Editor’s Note: Information provided by Marshall White of the St. Joseph News-Press.
Cody Smith, a Missouri Army National Guard citizen soldier, has been adjusting and learning to deal with a lot of unexpected changes since Nov. 26, 2011.
Wednesday, he and his family got some great news that will mean a real change for his family.
Operation Homefront and Chase Bank delivered the keys to a newly refurbished three bedroom, split level home in St. Joseph.
“It means $600 a month less coming out of pocket,” the soldier said.
It’s a big change for the specialist who will officially leave the military in the coming months.
A member of the 548th Transportation Company based in Trenton, he’d already done tours of duty in Iraq and Korea. From Milan, he’d married his childhood sweetheart and they had a daughter Jazmyne. While on duty in Afghanistan on July 4, 2011 he became a father again with the birth of his son Aryan.
As a soldier his job was to ride as a vehicle gunner on convoy duty. Back on that fateful Nov. 26, the unit had just left a forward operating base and survived a small improvised explosive device trying to rip into the convoy.
“Then a second and much larger explosion injured Cody,” said Sgt. 1st Class Christine Chaney, who was in the convoy.
Injured with head, back and shoulder wounds he’d refused to leave his unit, Ms. Chaney said. The road was to heavily mined, so the convoy diverted from the road and crossed the open country to complete its mission.
Eventually, the gunner was transferred to a military hospital at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. He’d received a Purple Heart, an Army Commendation Medal and post traumatic stress disorder for his actions that day.
“I was over in Kirksville, at the Wal-Mart, buying stuff to make chocolate cookies for him when he called,” Kasie Smith said. “It took a while to get something out of him but I could tell something was wrong,” she said.
He stayed with his unit. He didn’t want to hurt morale. Finally, returning to Missouri in April 2012 he’d find Kasie and his two children had rented a home in St. Joseph. Mrs. Smith works at Menards.
“There was more opportunity for us here,” Mrs. Smith said.
He tried working on a degree he’d wanted in manufacturing engineering, but the stress caused problems and he had to stop.
Six months ago Ms. Chaney learned about Operation Homefront and nominated Mr. Smith to be a recipient in their Homes on the Homefront program.
“I couldn’t think of a better person,” Ms. Chaney said.
The Smith family was all smiles Wednesday and Mrs. Smith said they’d be moving in on Thursday. Jazmyne had already picked out her room. Two-year-old Aryan just liked the idea of being able to run all over the house.
This is the first home Operation Homefront has provided in the St. Joseph area, said Paul Cupach, Missouri and Kansas director for the soldiers charity.
The house was one a prior owner walked away from and Chase paid for painting and installing new floors, carpet and appliances, Cupach said.
The charity started in 2002 and reports that 95 cents of every dollar received goes to support military families. For more information go to www.operationhomefront.net.