Our first person in need is a soldier we’ll call Mr. Olson. He is very close to losing his house, being 3 months back on payments. He was with the 1498th Transportation Company out of Riverside, CA. He was in Kuwait first in 2003 and then was all over Iraq. In 2004 he was injured in Tikrit and sent stateside. Simply put, his injuries were from his foot being caught in a winch and he nearly lost it. This incident also affected his left knee and lower back. He was put on Med Hold until everything came back to normal. Needless to say, he had to go through physical therapy - but in 2005 he was released because the State of California says he’s just hoppin’ ready to get to work. However, his PT Test results say differently and he cannot return to his ANG Active Duty Special Work (Counter Drug Task Force in Southern California). His private sector job opportunities have fallen through as well leaving him without any pay at all. He moved temporarily to Washington State to go to Madigan Hospital for more PT. He has run out of money and wants to get back to California where the job market is improving a bit. He’d at the very least like to just get his electricity, water, and phone bills paid. If he could get some help with his house payment and a job, I think he’d be OK to carry on! It’s a steep hill to climb, but I think we all can help lighten the load.
Our second person in need is a sailor we’ll call Mr. McCutchen. He, too, is very close to losing his house. Without having any income at all, the weekly food bill is truly breaking the bank. The mortgage company has told him he needs to at the very least make one payment by June 5th - but he has no funds due to his injury and separation from the Navy. He was injured in Iraq when the rear portion of the vehicle he was riding in ran over an IED. He struck his head during the explosion and has since been suffering extreme pain in his head and neck. He has been having blackout spells. His legs also swell to the point that he has difficulty bending legs to get dressed or to shower and walk. He cannot drive because of blackout periods nor can he do any form of exercise. His civilian job is driving an 18-wheeler. Because of the blackout periods, he cannot safely drive any vehicle. He was taken off active duty since his return from Iraq and has not been able to work. He has not had a paycheck since April and is getting behind in all his bills. Now, the Navy is trying to get him processed back on active duty so that he can continue and then complete medical treatment. He is currently being treated by a neurologist - does not know final results yet. The Navy cannot tell him when he will actually be back on active duty - has to wait for processing. He has 5, yes five, kids and his wife is a stay at home Mom (something I am happy to hear, and is very honorable!). They have lots of bills, as you all can imagine! We need to raise some very serious money to help the McCutchen Family!
Both these men are staring down the worst of all paths ’cause they’re gonna have to go on public assistance. Ouch! US Military personnel should never have to go on public assistance! If we could keep these families afloat just a bit longer, manage their runway so to speak, I think that they can get back to a normal life. I hope you can help, or maybe you know someone that can help both these families?
The best way to help is to either go to the Soldiers’ Angels web site and make a donation. In the “notes/comments” field be sure to mention your donation is for either Mr. Olson or Mr. McCutchen - or BOTH!
Online Donations:
Go to www.soldiersangels.org
On the upper left corner is a donation button.
Please note who your donation is for.
Or Paypal:
donations@soldiersangels.org
To send a check (please note on it who your donation is for):
Soldiers' Angels
Attn: (project or person your donation is for)
1150 N. Loop 1604 W., Suite 108-493
San Antonio, TX 78248
Soldiers' Angels is an all-volunteer and registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and your cash donations are tax deductible.
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