Maryland woman opens her home to returning military families

Maryland woman opens her home to returning military families
By Brian Shane, USA TODAY

BERLIN, Md. – Tina Pearson says she made a friend through her church who was a single mother and Iraq veteran. The woman's toddler son, she told Pearson, had forgotten his mom when she returned from deployment, and getting to know her again took months.

That heart-rending tale inspired Pearson to transform her three-bedroom home just outside Berlin, Md., into a haven she calls "Home of the Brave," where servicemembers and their families can visit to spend quality time together.

Using her own money, she had the first floor renovated for wheelchair accessibility and built herself separate living quarters on the side of her home, so visitors could have privacy. "What if she and her son could have gone somewhere like this?" said Pearson, 40. "It's quiet; it's peaceful. Just have a few days to talk and play trucks or draw. Would that have sped it up a little bit?"
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