Jake's Story
As a young man, Jake was taught the importance of being a “good man”, one to be respected and admired by others. With a sense of duty and responsibility, he joined the Army in January 2009. While in Basic Training in Ft. Benning, GA, he was selected to attend Airborne School and was also placed in the top 30 of his class. When speaking of running with family members, he would always say “that he would walk the dog” on us. Upon completion of his training, he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Ft. Campbell, KY. There he became a member of Bravo Company (The Renegades), 2nd Battalion 502 Infantry Regiment. Due to his expert marksmanship, he was assigned as the assistant gunner to Jacob Carver, also a 20 year old from Kansas City, Missouri. Although they were the youngest machine gun team, they were considered the best and received special recognition while training in Ft. Polk, LA.
In June 2010, Jake’s unit was deployed to Afghanistan. During a mission on November 13, 2010, both Jake and Jacob Carver lost their lives while providing security for their unit. Both showed great courage and strength as they gave their lives while protecting our rights and freedoms.
Jake was well known for his smile, his loving heart, an endless sense of humor, loyalty to his friends and family., and a great love and compassion for animals. Jake never met a stray he did not love nor bring home. Jake’s life will forever be defined by loyalty and dedication to others and the amazing manner in which he touched and affected so many lives.
Thomas Campbell, a Revolutionary War era poet, paid tribute to the soldiers who fought in the American Revolutionary War with these words, “The Patriot’s Blood is the Seed of Freedom’s Tree”. His words serve to remind us today that we would not have the freedoms we hold dear if it were not for the sacrifice of our country’s patriots.
The Military Family LifeStyle Charitable Foundation (MFLCF) and The Patriot Charities (PC) were initially approved as 501(c)3 charitable organizations in 2006 and 2005 respectively. Over the last ten years, these two charities have been instrumental in supporting service-disabled veterans and their families first in the Carolinas, and then expanding to other locations in the United States.
In January 2016, these two charities merged to form the Patriot Military Family Foundation (PMFF). The Board of Directors of MFLCF, all veterans, remained as the PMFF directors. Members of the PC Board of Directors became members of the Board of Trustees, an advisory board. This merger is an exceptional joining of two organizations with similar missions and a set of programs that fit well together.
PMFF is now a much stronger and more capable charity than either of the former charities were on their own. The partnerships formed by MFLCF and the partnerships formed by PC are now working together as one, with the ability to be even more successful in treating veterans and supporting their families. We retain the strong emphasis by the leadership to keep costs low and spend as much as possible on our mission. Together, we look forward to continuing to expand our footprint to serve an even greater number of our veterans and their families.
What is a Gold Star Family?
A Gold Star Family is the family of military members who have died in the line of duty, This title is meant to honor the service member's ultimate sacrifice while acknowledging their family's loss, grief, and continued healing.
Jake Carroll gave the ultimate sacrifice and our goal is honor and remember him.
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