Kyle Malone is a war veteran who bravely served his country over three deployments in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Now, Malone and his family are in dire need and are relying on the support of other patriots to help them get by.

Malone served as a construction section supervisor during his tours in Iraq. He was first deployed in 2006 and was stationed at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, located near Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit.

“We had two primary missions for the year, Crater repair of supply and patrol route roads and construction of new barracks and offices for the expanded war effort,” he explained. “We also did maintenance work on existing buildings when asked.”

Malone served as a gunner on armored Humvees during crater repair missions. He said his missions were typically not too dangerous – he mentioned that some insurgents would fire “small arms at us as we passed.”

But on some outings, things became more heated, according to Malone. “I was involved in several IED attacks, including one that caused our vehicle to hit a concrete barrier and caused a huge mess.” While he survived each attack, he did not come out unscathed. He explained that he damaged his knee and suffered multiple concussions.

“I suffered a few more traumatic brain injuries (TBI) during my time in the Army, including one in 2010 while training up for our deployment and another one in 2014 that required more extensive treatment at the TBI clinic,” he said.

Unfortunately, the injuries that Malone suffered were not only physical; his deployments took a tremendous psychological toll on him as they have with many veterans. “I began suffering mild PTSD symptoms a few months after returning home but things got really bad in 08 and 09 and I sought treatment,” he recounted. “While my control over fears and reactions to sounds and smells got better over a couple years of treatments, I continued to suffer anxiety over driving (especially at night) and nightmares. Those issues carried on ever since.”

The veteran also explained that he deals with symptoms related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on a regular basis which worsened in 2016. “I began having frequent panic attacks, more frequent nightmares, and more bouts of depression,” he said.

Unfortunately, Malone and his wife and son have fallen on hard times. His conditions make it overwhelmingly difficult to find stable employment. His PTSD and brain injuries have made it nearly impossible for him to drive more than a few miles. His wife, Christine, is a stay-at-home mother who takes care of him and their special-needs son.

The family recently lost both of their cars due to car accidents and they recently set up GoFundMe to raise enough money to purchase another vehicle. The lack of transportation has prevented Malone from going to doctor’s appointments. He is currently trying to get the military to declare him unfit for duty because of his extensive physical and psychological injuries. This would allow him to retain his medical retirement and his family’s medical coverage.

Times are tough for everyone right now, especially with the COVID-19 outbreak impacting the economy. But we’ve all heard stories of how our soldiers are sometimes left behind after arriving home. But the Malone family would certainly appreciate any help they could get when it comes to obtaining transportation. If you are able, please donate to this family’s GoFundMe. Any amount, small or large, along with prayers, will definitely help.