Marine Loses His Medals, Family Home In Harrah Wildfire

Jon Jordan, News 9 

HARRAH, Oklahoma -- Rubble and charred belongings are all that is left of the Bacon family's longtime home.

"My family built this house. I have lived here my whole life," said Carrie Bacon-Ingram.

Lost amongst the piles of ash are years of family memories. 

"[We] just don't have anything, there is nothing," Carrie said.

For Christopher Bacon, a retired Marine, that means losing his most prized possessions.

"All my achievements that I got, my good conduct, Iraqi Campaign, just all those that go with that, ribbons, basically all my uniforms," said Christopher.

Achievements Christopher earned during his four years of service, serving a tour in Iraq from 2006 to 2007, spending time in Fallujah, and two years in Japan.

While losing the house has been devastating for Christopher's mother, she said it's the personal stuff, the memories, that will be the hardest to get over.

"It's just the material things like my sons Marine stuff. He'll never get that back, that was an important four years of his life," she said.

Awards and medals Christopher earned that extend beyond far beyond the battlefield.

"They were just personal achievements of what everybody said I couldn't do. Everybody said I couldn't do it, everybody told me I was nothing and I just did it to prove them wrong," Christopher said.

The Bacon family, like many others, didn't have insurance and are now in need of assistance. Christopher and his mother spent a portion of the day filling out the necessary paperwork with the Red Cross that will provide them short with term help, including their first month's rent paid for when they can get a new home.

The Bacons said their new home will be built on the same property that has been in their family for decades. 

Christopher said until they begin to rebuild, he will rely on what his years in the service taught him.

"If I learned anything from the Marine Corp it's just take one day at a time."