Mission Complete


Here are a few stories of successful ops that have been completed.

A letter from Kimberly, of the Stocksick family, who we were able to assist with a $200 gift card to cover gas for their travels home:


My name is Kimberly Stocksick. My husband, Robert, is a PFC(E3) in the U.S. Army. I don't work because we can't afford the cost of daycare so I am a stay at home mom. We have three children. Our son, Alex, is five and our twin daughters, Samantha and Reagan, are two.

Right now we are stationed at Fort Hood in Texas. This is our first duty station. This summer will be our first deployment. They are giving my husband block leave from May 12-27 to be able to spend time with family before he deploys.

We were hoping to be able to drive home to Plant City, Florida for his block leave so we could spend time with our family before his 15 month deployment. However, we struggle from pay check to pay check trying to pay bills and buy groceries, diapers and gas. So at the end of the month we have no money left to set back for the trip home. We don't have the money for a 1200 mile drive home much less fly and get a rental car.

When my husband joined the Army we had already been married five years and had all three of our children. It's been a struggle for him from the very begining to support us. He started out in the Army as a PV1(E1) which doesn't pay enough to support a family of five. But somehow we managed to stay on top of our bills. We do without the little luxuries most families take for granted. We can't afford name brand diapers. I wear pants that are so worn out they have holes in them instead of buying a new pair so our bills can be payed or so Robert can buy the things he needs for work. I know that you probably receive lots of emails asking for assistance but I would appreciate it if you would consider helping us get home before his deployment. I know our whole family would be grateful for any assistance you would be able to provide.

Thank you for taking the time to read my email.

Sincerely, ~Kimberly Stocksick


Brandon, the Stars, and an unforgettable evening:

"A Lifetime Experience"

Have you ever had one of those moments in your life where you just go "WOW" and wonder how blessed we truly all are no matter the circumstances in our lives?

Last night I had the privilege of meeting 31 young men who are getting ready to be challenged in a way none of us will ever know but we live as a result of their efforts. Of these young men, one of them in particular had an affect on my heart. His name is Brandon and he's 12 years old. Brandon has brain cancer and the doctors have determined that there is nothing else they can do for him but make him as comfortable as possible. Brandon is fighting for his life as hard as any one of the soldiers I met last night is fighting for our freedom. Brandon's fight is different because he most likely will not conquer his enemy but with his attitude and positive outlook he's giving it his all.

Brandon's uncle is stationed in Germany and has come to see Brandon and help him fight a good fight. Once Operation Once In A Lifetime heard about Brandon and his uncle we knew we had to get him to an outing with our organization.

I went last night to meet these young men and see to it that they enjoyed themselves at a Dallas Stars game. I wanted to make sure they knew that THEY were the reason we were there and to see to their needs/wants. To my surprise, all of them turned the tables on the evening and made Brandon the hero of the night.

It was ALL for Brandon. One soldier took Brandon, his uncle, cousin and me to see if we could get autographs for Brandon. On our way towards the locker room we stopped in the official Stars' gift shop and the soldier purchased a $200 jersey for Brandon to wear and get autographed. There was nothing stopping us now from meeting the players.

We headed down the tunnel and were asked to stop and wait for the players. Not knowing if the players would be receptive or not we waited with great anticipation. About 15 minutes later they started to come out one by one, two by two and without any hesitation every single Stars and Sharks player signed not only Brandon's jersey but the soldiers' shirts as well. I don't know who was more appreciative, the players of the soldiers or vice versa.

I do know this for a fact; our country can't survive without compassionate people like the ones I had the honor meeting last night. Thank you to all of them, soldiers, players and Brandon, my hero, you've all made a difference in our country and my own little world.

God Bless America,
Denise Stavely
Executive Director
Operation Once In A Lifetime


More Flying Home


Operation Once in a Lifetime, with the help of Delta airlines, was able to help Private Georgia Tottress and her daughter Aunisty by flying Private Tottress's mom to Hawaii to pick up her granddaughter. Roundtrip flights to Hawaii range from $2300.00 to $2800.00 but Delta airlines was able to discount the fare to $900.00 which Operation Once in a Lifetime paid for to help this family. Operation Once in a Lifetime would also like to express our thanks to Private Tottress for her service to our country, "Good luck in all of your endeavors, and we hope we were able to make things a little less stressful for you."

Original Op:
Private Georgia Tottress, currently stationed in Hawaii, is preparing to deploy to Iraq. She is a single parent with a beautiful three year old daughter named Aunisty who is going through some difficult times right now.

As she is deploying within the next 10 to 15 days, she needs to get her daughter back to the United States. Her parents live in Dallas, Texas; however, her parents and Private Totress can not afford to fly her home.

We need your help to get Aunisty's grandmother to Hawaii to pick her up and bring her back to Dallas, Texas while her mother deploys overseas.


Flying Home


Operation Once in a Lifetime has been able to complete missions with the help of so many great people. We were just able to fly Sgt. Buglehall home to visit his daughter at Children's Hospital, and we were also able to provide Sgt. Buglehall's daughter McKayla with a PSP Playsation to help keep her mind on the important things in life -- that is, being a kid. His unit will perhaps be a little happier as well when Sgt. Buglehall goes back with a Digital Projector where he and his men can spend many long nights watching movies together.

Operation Once in a Lifetime would also like to express our best wishes for McKayla and her family, "You are a beautiful young lady and I see a lifetime of happiness in your future. If you ever need anything, do not hesitate to contact us."

Original Op:
Sgt. Matt Buglehall is preparing to deploy to Iraq for the second time and is currently stationed in Mississippi for a 90 day train-up prior to him being deployed for 15 months to Iraq. His little girl McKayla, who is 9 years old, has been diagnosed with a rare Bone Marrow disease and is going through several tests and treatments. We are needing help in flying Sgt. Buglehill to Dallas in late June for her test results. We also would like to get McKayla a PSP game unit, so when she is in the hospital getting treatment she can escape what she is going through for a couple of hours a day.

Sgt. Buglehall's unit has come together to help pay for one of his flights already and he would like to show his appreciation by doing something for them. He would like to get a Digital Projector for his unit so instead of one soldier watching a movie on a laptop, they can all enjoy the experience together by projecting a movie onto the wall. This is a selfless request and will help bring his fellow soldiers closer together.