Columbia group to help fallen Marine’s family

As the government shutdown freezes some benefits for families of U.S. service members, a Columbia nonprofit group is stepping in to help the family of a fallen Marine.

MarineParents.com raised $10,000 Wednesday for the family of Lance Corporal Jeremiah Collins. He was killed Saturday while serving in Afghanistan.

Because of the shutdown, benefits typically given to families of fallen service members aren’t always being provided. Those benefits include a $100,000 gratuity, payment for funeral expenses and transportation to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where service members’ bodies are returned.

On Wednesday, the Pentagon reached a deal with a private charity to ensure families of fallen troops are paid the survivor benefits.

The government will reimburse the Maryland-based Fisher House Foundation once the shutdown is over.

According to MarineParents.com, the money was all raised in about an hour. They will give the money to Collins’ mother, Shannon, today.