For weeks now, I’ve been sharing how generous citizens, Walmart and Operation Homefront have worked together to make the holidays brighter for military families. I know that everyone who participated – both as givers and receivers – were deeply touched by the spirit of the season and our experience through this amazing partnership.
We have one more story to share from a special guest blogger, Rich Sommer. Some of you may know Rich as an actor on the critically acclaimed AMC show, “Mad Men.” But I now know him as a thoughtful, loving brother who reached out to Operation Homefront to find out how he could give back. Here are his thoughts on the good work we do for our military families:
I first heard about Operation Homefront when my brother was stationed in Kuwait. He had signed up for the National Guard about a year-and-a-half before he decided to volunteer for deployment. Near the halfway mark of his second tour, back-to-back, I started going crazy.
Let me back up for a second. I’m an actor. I live in Los Angeles. Ryan is my younger and only brother. We fought a lot growing up. I left for college, and we realized we actually liked each other. Then he decided to go to Iraq. That’s pretty much the whole back story.
Anyway, back to where I started going crazy.
Anyone with loved ones stationed overseas understands how helpless it can feel to be here, waiting. You have no control over when you can speak to them, and when you do, the things you can talk about are limited. You’re constantly thinking about their safety, and it’s exhausting.
After more than a year of this, I started to get a little antsy. So I started researching ways that I could get involved with what Ryan was doing, without actually putting on a pair of boots and hopping on a plane. (I should mention here that I am far, far less courageous than Ryan. We are similar in a lot of ways, but this is not one of them.) That’s when I found Operation Homefront.
Operation Homefront is an incredible organization. I tried to summarize everything they do into a paragraph, but it was impossible. So here are three highlights, just to give you an idea:
Operation Homefront Villages. These are short-term housing units that help Wounded Warriors transition back into civilian life. There’s assistance with living expenses, career training, and computers specifically tailored to those warriors’ needs.
Much of the focus is on the waiting families. Career training, computer help and vehicle assistance for the spouses and children back at home.
My favorite, favorite part: 92 cents of every single dollar raised – did you hear that? 92% of ALL MONEY RAISED – goes right into these programs, directly supporting the warriors and their families.
I made a few phone calls, and was given the excellent opportunity to commit all that crazy energy I was feeling to a group that could directly impact my brother and the brave men and women serving alongside him.
I want to thank Operation Homefront for every single thing they do, and to give them special thanks for allowing me to be a part of it.
About Rich Sommer: Rich Sommer is an actor in Los Angeles. He begins filming his fourth season of the AMC show, “ Mad Men”, in May of this year. He has also appeared on Law & Order, The Office, and in the film The Devil Wears Prada.