At the Ben Jackson Foundation, we are eternally grateful for our faithful donors who make our mission possible. Thankfully, many patriotic Americans are passionate about supporting military members. Understandably, they want to know their donations are directly helping the military community. Here is a story of one of our committed donors and what keeps her giving year after year.
My Background
My name is Karen White. Most of the men in my family have served in the military for many generations. It seems like almost all of my male relatives were represented in each branch of the military, including my dad, who was a Navy veteran. My cousin was a two-star general in the Marine Corps, and I had an uncle who was an ace fighter pilot after graduating as valedictorian for both Annapolis and West Point. He was on his way to becoming an astronaut when he was in a terrible motor vehicle accident. Sadly, he lived out his remaining years at a home for disabled American veterans.
Even growing up surrounded by my family’s rich history of military service, I didn’t know much about the military and their sacrifices until my son joined the Army. I honestly never thought my son would make it out of basic training. He didn’t even know how to make his bed when he left! Well, much to my surprise, he graduated. He called me one day and said, “I’m going on to Airborne School, Mom, but not everybody makes it.” So I thought, well, I’ll be picking him up in two weeks. Again, much to my surprise, he graduated from Airborne School! He started Ranger training, but they pulled him out, and he was deployed overseas.
A Gift Of My Own
My son had signed up a month before 9/11. I worked in the Operating Room of a local hospital at the time and as I went into the OR Lounge, I saw the second plane hit, and the room completely went black. I knew we were going to war. When I became aware of my surroundings, my coworkers had surrounded me in a massive hug. When my son was stationed at Fort Bragg (now Ft Liberty), he called me up one day and said, “Mom, if you want to see me, now’s the time to come, because you won’t see me for a long, long time after that.” So I went to my boss and said, “I gotta go.” I made flight arrangements to fly down to Fort Bragg the next day. Within a few hours, my boss and many of my coworkers came to my office and said they wanted to give me a going away present. It was a card, and I said, “I’ll open it on the plane.” They quickly insisted I open it right then, and it was almost $5,000 worth of cash for me to go see my son!
A Priceless Opportunity
I was able to get that precious plane ticket, and I quickly packed my suitcase and boarded a plane to fly to Ft Bragg the next day. The military tells all troops they must have a “go bag” ready with duplicates of their uniform and specific supplies, but the military doesn’t buy that for them. My coworkers’ gift helped pay for my son’s go bag as well, so he had a full kit he could pack because of the generosity of the people I worked with.
My Own Efforts
When my son joined the Army, he told me, “Mom, there’s a lot of guys who don’t have family, and their family is the Army.” My heart just broke. I thought, “How can I make things a little better for them? Where can I donate to troops in a meaningful, tangible way?” I realized that while my son was an adult and could defend our country, he was still my little boy at heart. More than anything, children need their families’ support, regardless of age.
Operation “Cookies From Home”
I reached out to all my coworkers at the hospital where I worked and gathered enough donations to send packages once a month to the troops. We would send them games, candy, and cookies. Knowing many of them wouldn’t be home for Christmas, I started “Operation Cookies From Home.” I asked my coworkers to help bake, and we ended up with seven huge boxes filled with cookies that we sent to the troops.
One day, I got a call that my son was wounded in combat and was in a hospital in Kuwait. Once recovered he was sent back into the field. He was wounded again a couple of weeks later and was medevacked out to a hospital in Germany, where he stayed for about a month. When he was stable enough, they transferred him stateside. I flew down to see him at the Army Hospital on Fort Bragg.
I’ve worked in the hospital industry my entire life. I was used to all the wires, machines, beeping, and everything else. Though I walked into his room with complete and utter confidence, it was like somebody hit me with a baseball bat. All I saw was my little boy unconscious on that bed in the ICU. I backed out of the room and leaned against the wall. Thankfully, he was able to make a partial recovery, but I will always carry that day with me.
My Heart Remained With The Troops
My son is 100% disabled now with traumatic brain injuries and back, neck, and shoulder injuries requiring multiple surgeries, but I’m just grateful he’s alive. Once he was on the mend, I found that my heart was still overseas with all the other deployed troops. I made it my mission to continue sending packages once a month at my own expense for ten more years. When the deployed service members came home, I would ask them for a list of new names for the people relieving them so I could continue with the packages. Finally, I ran out of names when the war was over, which was a wonderful reason to run out of names!
When I Met Larry Jackson
Larry and I met through work in 2017, and we formed an immediate bond because his son was in the Air Force. We kept in touch, and when he called to tell me about Ben’s death, I was heartbroken for them and wondered how I could help.
Larry described the program he and his family were starting in Ben’s memory and I knew immediately that’s how I could help. I want to continue on with my personal mission to help our military because my heart is very much with them. Though I’ll never be able to fully understand everything they are going through, I understand enough to give them my unwavering support and respect for everyone who dons the uniform of our country. If I can give a troop financial assistance to see their family, I will do that.
What Keeps Me Going
Most people don’t realize this, but when our service members come home on leave, they have to pay their own way. They can’t afford to wait around for military transport for free rides. I’ve been contributing $500 a year to the Ben Jackson Foundation to at least get one plane ticket home for a military member, and I will do that as long as I am financially able. Whatever our service members go through, whether shoveling piles of dirt from one side of the yard to the other or jumping out of planes, it doesn’t matter. I appreciate the sacrifice of our military personnel, and I want to show my appreciation.
My experience since making that first donation has been tremendously rich, especially since the Ben Jackson Foundation started forwarding the letters from those receiving the award to come home. I got one this Christmas from somebody whose family member was dying, and they didn’t think they were going to make it home in time to see them. They got a chance to come home and see them before they passed. Those letters just warm your heart. When I was sending care packages, I only heard back from about 10% of the soldiers or the troops. Reading letters from families and knowing I could help means more than words can describe.
Why You Should Get Involved
Many people have the misconception that the military pays for troops to visit home, but unfortunately, this is not a reality. While the military certainly has many benefits, the hourly salary of enlisted members is shockingly low. These guys are on call 24/7 and must do what they’re told. When my son joined, we thought that the military paid for everything. We didn’t know they even had to pay rent for their barracks!
Providing a ticket home is a very manageable gift, and the Ben Jackson Foundation focuses on the first trip home for enlisted service members of any service branch. Some people only have time to write a check but still want to be part of a powerful story. As a regular Ben Jackson Foundation donor, I love knowing that something really good happens because of my contribution. Whenever possible, we get specific stories of the awardees and their families. Many donors give to veteran charities but they don’t often see how it actually benefits the military veterans. It’s really nice to know that real people benefitted from your gift.
Give Military Members A Gift They Will Never Forget
Unfortunately, there are some charities for where most donations go toward fundraising, and a very small amount actually goes toward their mission. The Ben Jackson Foundation is different. They are committed to minimal administrative costs and that your donation goes toward actually bringing a service member home. Not everyone has the ability to send care packages filled with goodies to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans like I did, but they can still contribute in a tangible way. Donating to the Ben Jackson Foundation is one of the best ways to directly impact military families. A chance to return to the comfort of home surrounded by loved ones is an invaluable gift for the men and women who serve our country.
Just $500 covers the cost of a domestic flight, which may be the only opportunity for a service member may have to see his or her family before deployment. $1,000 will cover an international flight for our service members stationed overseas. Even smaller amounts make a meaningful contribution to these worthy soldiers, airmen, sailors, and Marines. I encourage everyone to reach out to the Ben Jackson Foundation today to make your dollars make a direct difference in the lives of our troops. It is an experience you and they will never forget!
