Marine wife Amy Riley was in a dire situation when she stumbled across Operation Homefront’s website.
Riley, a nursing student, is a 27-year-old mother to two boys, ages 6 and 3. Currently stationed at Yuma, Ariz., she holds down a part-time job to help pay for nursing school and daycare for her two boys. Money is tight on a normal basis, leaving not a lot of wiggle room for unexpected expenses.
Then her car broke down.
“I missed some days of work due to my car,” she said. “It needed to be towed to the dealership, and I just didn’t have the money to do it.”
Her car was stuck in park and a gear had snapped, so it wasn’t driveable. She was relying as much as she could on friends to help her get around, but was walking her two boys to the commissary on post to get groceries in 110 degree-heat.
Her husband, Sgt. Brian Riley, was in Afghanistan and couldn’t help. With no family nearby to help her out, Riley knew she had to take action – and quick.
“The family readiness officer for my husband’s unit had told me about some scholarships for spouses, and when I was looking those up for school purposes, I literally found Operation Homefront,” she said.
She read about the assistance they offer to families of deployed spouses and filled out the necessary paperwork.
“My car broke down on a Wednesday, and I found them on Friday,” she said. “I got my stuff to them on Monday, and on Tuesday I got a call. By Wednesday afternoon my car was fixed and I was driving it.”
Operation Homefront Arizona Chapter President Margy Bons knew Riley needed immediate help.
“When this one came through, I got on it right away,” she said. “Families like Amy’s are in dire need, and that’s who we want to help.”
Besides getting the car towed and repaired, Bons also provided the Riley family with $300 in grocery gift cards , plus made two car payments.
“I love helping the families out,” said Bons, who has been the Operation Homefront Arizona chapter president since February of 2007. “The families are always so grateful, and it makes our job worthwhile.”
Riley was overwhelmed with the entire situation.
“Everyone has hard times in the military, and when your husband is deployed, it just makes things harder,” she said. “It was only by God’s grace that I found that website. There are definitely angels in that office.”
The help during her time of need enabled her husband to focus on the mission at hand, she said.
“My husband is an MP and loves serving his country,” she said. “He is sacrificing his family time, and the last thing he wants to worry about is his family. Operation Homefront was there when he couldn’t be.”
Riley was touched so deeply by the caring and generosity of Operation Homefront that she is paying it forward. She just accepted a new role as chapter volunteer representative for Yuma.
“She is a perfect person to help other people, because she’s been there,” Bons said. “That’s what Operation Homefront is all about – people helping people.”