West Virginia Family offers home to combat veterans from south Louisiana

A West Virginia family with Delcambre ties is doing its part to try and help combat veterans from south Louisiana.
Melissa Campbell Grimes is a 1987 Delcambre High graduate. Chris Grimes and Melissa live in Circleville, West Virginia.
Melissa’s husband just retired from the Navy after 22 years of service. Fifteen of those 22 years were spent with Navy Special Ops.
Melissa is now a retired teacher.
They live in a 119-year-old six-bedroom farmhouse located on 100-plus acres in West Virginia. The house belonged to Grime’s family.
Before moving into the farmhouse, the Grimes lived in Virginia Beach, West Virginia, because Chris was still in the Navy.
The old house was only used as a getaway for the Grimes and their military friends.
“Friends wanted to go out there to get unplugged from the noise of life,” said Melissa. “They played cards or in the yard because there was nothing to do.”
The two retired in June of last year. It was not until Brian Campbell, her brother from Delcambre, visited the Grimes in Virginia Beach and pushed the Grimes to figure out what they wanted to do with the old home. Their choices: live there, or turn it into a bed and breakfast.
They knew they did not want to turn it into a bed and breakfast facility. So instead, they moved into the home and then decided they wanted to share their home with combat veterans who served or serving.
The plan lets combat veterans and their families stay with the Grimes for seven days at no cost to the family.
The Grimes would feed and house them and give them a tour of the mountains.
“So many veterans have gone overseas, been in combat and had to deal with combat, and that affects them,” said Melissa. “It also affects the family they are with. We want to see a family unplug and take time to build a family bond. We want them to take that home with them and make memories such as bonding as a family.”
Because Melissa is from South Louisiana, she wants to invite combat veterans from Cajun Country to visit their home in West Virginia.
The Grimes created the non-profit foundation called “Mountain-Cajun Getaway.”
The Grimes have hosted a Vermilion Parish combat veteran family, which was their first. Blake Luquette, his wife Heidi, and their children, Hudson and Layla, stayed for seven days with the Grimes over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
Blake won the trip at a fishing rodeo in Grand Isle. After that, he and his family went to West Virginia, not knowing what to expect.
Blake is a 2000 VC graduate who spent six years in the Marines after high school. He experienced combat in Iraq and participated in one of the battles of Fullujah, Iraq in 2004.
“It was very relaxing,” said Luquette about his stay in West Virginia. “It was good for the family to be together. It was a stress-free week. We loved it. We had so much fun.”
Blake praised the Grimes for creating a stress-free environment. The Luquettes hiked trails in the mountains, hunted deer in a deer stand and saw plenty of wildlife.
“I love the vision they have. I fully support their idea,” Blake added.
He said when soldiers return home from their service overseas, they join the workforce, marry and never get to relax. So the week in West Virginia gave him a chance to unwind.
It also gave Blake a chance to talk to Chris, a veteran.
“I was able to get a lot off my chest,” said Blake. “Chris was able to understand. So that was good for me.”