MarineParents Helps Repair Gold Star Family Home

THANK YOU to our boots on the ground, Marines Dave and Sean, for getting the job done.

MarineParents.com had the opportunity to support the Gold Star family of Lt. Shane Childers, the first KIA in Iraq. We worked with two Marines, Dave Cecil and Sean Lamb, who were with Lt. Childers when he was killed. Dave stayed in contact with Shane's parents, who are now in their 80s, and found out that their home was in need of repairs as the winter wind would literally be blowing through their home. Dave reached out to us asking for help to raise money to repair the Childers' home and prepare it for the harsh Wyoming winters. He and Sean planned to travel to Wyoming from the east coast to do the repairs themselves and MarineParents decided to raise money to cover the cost of materials and travel expenses.

Shane Childers had wanted to be a Marine since he was five years old. On March 21, 2003 First Lieutenant Childers was the first service member killed in action in the Iraq war.

We held a fundraiser in November 2017 and were able to raise about $3,000. With that money, Dave and Sean were able to purchase the building materials they needed to replace drywall, replace trim around windows, seal pipes, and trim tree limbs that were hanging over the house. After all of that work was done, we found that we still had money to spend, so Dave and Sean bought the Childers a new television to replace their very old one, and gave them a $100 gift card to Walmart for groceries. Dave and Sean then traveled back home, but we were still left with more money to spend from the fundraiser. We decided to open the donation page again to raise more money for another project on their home. In January 2018, we were able to raise about another $1,500.

We got estimates from a company in Wyoming to insulate the Childers' basement. After a bit of coordination between all parties, the work was completed on January 18, 2018. The Childers are now enjoying a much warmer and more usable space. This family lost their son; helping them with their home was the least we could do for them.

Whenever we hear about a Gold Star family in need, we take on the challenge. We could not have done it without the support of the Marine Corps family members around the United States that donated and helped us spread the word. Thank you to Dave and Sean for telling us about this family's need. It was truly an honor to help this family with their home. God Bless and Semper Family!

Marine 1st Lt. Therrel Shane Childers was killed in Iraq on March 21, 2003.