as well as from parents, children and spouses of active duty, honorably discharged or retired military personnel -- who have been wounded, injured or killed in combat during their military service. At this time Freedom Is Not Free will only consider applications from individuals who have earned the Purple Heart medal.

Download the grant request form as a PDF file HERE

Please include in the application details of the circumstances of the injury or death of the service member, and a full explanation of the assistance needed. Applicants should include with their paperwork all debts with which they need assistance. All grant requests must be directly related to the injury or fatality (in combat) of a service member.

The Freedom Is Not Free Purple Heart Board, comprised of active duty and retired Purple Heart Recipients, their spouses or their survivors, reviews ALL verified applications. Decisions regarding grant appropriations are made following the Board’s careful consideration of the request, the level of funds available at the time of application, the urgency of the need, and an evaluation of the degree to which the request coincides with the Freedom Is Not Free mission.

What types of assistance does Freedom Is Not Free provide?

Freedom Is Not Free provides assistance for specifically pre-defined uses deemed necessary, including:

• Rapid financial response to families’ immediate needs in cases of the tragic loss or severe injury of a service member.
• Financial assistance to service members’ relatives and “non-conforming” relatives, enabling them to travel to their troop’s bedside for surgery, extensive physical therapy or extended hospital stays; or to a funeral, in the case of a fatal injury.
• Funding to assist with the expenses involved in adapting service members’ homes (or their caregivers’ homes) to accommodate a disability resulting from a combat-related injury.
• Special sports camps for the children of our wounded and fatally wounded service members geared specifically to this group’s unique needs. Freedom Is Not Free has held both all-around sports camps and surf camps.
• Basic living expenses: mortgage, rent, utilities, car payments, car insurance, school supplies, clothing, food, gas, etc.

Freedom Is Not Free does NOT pay for credit card debt, legal fees, alimony, or child support.

Below are the stories of few of Freedom Is Not Free’s individual grant recipients. It is a privilege to help these people manage the strain and lighten the burden, if only slightly, as a testament to the extraordinary price they and their families pay each and every day for OUR freedoms.

CPL Justin, United States Marine Corps

Corporal Justin was a Scout/Sniper in the United States Marine Corps. While deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom he was involved in seven explosions, all resulting in casualties. Corporal Justin received a spinal injury, nerve and disk damage, right shoulder and hip damage, as well as PTSD and TBI. The VA awarded him 100% disability payments, but they temporarily dropped to 90% due to an admitted ‘administrative error’. Freedom Is Not Free helped to cover moving expenses during this period while Corporal Justin moved to Pittsburg to utilize the GI Bill and pursue his Masters Degree in Counterterrorism.

SPC Keith, United States Amry Reserves

After serving over 20 years in the United States Army Reserves, Specialist Keith was medically retired in 2009 due to wounds received from an IED/RPG attack in Iraq. He has lumbar spinal fusion, PTSD, and TBI as a result of the attack. He was medically retired with a VA rating of 80%, and had just moved back to his hometown when his retirement pay was stopped with no warning from his case manager. Specialist Keith was receiving enough social security and disability payments to live off of, but he had purchased a lawnmower for his new residence with the expected monthly retirement payment he had been receiving. Specialist Keith could not cover all of his bills for the month due to the discrepancy in payments. Freedom Is Not Free assisted with one month of rent until Specialist Keith could adjust his budget to match his income.

SGT Kenneth, United States Army

Sergeant Kenneth spent 4 years as an active duty Marine in the elite Reconnaissance Battalion and 8 years in the reserves before becoming a police officer. Sergeant Kenneth was awarded the ‘police officer of the year’ for his county, and re-enlisted in the Army as a Cavalry Scout following the September 11th, 2001 attacks. Sergeant Kenneth and his wife have three teenage children, and his wife purchased a van with the intention of paying it off with his re-enlistment bonus. Sergeant Kenneth was severely wounded by an IED explosion while deployed to Iraq in 2008, and was left with chronic neck and back pain, periodic seizures, cognitive impairment, PTSD, and TBI. His wife quit her job to become a full time caregiver, and the loss of income caused them to fall behind on van payments. The van was the only working vehicle that the family of 5 had that was properly running, and it was needed to transport Sergeant Kenneth to various medical and recovery appointments. Freedom Is Not Free made several payments on the van.

CPL Jimmy, United States Marine Corps

Corporal Jimmy was riding in a Humvee in Iraq on April 1, 2006 when his vehicle was involved in an IED explosion – leaving him with TBI, PTSD, and requiring a lower leg amputation. He was participating in a specialized TBI recovery program in 2010 when he accidentally slipped and received a fatal head laceration. Life insurance did not provide coverage for this unexpected death, and his wife (a part-time student) was unable to cover all of the costs of the funeral. Freedom Is Not Free assistance towards the funeral expenses.

LCPL Jonathan, United States Marine Corps

LCPL Jonathan was injured in an IED explosion in Fallujah, Iraq that left him with bilateral knee displacement, Achilles tendonitis in both legs, nerve damage, as well as severe PTSD and TBI. His wife has been caring for him since his return. Due to the nerve damage and leg injuries, LCPL Jonathan had difficulties sleeping at night. Freedom Is Not Free provided a king sized memory foam mattress for LCPL Jonathan and his wife so that motion would not be transferred as much and there was more room to stretch out, allowing him to sleep with much more ease.

If you would like to support wounded warriors, you can donate directly to our organization. Your support enables us to give grants to individuals, families and organizations to aid wounded military service members and their families.

NOTE: In order to respect the privacy of our Individual Grant Recipients, their full names have been withheld.