Military moves are always stressful, complicated, hopeful, and bittersweet.
Recently the Coopers, a USMC family of six, relocated from Hawaii to California on military orders. They farewelled friends, shipped their car, watched their belongings get boxed up, and brought just enjoy clothing and toys to live out of suitcases for weeks on end.
After making the long flight from Hawaii, they stayed in a California hotel while they secured housing and waited for their goods to arrive.
The Coopers carried their most important documents with them, to include medical information, marriage and birth certificates, USMC uniforms, and medals. One of the children, Sebastian (3) had to say “see you soon” to most of his toys, but was comforted because he still had his new Batman car seat with him during the transition.
The Coopers owned the only cars in the hotel parking lot with Hawaii license plates. Suspecting they were targeted, a thief broke into one of their vehicles, took the family’s important documents, uniforms, new pots and pans, military medals, and Sebastian’s favorite Bat Man car seat. The items were then moved into their other vehicle — a paid off Toyota Camry — which was then stolen.
Naturally, the Coopers were shaken and devastated by the loss and invasion of privacy. Losing a vehicle and such important belongings and documents made their move even more difficult.
VRS Reaches Out
When Veterans Rideshare Inc. heard of this, we reached out to support the Cooper family. We offered transportation solutions, replaced their lost pots and pans, and even sent Sebastian a new car seat. Watch below to see his reaction!
If you’d like to help the Cooper family as they pick up the pieces from this travesty, a GoFundMe account is located here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/usmc-cooper-family-support
A self-described “Jackie of All Trades,” former Army wife Jackie Toops enjoys exploring the various facets of her personality by chronicling military life, world travels, family, her love of the arts and more. Her academic background is in the fields of Interdisciplinary Humanities, Museum Studies and Nonprofit Management, and she has overseen public relations for museums, galleries and universities. Jackie’s articles have been featured on Veterans Rideshare, Army Wife 101, Wall Street International Magazine, SoFluential, HomeAway, Military Biz Connection and FamiliesGo. While stationed in Germany, she regularly discussed her articles on-air with the Armed Forces Network in Wiesbaden. A mother of two, Jackie enjoys coffee, freelance writing, and supporting the military community.
