Helping a Military Family Reunite
My name is Caleb, and I’m currently serving on active duty in the United States Air Force. Like many military families, we expected the challenges that come with serving our country long hours, big moves, and time apart. But last year our family faced a situation we never expected.
Due to medical concerns affecting my family, we had to make the incredibly difficult decision to complete an Early Return of Dependents (ERD). This meant my wife and our four children had to leave our duty station overseas and return to the United States so they could receive the care and support they needed.
Watching them leave was one of the hardest moments of my life. Overnight, our family went from being together every day to being separated by thousands of miles and an ocean.
While we are incredibly grateful that my family is now closer to the medical care they needed, the reality of military life is that situations like this often come with unexpected challenges. Because of the nature of my duties and the limited amount of leave I’m allowed to take each year, traveling back to the United States to see them is extremely difficult.
The only realistic way for us to spend time together right now would be for my wife and children to travel overseas to visit me. However, international travel for 1 adult and 4 children is incredibly expensive.
Although the military ensured they were able to return to the United States safely during the ERD process, future travel to reunite with family members is not something the government covers. These visits must be paid for completely out of pocket.
All we want is the opportunity to spend some time together again as a family. Being separated from the people you love most is one of the hardest parts of military service, and every day away from them is a reminder of how much we miss simply being together.
That’s why we’re asking for help.
Any support would go directly toward covering the travel expenses needed for my wife and children to come overseas so we can reunite and spend some much needed time together as a family.
Every donation, no matter the size, helps is cover these unexpected expenses. And if you’re unable to donate, simply sharing this page would mean the world to us.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story and for supporting military families like ours.
