Program Funds College for Students Who Lost a Parent in the Line of Duty

KWTX 10 |   Chelsea Edwards

WACO, Texas (KWTX) We can never show too much appreciation for our military and their service.

Sunday March 4th is National "Hug a GI" day, a time to show support for all branches of the military.

Haley Hartwick- a graduate of Baylor University, calls Central Texas home, but she spent much of her life moving around during her father’s service in the army.

On April 1, 2006 her dad, Chief Warrant Officer Michael Lee Hartwick, Jr. was killed in action in Iraq when his helicopter was shot down during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Seven years later, the Children of Fallen Patriots program started helping Haley when she started at Baylor by paying tuition fees and the costs of studying abroad.

After graduating debt-free last May, she began working for the foundation to help give back to the community that supported her after she lost her father.

She now serves as the foundation's Development Administrator.