Shane enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served a 4-year term from 12/2006 to 12/2010. His specialty was Electrical runway maintenance. He earned the rating of E-4 and was honorably discharged. Following his discharge, Shane returned to Texas and worked in the private sector.

He purchased a home in Bonham, Texas. He missed the military lifestyle and decided to join the Army Reserve in December 2012. He switched to a Civil Affairs unit in Rochester, NY. From the Civil Affairs unit, he then joined a Medical Logistics Battalion in Miami, FL. The Medical Logistics Battalion was activated and deployed several times. In October 2019, his unit was deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. On January 25, 2020, his Humvee violently rolled over. Shane suffered a severe head injury. His retirement is due to a disability incurred in the line of duty in a combat zone as a result of performing combat related operations.

Shane was declared 100% disabled by the U.S. Army and the Veterans Administration. His disability includes severe brain trauma and PTSD.

Shane is a Tribal Member of the Choctaw Nation and a true military hero. He and his wife Rhea have been married since 2018. Their home is 101 years old and is need of foundation and flooring repairs.

Senior Airman Brandon Jones

Senior Airman Brandon Jones served for 6 years as an Aircraft Armament System specialist for the B-1b Bomber. He completed several deployments to the Middle East. Although his deployments were not in a war zone, he still witnessed the horrors of war by seeing the injured and deceased service members evacuated from the war zone. While servicing a B1-b Bomber that had just returned from a mission, the bomb rack dislodged and fell on him. This accident resulted in severe injury to his back, neck, and head. He was honorably discharged with a permanent 100% disability. He continues to suffer with head, neck, and back pain as well as PTSD. He has been married to his wife since 2016. They will now own their home in Bonham, TX mortgage-free because of your generosity!

Petty Officer Jason Ford

Petty Officer Jason Ford served in the Navy for 16 years and 9 months. He was stationed aboard several ships in Guam during his career. His disability occurred during his deployment aboard the USS Frank Cable (AS-40), a submarine tender. On December 1, 2006, while in port, a steam valve ruptured, resulting in the explosion of 3 of the ship’s boilers. The explosion caused the death of 2 sailors and injured 12 more. Petty Officer Ford suffers from PTSD, Bell’s Palsy and Schizophrenia and is 100% disabled. He has been married to his wife Diana since 2017. They will now own their home in Blue Ridge, TX mortgage -free thanks to you!

GYSGT Cosner enlisted in the Marines in 1972. He received numerous commendations during his service including the National Defense Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, and the Meritorious Unit Commendation Award. 

During Desert Shield, GYSGT Cosner was aboard the USS Cleveland and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He was honorably discharged in 1991. Following separation from the Marine Corps, GYSGY Cosner has suffered several TIAs and strokes. He also has loss of vision and is 100% disabled.

Russell and his wife Carolyn have been married since 1972 and have 2 grown children (one son, one daughter). They have lived in their McKinney home since 2003. However due to inflation, their cost of living is increasing while their Social Security and Disability income have remained the same for 30 years. With their financial resources, they may not be able to maintain home ownership. It will make a huge difference in their lives to own their home mortgage-free.

Jay Liske grew up in Carrolton, TX and joined the Army in 2004. He served with the 173rd Airborne in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan. He was part of Operation Rock Avalanche where Sal Giunta received the Medal of Honor. His disabilities include 3 herniated lumbar discs, TBI and PTSD. He has honorably discharged in March 2010. He was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 2018 and now is in remission.

Jay and his wife Shelby have been together almost 11 years now, with two amazing boys, Jackson (8 years old) and Nixon (5 years old), to keep them busy. Their home is in Collin County (Frisco). In 2016 while Shelby was pregnant with Nixon they learned that he had agenesis of the corpus callosum. They were told they didn't know what his life would look like when he was born. Luckily, he didn't and has never needed brain surgery, but he has developmental delays and in 2017 had his first seizure. In 2018 Nixon really began struggling with seizures and Jay was diagnosed with leukemia. While they were able to get the leukemia under control that year, it took until June of 2019 to get Nixon's seizures under control. Thank God for Tricare and family to help with Jackson, because they spent the total of a month at Cook's Children during the numerous stays while Nixon was having his episodes. They are extremely fortunate that Tricare covers a lot of the medical cost, but there are still many things they don't when it comes to Nixon. They now know that it was a gene mutation that caused Nixon's brain to develop how it did and while having an answer for why, they still don't have answers for what's to come or what the rest of his life looks like. Knowing that they have their house mortgage-free would open up the possibilities for providing for Nixon’s special needs as they continue to face the unknowns and try to let him be as normal of a kid as possible.

Kisha Ann Makerney joined the military May 2002 at the age of 17. She deployed to her first tour of Iraq February 2004 where she served as an equipment operator and machine gunner for her battalion security team. Kisha came home from Iraq 12 months later, and in June of 2005, while riding her Suzuki sportbike, she had a tire blow and lost control of her bike. She hit a street sign which immediately severed her left leg below the knee. She was life flighted to Parkland Hospital in Dallas, and they were unable to save or reattach her leg because it had gotten dirty when she low crawled to the highway from the ditch, dragging her leg with her.

Kisha was on National Guard status when she lost her leg, and as a result, the VA gave her a leg and a few lessons, and she was on her own to rehabilitate herself in learning how to walk again. Serving her country was her passion, so Kisha did not give up. And in 2007, after receiving a “Fit for Duty” from a Physical Evaluation Board, Kisha volunteered for another tour to Iraq. Going alongside her brothers and sister’s in arms who had believed in her and had her 6 when she had been injured. This tour unknowingly at the time, made her the first female and tenth person to redeploy to a combat zone after losing a limb.

After returning home, the Center for Intrepid in San Antonio welcomed her in and gave her further prosthetic training and better performing prosthetic limbs than the one she had previously received from the VA.

In 2010, Kisha was recruited by the Army Marksmanship Unit out of Fort Benning Georgia through the World Class Athlete Program. Here she earned a spot on the National Shooting Team, qualified for the 2012 Paralympics, and won the 2011 National Championships. She was also ranked 9th and 12th in the world in her two shooting categories.

In 2013, Kisha was recruited along with 5 other wounded servicemembers by Steve Connally to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. After training for a year, they summitted the tallest peak in Africa.

After returning from the Army Marksmanship Unit, Kisha enrolled in college to earn her bachelor’s in aviation – Professional Pilot. She earned her Private Certification and put in her packet to attempt to earn a slot into the Army’s Warrant Officer Flight Program. She had applied a few times before but was always turned down due to her amputation. This time, with flight certification in hand, she proved she could operate an aircraft safely and effectively. She earned a slot to flight school in July 2015, but unfortunately broke her residual limb during the Physical Fitness portion of the board when she slipped in some mud while running her 2 miles.

Kisha had to have a revision surgery on her limb after that and rehabbed at the Center for Intrepid.

Kisha medically retired in May 2019 with 17 years of service.

Nick Sterling joined the United States Army right after graduating from High School in Hawaii Kai, Hawaii in 2005. He became an Infantryman and was stationed at Schofield Barracks as a member of the 25th Infantry Division. He deployed to Iraq in 2006. From 2006 to 2007, his unit carried combat operations from Kirkuk down to the Diyala River Valley in Baqubah during the surge. His Battalion took heavy losses throughout their deployment including 3 members of his platoon and a helicopter crash claiming the lives of 10 Infantryman, 2 crew chiefs and 2 pilots. 

Nick’s vehicle hit multiple IED’s and managed to come out unscathed until September 5, 2007 just two weeks before the end of his Unit's combat operations. During a patrol, an IED detonated underneath the truck carrying Nick and 2 of his fellow Infantrymen, cutting it in half. Miraculously, and unlike previous hits, no one was killed. Nick, his driver, and Squad Leader were all wounded and medavac’d, earning all three the Purple Heart. Nick was 20 years old.

Nick left the service in 2008 and made his way to Texas where he earned his first Bachelor’s Degree at Texas State University and met his wife Jessica. Nick and Jessica married in 2015 and welcomed their first son, Kane, in 2017. They are also expecting their 2nd child in October 2019. Nick is now a full-time musician in Texas, he finds writing and performing very therapeutic and he enjoys hearing of the impact his music has made on other veterans.

Sgt. Coe D. Coker was born in Houston, Texas and attended Tarkington ISD from kindergarten until graduation in 2007. After graduating high school, he attended school to be a pharmacy technician. Upon completion, he decided to join the US Army as a 91F small arms/towed artillery repairman. Sgt. Coker left to attend basic training at FT. Jackson, South Carolina on August 23, 2008. After basic training he was stationed at APG (Aberdeen Proving Grounds) in Maryland to attend advanced individual training courses. During the course of his training he was injured while marching his platoon to school. He suffered a broken rotator cuff, clavicle and several broken ribs. This injury paved the way for more extensive training in his field of service for the US Army. After several months at Aberdeen he received permanent change of station orders to Fort Riley, Kansas. Upon arrival and intake in to the 1st Infantry Division (Big Red One) he was assigned to HSC DHHB (Headquarters Support Company, Division Headquarters and Headquarters Companies) as the Armorer and Weapons Mechanic. In December of 2010 Sgt. Coker was deployed to Al Basrah, Iraq in Support of US Army operations in that country. After a 13 month deployment he returned stateside, where he was reassigned to the CGMCG (Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard).

On October 10, 2011 he was house sitting for a friend. He was injured when his shotgun discharged, while on safety, into his leg. This injury resulted in his left leg being amputated above the knee. After his injury Sgt. Coker was transferred to Ft. Sam Houston for medical treatment. He was medically retired from service after undergoing treatment from October 29, 2011 until January 27, 2013. 

Sgt. Coker and his wife, Alexandria, have 2 children. Kathryne is 18 months and Roslyne is 5 months. Kathryne was born with multiple medical conditions. She requires medical attention from various specialists for a hole in her heart, abnormalities with her legs, and cosmetic disorders in both of her hands. It will make a tremendous difference to have their home close to Kathryne’s medical care in Dallas.

Growing up in the Texas Panhandle, Colt Floyd participated in sports and enjoyed hunting and fishing. Excelling in the classroom and in sports, Colt was a six sport athlete in high school playing football, baseball, basketball, powerlifting, golf and ran track. Football being his favorite sport, Colt played quarterback and decided to take a football scholarship to Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma. Though he loved football, he really couldn’t decide on a major. During this time the attacks on the World Trade Center took place and Colt felt as though enlisting in the service was an avenue he should entertain. Serving as an Army Infantryman was one of the best life experiences for him. Serving two tours in Afghanistan, one in 2006-2007 and another in 2011-2012, Colt is absolutely proud to have served.

During his 2011-2012 deployment, his unit came under ambush in Saygal Valley, Laghman Province, Afghanistan. Colt’s patrol of 37 was bombarded with RPG’s and small arms fire. One rocket struck his young team leader, Stg. Mycal Prince, killing him on impact. Colt was standing near him and took a lot of the blast, blowing him down a cliff face, wounding him and several others. Colt was medevac’d from the valley along with 13 others from that event. He recovered from his injuries and returned to his men, finishing the seven months remaining on his tour. He was then placed at Ft. Sam Houston to begin his recovery process. It proved to be a challenging one but Colt was up to the task. 

His military Awards include: 

•Bronze Star – a result of the 2011 attack 

•Purple Heart – a result of the 2011 attack

•Combat Infantryman Badge 

•(Two) Army Commendation Medals

Currently, Colt works full time for Kelso Technologies in Bonham, Texas. He resides there with his wife, Cristyn, and their 6 children. He works full time and attends college full time at Grayson College in Denison, Texas.