2021 Recipients

100% of your donation is on its way to a Veteran.
We thank all of these Veterans for their service.

Naomi served 4 years in the US Army, two years overseas and two years stateside. Given an honorable discharge in 2010, she unfortunately fell on hard times. With help from the Milwaukee VA, she has come a long way. Living on her own, she found a decent job and has pretty much stayed solvent until recently when she had to use her November rent money to pay for a brake job on her car in order to get to work. OAG was asked if we could help with her rent and I am proud to announce that we took care of her November and December rent. We thought we could make her Christmas a little brighter. We thank Naomi for her service to our country and wish her all the best in the future.

U.S. Marine Al served 4 years in the military. He notes that he spent some of that time in a tank in Desert Storm. This past September Al had heart surgery. Being 55 years old, it came as a shock to him. He has been using his savings to pay his bills but has reached out about help paying his mortgage. He will not be able to return to work until January, per doctors orders, so he needed help with his November and December mortgage payments. One charity picked up his November payment and OAG was asked if we could pick up his December payment. Well ya, that’s what we do, so we have taken care of that. For this Veteran not having to worry about 2 months of his mortgage payments means a lot to him and we’re just glad we could help him out. Thanks to all of you for making this happen for Al. “Thank You” Al for your service to our country.

Veteran Steve served our country in the Air Force from 1986 – 1991. He spent lots of time in the Persian Gulf refueling fighter planes protecting Kuwaiti oil tankers. His wife Gretta is also a Veteran serving from 1988 – 1993. After a policy change, Gretta was one of the first that allows female aircrew members to serve on C-130 and C-141 combat airdrop missions. We thank them for their service and the sacrifices they made for our country.

About a month ago, Steve was in a terrible accident. He fell off a 30 foot ladder at work. Since then, he has tragically been in a medically induced coma. He was the main source of income for their family. OAG learned that they can’t pay their upcoming utility bills and could use help with groceries. We took care of 2 months of their utility bills and groceries and another charity did the same. They may need help down the road and OAG will be there for them. At this time, there is no medical update on Steve. If you could keep him in your thoughts and prayers, I’m sure the family would appreciate it.

I was contacted today about a female Marine Veteran whose husband, the sole provider of the family, has been incarcerated for some time and she has fallen on hard times. She found a job and is working, paying most of the bills, but is 2 months behind on her car payment. She received a letter last week from her bank asking her to make a payment to avoid repossession. She just can’t come up with it and obviously needs this car to get to work etc. Turns out, she only has 4 payments left so VetsNet reached out to 4 charities, OAG being one, and asked if together we could pay off her car. They called the bank and asked if she could do this would they drop the penalties she is facing. They said they would so our check is going out tomorrow morning paying ¼ of her debt off. I know this Veteran will be ecstatic when she finds out.

Thanks OAG supporters for being there for our Veterans. This Veteran gave up 4 years of her life (2001-2005) to serve our country. We are all honored to help her out. We certainly wish her all the best in the future.

Air Force Veteran George L. had to move because of, let’s just say, a bad landlord. Problem is, he couldn’t come up with the security deposit on the new place because Mr. bad landlord is dragging his heels getting that back to Veteran George.

George found a place, with a normal landlord, and if he can come up with the security deposit, he can move in August 15^th. OAG solved that problem and paid for his security deposit. If he ever gets the old security deposit back, great. He’ll have some extra dollars to live on.

George spent 3 years in the Air Force as a cook sometimes deployed in a war zone. His professionalism far exceeded the minimum requirements, and he did what was best for the Airmen he proudly served. So OAG sent along a gift card, enough for a few visits, to Mission BBQ for him and a guest to try their delicious food. Mission BBQ proudly serves those who serve in a patriotic dining room filled with tributes to those who have made our community and country great. We hope he will enjoy their food and the experience.

Yesterday, I was contacted regarding a Veteran with an immediate need for a Pick n Save gift card. The veteran, Kate, is a 37 year old single mom (9 year old daughter) who served in the US Army for 3 years. Right before last year’s COVID lockdown, she moved back to Milwaukee (her home town) and then the world shut down. She wasn’t able to put her child in school, thus couldn’t go to work, so she spent most of her savings during the last year.

We also found out that she was concerned about being able to pay July’s rent. Our immediate thought was to pay 2 months rent to give her room to build some cushion in her finances, and so we did. We also helped her out with that Pick and Save gift card. 

She interviewed for a few jobs and we are happy to report that she has been offered full time employment and will return to work soon. Kate is independent, motivated and has goals for herself and her daughter. We are honored that we could help ease her financial situation. We thank her for her service to our country and we wish her all the best in the future.

US Army Veteran Nora W. served our country for 5 years. She was married but her husband suffered from PTSD and had many issues that caused them to divorce. She can pay her bills but struggles with incidentals. We helped her out with a Walmart gift card for diapers and any other needs that come up. It should last awhile. We thank Nora for her service and hope her life turns for the better.

Navy Veteran Caisy served in 1990, 1991, and 1992, one of those years in the Persian Gulf during the Gulf War. She worked in the engine room, and at the time of the invasion, the Navy, and Caisy, were already on station in the region. They were immediately placed on alert and their heart rates went up. They sped from the Indian Ocean and Eastern Mediterranean to take up positions in the Gulf of Oman and Red Sea, ready to commence sustained combat operations on arrival. Caisy was part of the many ships that provided the sea control and maritime superiority which paved the way for the introduction of U.S. and allied air and ground forces, and offered strong leadership for the multinational naval force.

In November of 2019, Caisy underwent an emergency appendectomy. Long story short, she had really lousy insurance at the time, through her job, and they didn’t pay for quite a chunk of her bill. Due to COVID, her hours were cut by 2/3 and she was having great difficulty paying anything outside of rent and food. She is slowly getting back on her feet but the insurance company wants their money and she just can’t come up with it.

Having put her life in great danger for almost a year, and then spending 2 more years in the Navy, OAG thought it would be nice gesture to rid her of this financial burden. Thank you Caisy for your service and know that you are appreciated. We hope this speeds up your financial recovery.

Gulf War Marine Corps Veteran David T. is 50 years old, and served 4 years in the Marine Corps.  A few months ago, his wife had a heart attack, and she has not been able to go back to work. She will be fine but obviously she has a few things to get through before she is released to go back to work.

David does not work as he is 100% service connected disabled and that’s the only income they currently have. With the loss of her job and the associated hospital and doctor bills, they are currently 2 months behind in rent and they have not been able to catch up.  If they could get that burden off their back, they then will be able to stay current living for a while on his disability income until his wife can go back to work.

When reaching out to traditional resources, they judge him to be “over income” for their programs. His disability income brings in $1,950.00 per month. With other bills, they simply can’t get ahead to come up with the back rent, so VetsNet is asking for our help to prevent the landlord from taking any action. 

David said he hates to ask for help, but “We just can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel right now. If we could get some help, you don’t know what this would mean for us.” OAG is honored to help David and his wife get back on track. We wish David and his wife all the best.

Thank you OAG members for your continued help for our Veterans in need.

As you know, one of the ways we give back to our Veterans is to pay for a 2-day trip for a Veteran and a guest to travel to the Missouri National Veterans Memorial in Perryville, MO. It is an exact replica of the Vietnam Wall in D.C. along with other monuments representing all wars and honoring all Veterans. “HERE” is a short news video from 2018 explaining how it all began.

Last week we sent proud Navy Veteran E-6 Machinist’s Mate 1^st Class Richard C. and his wife to take in this beautiful memorial. Richard served our country from November 1980 to February 1987 working on the Navy's Nuclear Power Prototype, servicing submarines that supplied the important function of the Navy's Strategic Deterrent, and lastly entering the Naval Nuclear Power Program and helped design, build, operate, maintain, and manage our nuclear-powered ships. He also served in the Navy Reserves for several years following his separation from the Navy. We certainly thank him for his exceptional service to our country.

Upon his return, he wrote “ The MNVM is a wonderful tribute to our Veterans, and to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we all enjoy. Mr. Eddleman made a promise and created this memorial, primarily to his comrades that served in Vietnam, but it is also a tribute to all Veterans that have proudly served. He put an exact replica of the Vietnam War Memorial Wall right in the middle of the nation's heartland. The Staff was very helpful and informative, explaining the story of how it all came about, and the vision / plan for the future. In the museum, all of the exhibits were very well done, and we were quite pleased with the fact that a High School Senior submitted and won the design for the Nurses display. Preserving the history of military wars, and the sacrifices that were made, into the classrooms of our youth is so important today. One of the sayings that has stuck in my head since our visit, was from a Navy display in the courtyard - "The only easy day was yesterday!"

Thanks to you, our OAG members, we have been able to give back, in a small way, to Richard and his wife and give them a chance to take in this beautiful memorial to our Veterans. We are all honored to do so.

Homes for our Troops
Builds and donates specially adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured post 9/11 Veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives. 5 homes have been built in Wisconsin to date with 1 breaking ground in Muskego, WI for Marine Veteran Robert M!

Robert, an Infantryman, was on his 2nd deployment serving with the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, in Al-Qaim, Iraq, when his vehicle was hit by an IED. The blast resulted in the loss of his right leg, internal injuries, and a traumatic brain injury. More than 40 surgeries later, Robert tries not to let his injuries prevent him from being the best he can be.

We were able to donate money that will go toward a specially built metal wheelchair ramp in Robert's garage with hand rails and other bells and whistles. We are very proud to be able to help out with this project. Thank you Robert for your service to our great country. We honor your sacrifice. May God bless you and your family.

One month ago, four year Army Veteran Hank W reached out to VetsNet regarding a fire in his apartment building. He needed a place to stay until the restorations could be done. VetsNet contacted the Red Cross and they agreed to pay for a motel until 2/25/21. Problem is, his apartment would not be ready to move back into until 3/2/21. VetsNet reached out to us to see if we could pay for his motel through 3/1/21, otherwise he would become homeless. So OAG took care of that. It turns out that Veteran Hank’s only income is his Social Security disability insurance and it isn’t a lot. So we also thought it would be a nice gesture to pay for 1 month’s rent and give him a Visa gift card to help him out with groceries and clothing. On the phone with VetsNet he said “I don’t think about the things I don’t have, I’m just grateful for the things I do have. I don’t like to ask for help, but this time I am desperate.”

We are honored to help out Veteran Hank and we thank him for his service. Thanks to all of you for your donations to make this possible.

I received a call today asking if OAG could help out another charity regarding the purchase of a refrigerator for a Veteran that just can’t come up with the money to purchase one. He has a wife and 4 year old boy.  

The deal was, if we could add to the pot, together we could purchase the better of the two refrigerators they looked at today. I told them the check was in the mail and they assured me the refrigerator would be delivered on Monday. I also said I’d be adding extra so if they would please use that to purchase a Pick & Save gift card, we could stock the refrigerator. Again, they assured me they would take care of it and thanked us for our help, also saying, “It will make a huge difference in their lives.”

These are the kind of things OAG can do for our Veterans. It makes me smile, knowing that with our help, this family had a burden taken off their shoulders. I thank all of you for your support of OAG so we all can support our brave men and women Veterans and their families.

I was contacted by a local VFW post asking for a little help for one of their members. I talked with him this evening and asked what we could do for him. He was taken aback and asked what he did to deserve our kindness.

Airman Norm P volunteered and served stateside during the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1975. Once he served his time in the service, he made a vow that he would always help his fellow brothers, no matter what. He said “It hasn’t always been easy but it is fulfilling and I’ve made lots of life friends.”

I then said, “And that is what you have done to deserve our kindness, but more than that, our respect.

Recently he has been doing a lot more picking up and dropping off of Veterans to the VA, costing him more money on gas. He houses Veterans when he can and right now he has 2 Veterans living with him until the end of the month. He said he could always use more groceries.

So, on behalf of all OAG members, tomorrow I will stop at Kwik Trip, to purchase a fuel gift card, and Pick & Save to purchase a grocery gift card, both for Norm to use to help his fellow brothers. He mentioned that he loves to go to Dunkin Donuts for coffee and donuts. He said it starts his day off right. So, I’ll pick him up a gift card there that will “start his day off right” for a while.

Thanks so much to all of you for your donations so we can put a smile on the faces of our Veterans who sacrificed, and still sacrifice, so much for us. Thank you Norm for your service and all you do for our Veterans.

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