The Georgia chapter of Operation Homefront and Liberty County YMCA are hard at work to help a family recuperate from a personal tragedy, and are asking the community for its support.
A deployed Fort Stewart solider received a shocking blow when he returned from Iraq earlier this month to find his wife had abandoned their four girls and raided their home, possessions and bank account.
The shockwave swelled when the soldier discovered the children needed emergency room treatment for the severe neglect they suffered.
It turned out his 2-year old daughter had developed cysts in her lungs from untreated pneumonia. She will undergo surgery next month to have half her left lung removed.
“He (the solider) has a lot going on right now,” Christina Anthony, family program director for the Liberty County Armed Services YMCA, said.
To date, there has not been a clear explanation for the abandonment.
“The way I see it she (the mother) didn’t have mental problems, just became very selfish and greedy,” Anthony said.
In addition to putting the family up in a hotel, the YMCA threw a party for two of the girls celebrating birthdays this month.
The National Guard Association of Georgia has also responded to the call for help.
The association’s executive director, Marshall Kennemer, along with his wife, “We are very involved with soldiers,” Deniece Kennemer said. “We just care. This will bring a little joy in their lives to know that someone cares.”
She said news about the family’s situation brought her to tears.
“It just broke my heart,” she said. “I can’t imagine anyone walking off and leaving their kids.”
A deployed Fort Stewart solider received a shocking blow when he returned from Iraq earlier this month to find his wife had abandoned their four girls and raided their home, possessions and bank account.
The shockwave swelled when the soldier discovered the children needed emergency room treatment for the severe neglect they suffered.
It turned out his 2-year old daughter had developed cysts in her lungs from untreated pneumonia. She will undergo surgery next month to have half her left lung removed.
“He (the solider) has a lot going on right now,” Christina Anthony, family program director for the Liberty County Armed Services YMCA, said.
To date, there has not been a clear explanation for the abandonment.
“The way I see it she (the mother) didn’t have mental problems, just became very selfish and greedy,” Anthony said.
In addition to putting the family up in a hotel, the YMCA threw a party for two of the girls celebrating birthdays this month.
The National Guard Association of Georgia has also responded to the call for help.
The association’s executive director, Marshall Kennemer, along with his wife, “We are very involved with soldiers,” Deniece Kennemer said. “We just care. This will bring a little joy in their lives to know that someone cares.”
She said news about the family’s situation brought her to tears.
“It just broke my heart,” she said. “I can’t imagine anyone walking off and leaving their kids.”