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| Family of Atlanta soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice is saved from having to sacrifice even more |
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| Written by Maryanne Euthalia |
| Friday, 06 August 2010 18:11 |
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Spc. Jamaal Addison, a Lakeside High School graduate, was 22 years old when his company, the 507th Maintenance Group, was ambushed near Nasiriyah, 230 miles south of Baghdad, on March 23, 2003. Addison was killed. Not many people will recognize his name or recall the date, certainly fewer than would recognize Pfc. Jessica Lynch, a member of Addison's unit who was wounded and kidnapped in the same ambush. Her ordeal grabbed the nation's attention, with her story ultimately being told in a book and movie. Addison's death, however, went relatively unnoticed. Seven years later, his mother, Patricia Roberts, along with her mother Constance Walcott and Jamaal's two-year-old son, were facing yet another loss: their home. Like so many Americans these last couple of years, the family found themselves unable to meet even their basic monthly expenses, and their home went into foreclosure on the first of June. A judge informed Roberts that she had to vacate the premises no later than this past Monday. As Roberts began packing the family's belongings, she received a bit of good news. Attorneys from SunTrust Bank, which held the mortgage, relented on their foreclosure policy and agreed to suspend the foreclosure process while lawyers negotiate a payment plan that will allow her to remain in the home. Ironically, the date that the family was supposed to vacate the condominium had been declared Jamaal Addison Day in DeKalb County, in honor of Spc. Addison, who was the first Georgian to die in action in Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2008, the county renamed the Lithonia Post Office for Addison, and set aside August 2 as a day to honor the soldier. It is only fitting that his family be saved from further sacrifice on the same day. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites |
