Jason, a soldier I work with here at Fort Campbell in the 101st Airborne Divison (Air Assault), at a moment's notice while deployed to the Eastern front of Europe, had to pack a quick bag, drive 3 hours to the closest international airport, fly 15 hours across the world, back to the states to see his daughter in the hospital. At the drop of a hat he had to spend $4,000 in travel and airfare to rush home, an expense and emergency not many fathers, especially in the military on deployment, are prepared for.
His wife took his daughter to the hospital for major stomach pains, which resulted in the doctors finding his daughter's appendix swollen to a size larger than a grown man's.
The base hospital doesn't have a pediatric surgeon so they attempted to transport her to the Vanderbilt Emergency Pediatric Hospital. En route to the Pediatric Emergency Room, his daughter's appendix burst.
Due to a clerical error in a past unit, he was assigned to, Jason had no choice but to pay the $4,000 out of pocket to make his way back home to be there for his terrified daughter, wife, and other children.
Jason is not a man to ask for handouts or help. I reached out to him to ask if this was okay with him, and I feel him stiffening up his upper lip as I saw it in his eyes as he humbly accepted.
I am reaching out with his permission on his behalf to attempt to help him recoup as much of this unexpected cost as possible.
