Operation Homefront

For Air Force Tech. Sgt. Christopher Simmons and his wife Krystal, his 15 years of service has meant missing family get-togethers and rarely getting to vacation with their 4-year-old daughter Paisley. So as a surprise, Christopher signed up to receive 40,000 Choice Privileges loyalty points as part of Operation Homefront. Upon being awarded the points, the entire family was able to travel to Arlington, Texas to visit Krystal’s family, including her mom. “She was definitely surprised,” Krystal said, adding she was grateful to Choice Hotels for the opportunity to see her family.

Time with Krystal’s mom is even more precious because she contracted West Nile Virus and was recently hospitalized. Arlington is close to the town where Krystal grew up and is the perfect destination for the family to enjoy activities yet make sure Krystal’s mom did not have too far to drive. They not only went to the zoo but also Legoland and a Texas Ranger’s game, which included a meet and greet with the Texas Ranger’s mascot, a horse named Ranger Captain. This became a highlight for Paisley who loves all things horses. They also booked a pet-friendly hotel so that their family dog could make the trip.

Originally, they were going to visit in the summer during her mom’s birthday, but because of training that would take Christopher away at that time, they moved the trip up. That kind of flexibility is imperative for families of active duty service members.

“We were thankful we didn’t have to worry about any of that,” Krystal said. “We could just go have fun and make memories.”

As part of its effort to help active-duty military members and veterans reunite with their families over the holidays, Choice Hotels provided four free nights at a Clarion hotel in Norcross, Georgia, to Army veteran Tamarra Stewart. This donation gave her and her two daughters, Joi, 13, and Winter, 4, the opportunity to spend time with their grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins in the Atlanta area. Prior to this reunion, it had been several years since the family was last able to get together for Thanksgiving.

The family drove down to Atlanta from Operation Homefront’s transitional housing village in Gaithersburg, Maryland, where Tamarra had moved in May 2017 while the Army processed her medical retirement as an E-5 sergeant.

The trip would not have been affordable without Choice Hotels’ generosity, Tamarra said. Their stay at the comfortable, spacious Clarion with a friendly staff and a “yummy” breakfast every morning made all the difference. Plus, the hotel was less than 20 minutes away from her niece, who was hosting Thanksgiving.

“The girls had so much fun with their cousins. They had a blast,” Tamarra said. “It made me feel happy because family is a big thing.”

Dual-service veterans Ian and Brianna Crawford were among the first to benefit from Choice Hotels and Operation Homefront’s efforts to reunite service members and their families. Over the November 2018 holiday weekend, Ian and Brianna traveled from Operation Homefront’s transitional housing village in Gaithersburg, Maryland, to visit Ian’s grandparents in Verona, Virginia, and share a Thanksgiving meal with his brother and sister.

The couple stayed two nights at the Comfort Inn in Staunton, Virginia, just 15 minutes from his grandparents’ house. They were also able to visit Brianna’ parents, brother and sister in Marietta, Georgia, in December.

Because the couple moved to Miami following their December trip, and Brianna is starting school, it likely will be another year or more before they can spend time with their families again. Having the opportunity to see everyone was extremely important to the couple, and the free hotel “was a big help,” said Brianna, adding that they felt very lucky to have benefitted from the program.

Tiffany Green is the primary caregiver for her injured Marine Corps veteran husband, Yancy, and a member of Operation Homefront’s caregiver program, Hearts of Valor.

Due to post-traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury, Yancy finds it difficult to relate to most people, but he’s developed a great connection with Tiffany’s uncle, a disabled Vietnam veteran. However, Tiffany and Yancy had gone more than 10 years without seeing her uncle. Budget constraints and Yancy’s day-to-day needs made making the trip from their home in Peoria, Arizona, to her uncle’s home in Queens, New York, virtually impossible. But thanks to Choice Hotels and Operation Homefront, the couple was able to make the 2,500-mile journey over the 2018 Veterans Day weekend.

Tiffany and Yancy stayed four nights at the Cambria Hotel New York - Times Square. While there, they were also able to spend time with Tiffany’s cousin and her cousin’s 17-year-old daughter, who live in Brooklyn.

The couple said the Cambria hotel staff went out of their way to take care of them and helped them find nearby restaurants to accommodate Yancy, who can only walk short distances due to a knee injury. “By the time we ended up leaving, and every day, the staff just knew us,” said Tiffany. “It was really phenomenal.”