The Garrett Family
The patriotic displays of July 4th together with a desire for stability and a brighter future led 22 year-old Don Garrett to sign up for the Texas Army National Guard on July 15, 2006. The Houston-native was originally sent to the Army National Guard Armory at Baytown, Texas for maneuvers. As part of the 712th Military Police company Garrett’s next stop was Fort McCoy in Wisconsin for more training in preparation for an August 2008 deployment to Iraq. During a training mission at Ft. McCoy Garrett was injured, suffering a severe tear to the cartilage in his right knee. In late 2008, Garrett was sent to Ft. Lewis in Washington where he joined the Warrior Training Battalion (WTB) there and began his physical recovery process. In April 2009 Garrett was sent to the WTB at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. In conjunction with the physical activities aimed at restoring the full range of motion to Garrett’s right knee, Garrett also underwent a surgical procedure to fortify the knee. Garrett and his family of three were initially staying at the Fisher House on post. Garrett quickly discovered that the living quarters were cramped and inadequate for a family with small active children. Thanks to Operation Homefront, the Garrett’s were able to eliminate the stress associated with living in such a confined space. When Garrett first arrived at Operation Homefront Village in San Antonio he was in financial crisis and worried about not having a home to return to in Houston. Under the guidance of a financial planner provided by Operation Homefront the Garrett’s are close to being out of debt. They have managed to save several hundred dollars and wife Stasha has started working to help out with expenses. With their situation looking brighter every day, Stasha is now making plans to return to school. Ideally Garrett would like to return to active duty or get reclassified into another specialty area. More surgery and a rigorous physical therapy schedule still lie ahead.