INDIVIDUALS

Since its inception, FREEDOM IS NOT FREE has had the honor and distinction of following the direction of the 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. These 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.

Click Here to read more about our most recent Grant Recipients

Cpl Schick

The humvee in which Cpl Schick, USMC, was riding struck a triple-stack tank mine in September, 2004, blowing him out of the hummer. His right leg was amputated, his left arm and hand were partially amputated, he suffered multiple compound fractures in the left leg and arm, had multiple skin grafts and underwent 46 operations and 23 blood transfusions. After two years in the hospital, Cpl Schick and his wife, who took time from her job to be by his side, were behind on multiple bills. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE helped with several payments for their rent, car, utilities and credit card.

SGT Briest

Army Reservist SGT Briest was riding in the third vehicle in a convoy in Iraq in December, 2006 when the vehicle in front of his was hit by an IED. He was called to move forward and help the injured since he was an EMT. While helping to save their lives, he was hit. Shrapnel entered the left side of his brain and went all the way through to the right. His brain showed some signs of activity and after eight months he spoke for the first time. He is currently legally blind, spends 80% of the day in a wheelchair and suffers many of the effects of TBI. Community members in his hometown came together to help raise the funds needed to build a house for he, his wife and their two children that will accommodate his injuries. A FREEDOM IS NOT FREE grant helped bring them closer to their goal.

Lcpl Mills

Lcpl Mills, USMC, was riding atop a truck in Iraq when a mortar struck. His shoulder blade was broken and he lost his right leg. He sustained additional injuries when a bullet entered his back, severing his spleen. Lcpl and his wife just welcomed their first child but his wife was diagnosed with cancer shortly after and will require a number of surgeries. A FREEDOM IS NOT FREE grant will help the family, who are struggling financially, with the co-pays for her surgeries, and with their car payment, rent and utilities.

PFC Martinez

PFC Martinez, US Army, was the sole survivor when the humvee he was riding in was struck by an IED. He lost both legs and was transferred to the amputee rehabilitation center in San Diego for treatment upon discharge from the hospital in Washington, DC. He and his wife moved quickly, with very little time to prepare their new home for him. A FREEDOM IS NOT FREE grant provided them with gift cards to help set up their new home, and to provide PFC Martinez with materials to assist with his rehabilitation.

SSG Barker

SSG Barker, an Army reservist and Purple Heart recipient, was thrown from the military vehicle he was riding in when it swerved to avoid a vehicle bomber. He sustained severe injuries to his right arm and hand, underwent 10 surgeries, and now retains less than 30% function of hand and arm, making his previous career an impossibility. SSG Barker and his family are returning to their hometown and hope to purchase a home with a detached garage that will allow SSG Barker to pursue a new career in auto detailing. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE contributed to the down payment on the home.

SFC Henderson

SFC Henderson, US Army, was severely injured in Iraq when his camp was attacked by indirect fire in April, 2007. He suffered a shattered right femur, hip and pelvis, contracted two bacterial infections and was on IV antibiotics for six weeks. The metal that hit and entered his body is depleted uranium. He was an inpatient at Fort Sam Houston in Texas where he underwent 12 surgeries. His wife was at his side but had to quit her job to be there, reducing their income significantly. Their children were in the care of friends while she assisted with his recovery. The Army was slow to reimburse the family for expenses incurred while in Texas, adding to the financial strain created by the decrease in income, and a flooded basement due to a broken water line. A FREEDOM IS NOT FREE grant helped cover two months of mortgage, car and insurance payments.

SSGT Keil

SSGT Keil, US Army, was a newlywed when he left for his second tour of duty in Iraq, married only 45 days. He was shot by a sniper while riding on the back of a tank on February 24, 2007 in Iraq. The bullet penetrated his spine through is neck, causing severe spinal damage. He is now a quadriplegic but is making progress and has high hopes for an ability to walk in the future. His wife took time off work to be with him, causing a significant decrease in their income. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE provided a grant to help the couple with their living expenses.

SGT Susan Barclay

SGT Barclay, US Army, was wounded by IED explosion in Iraq on January 5, 2007. Shrapnel entered her right leg, severing a major artery. Medics saved her from bleeding to death with multiple transfusions. She needs surgery to remove shrapnel in her right arm and torso, to prevent it from traveling to her vital organs. Her husband of six years abandoned her and their two babies for another woman, clearing out their savings and leaving bills unpaid for several months. A grant from FREEDOM IS NOT FREE helped to cover the unpaid bills, and childcare.

LCpl Jesse and Cpl Tyler

LCpl Jesse and Cpl Tyler, childhood friends, joined the USMC together as part of the Buddy Program. While out on patrol both soldiers were severely wounded. LCpl Jesse suffered a major injury resulting in a leg amputation, while Cpl Tyler suffered severe facial burns, and lost an arm. Following extended hospital stays, and in-house rehabilitation programs, the two Marines were sent home with orders to continue out-patient rehabilitation. Neither man was able to meet daily financial obligations. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE awarded LCpl Jesse and Cpl Tyler a monthly stipend to assist with basic living expenses.

SGT Avery

Following a critical injury during his tour of duty, SGT Avery, US Army, suffered the long term effects of extensive lung damage, hearing loss, uncontrolled blood pressure, and day and night terrors. SGT Avery, a single man, was unable to meet the most basic living expenses. At the time FREEDOM IS NOT FREE awarded the grant, SGT Avery’s only income came from a meager weekly unemployment check. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE provided funds to cover back rent, heating gas, electricity, and other unpaid bills.

SGT David

SGT David, US Army, was killed in action while serving a tour of duty in Iraq. His father, SGM H. served along side his son with the 101st Airborne. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE extended a grant to the family to cover travel expenses for SGM H’s parents (SGT David ‘s grandparents) to attend the funeral in Fort Campbell, KY. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE also paid the families’ utilities for the period they were together for the funeral.

CPL Ernesto

The three siblings of critically wounded CPL Ernesto, US Army, were flown to Walter Reed to inform him, in person, of the death of their parents in a fatal car accident. The FREEDOM IS NOT FREE grant covered the family's travel and hotel expenses.

Pvt Zachariah

Pvt Zachariah, USMC, sustained severe injuries during his tour of duty. After an extended hospital stay, and rehabilitation program, Pvt Zachariah was released to his own home and told to continue with a regular, on-base regimen of out-patient physical therapy. The distance between the Private’s home and the base resulted in his inability to cover the cost of gasoline for his vehicle in order to get to his appointments. The FREEDOM IS NOT FREE Grant covered the gas expenditure Pvt Zachariah incurred in traveling between his home and the base where he received physical therapy.

SPC Randy

SPC Randy, US Army was shot in the face by a sniper with a high powered rifle. The round severed a major artery, several nerves and fractured his C-1 vertebra. These injuries left him with limited neck mobility, deafness in the left ear, paralysis on the left side of the face, and an inability to speak out of the left side of his mouth caused by partial tongue paralysis. As a result of SPC Randy’s injuries, his wife was no longer able to work owing to her new role as her husband’s primary care giver. The FREEDOM IS NOT FREE grant covered the couple’s basic living expenses including rent, groceries, utilities, and a car payment.

SGT Fredrick

The wife and four children of fatally wounded SGT Fredrick, US Army, were flown to Germany. At the time the grant was approved it was unclear whether the Sergeant would survive. The Grant covered the family’s travel expenses, accommodations, food and sundries.

Cpl Brett

Cpl Brett, USMC, was injured in Iraq in September 2006 when an IED exploded near his humvee. He lost the lower half of his right leg and was left paralyzed from the waist down, confining him to a wheelchair. He has returned home, but his house is not equipped to handle his new disability. It will require a major renovation to accommodate a wheel chair ramp, wider doors, and additional adjustments to the bathrooms and kitchen to make it maneuverable. He recently applied for several home improvement grants, but was informed that it could take up to six months for them to be processed. Cpl Brett, however, cannot wait this long as it is virtually impossible for him to get around his own home. The contractor in charge Cpl Brett’s home renovation project has rallied a group of dedicated volunteers on his team. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE provided a significant monetary grant to cover the necessary materials to get the work in motion.

Home for the Holidays

In collaboration with three of the Military Severely Injured Center’s (MSI Center) dedicated care managers, FREEDOM IS NOT FREE sent 30 wounded servicemembers home for the holidays. Mary Medina, an MSI Center care manager serving the community of severely injured at Camp Pendleton, and her colleagues Sonja Dugan and Steve Vargo, who serve the Balboa Naval Hospital population, arrived at our offices on the morning of December 8th and shared the joy of the uniting military families for the Holidays.

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