The soldier, Luis Ocampo, returned home from hurricane duty to find his home had been looted.
The kindness of strangers was far more than National Guardsman Luis Ocampo needed.
His North Carolina home had been looted while the medic was helping to clean up ravaged seacoast areas hit by Hurricane Florence last month.
A GoFundMe page was established for Ocampo and his live-in girlfriend, Kailey Finch, who also is the mother of his infant son. Nearly $15,000 poured in, far surpassing the original goal of $5,000.
So Ocampo, 24, decided to pass along the goodwill that was passed to him.
“We got more than we expected, and felt that it was our responsibility to show someone that same kindness that so many showed us," he told People magazine.
The couple is sending funds to the Soldiers and Airmen Assistance Fund, which helps North Carolina National Guard members and their families. They are also helping a soldier who's been living in a motel since a tree fell on his home.
"A big part of wanting to give the donations comes from seeing how generous people have been, and I wanted to pay that back to someone else who needed help,” Ocampo said.
Finch added that unlike many, no members of their family were injured during the fierce storm.
"We’re very happy none of us are hurt," she said. "We are so, so grateful.”
When Ocampo was deployed, Finch went to stay with his family, leaving the couple's dog inside their home.
When he returned on Sept. 21, Ocampo found the back door open and their dog running loose outside.
The house had been ransacked, with clothes thrown all over. Gone was Ocampo's laptop he used for school, game systems, a gun and jewelry. Whoever broke in through the baby's room window also stole food from the fridge.
Finch posted her boyfriend's forlorn image on Facebook, seeking help from anyone who might know who broke into their house.
Friend Mary Elise Capron saw it, and took the matter a step farther, establishing a fundraising page for him.
“I have worked closely with Ocampo in the National Guard and he is an amazing soldier and person,” Capron wrote on the GoFundMe page.
"I am honored to know him and cannot believe something so terrible could happen to someone so dedicated to the service, his family and school."
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