Air travel assistance for the military community
Air Charity Network
Air Charity Network™ (ACN) provides access for people in need seeking free air transportation to specialized health care facilities or distant destinations due to family, community or national crisis.
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross works in partnership with military aid societies to provide quality, reliable financial assistance to eligible applicants 24/7/365. Assistance can include funds for emergency travel, burial of a loved one, emergency food and shelter, etc.
Angel Flight
Angel Flight arranges free air transportation for people that have a medical need that can’t be filled in their local area. Angel Flight serves primarily patients who are traveling from, to or through the states of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. Our organization believes that the cost of travel should never stand in the way of receiving medical care. Therefore, our angels will take flight to get people to the hope of lifesaving treatment and all of our services are free!
Angel Flight volunteer pilots are ready to act as angels in the lives of others. We are totally committed to our mission of removing the obstacle of transportation for individuals with medical and financial needs.
Angel Flight East
Angel Flight East (AFE) is dedicated to serving the community by facilitating free air transportation to children and adults in need of medical treatment far from home. Volunteer pilots use their own aircraft and pay for all expenses of the flight. Although AFE’s office is located in Blue Bell, PA we cover a 14 state territory that includes Virginia to Ohio to Maine.
Angel Wings for Veterans (Virginia Beach, VA)
Angel Wings for Veterans removes the barrier to medical care for veterans, active duty service members and their families with transportation on the ground and in the air. Angel Wings for Veterans provides wounded, ill and injured veterans and active duty service members along with their families free travel to clinical care on the ground and in the air with gas cards, bus and train tickets, general aviation flights, and commercial airline tickets.
Arms Outstretched Ministries
Arms Outstretched Ministry together with Dixie Bones Restaurant, provide catered lunch, care packages, and friendship to the wounded warriors, their families and staff at the National Naval Medical Center in the Bethesda, MD. We conduct this ministry monthly. We also provide transportation services in the form of airline tickets, rental car needs, hotel, and food needs to the families of the wounded warriors as funding is available.
Boots for Troops
The Boots for Troops Travel Assistance Program helps provide financial relief for E1-E5 so they will be able to travel home for the holidays to be with their loved ones or to get home in an emergency situation. Boots For Troops books the flights in full and does not need repayment. We believe in the importance of family and being able to be there in a time of need.
Fisher House (Hero Miles)
The nonprofit Fisher House Foundation's Hero Miles program is comprised of individual airlines whose passengers donate their frequent flyer miles to assist service members and their families. Specifically, Fisher House Foundation provides free airline tickets to military men and women who are undergoing treatment at a military or VA medical center incident to their service in Iraq or Afghanistan, and their families.
Heartbeat for Warriors (Washington)
The Emergency Assistance Program provides direct financial support for wounded service members and their families in Washington state. Heartbeat—Serving Wounded Warriors helps with many crises that happen when there is reduced income or delayed military pay:
- Rent is due or past due. Eviction might be an outcome.
- A wounded service member is in the hospital and has no family close by. A close relative can’t visit and offer emotional support because travel expenses are too high.
- Utilities are scheduled for shut-off. There might be no heat in the middle of winter and no warm water for bathing.
- There isn’t enough money to buy food for the whole family.
- A wounded warrior’s parent in another state has a heart attack, but there isn’t money for airfare.
When life crises occur, Heartbeat provides funds to help wounded service members and their families get through the difficult times. No repayment occurs.
Hunter Lopez Memorial Foundation
MCRD Graduations - In 2017 when Hunter completed “boot camp” we took notice of several young marines who during family day and graduation day did not have family supporting them. We discovered many of those marines had parents and family across the United States who could not afford to travel to the Marine Recruiting Depot in San Diego, CA. These young marines were starting off their adult lives serving our country and reaching a milestone in their lives without family present to share it with. With money that was raised for our family after Hunter’s passing we started the foundation and began to set about to change this. To date we have sponsored 10 families and enabled the parents of a young marine to share in this momentous time in their lives. We were able to provide flights, hotel accommodations and ground transportation.
Let's Bring 'Em Home
Each year we take donations to purchase plane tickets for junior enlisted military personnel, allowing them the opportunity to fly home and spend the holidays with their families. This program was initially started in December 2001 to show our grateful appreciation to American service members deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and has become an annual tradition ever since.
The season kicks off on Veterans Day. To put in an application at that time, go to www.LBEH.org, click on the tab at the top that says "apply for a ticket", and IF they are open, it will bring up an application for you to fill out. If they are not open, there will be a note usually saying when applications will be open next, with a date and time posted. (program currently on hold)
Luke's Wings
Luke’s Wings is an organization dedicated to the support of service members who have been wounded in battle. Recognizing the immediate need for families to be with their loved ones at such a difficult time, Luke’s Wings provides families with the means to visit during the service member’s hospitalization and rehabilitation. By purchasing travel agency services and travel tickets for loved ones, Luke’s Wings provides an immediate and invaluable service to the families of our men and women at arms while also helping to encourage and motivate the service member’s recovery.
In 2011, Luke’s Wings expanded the mission to also include Texas veterans and all veterans in hospice care. As such; a veteran in hospice care may be surrounded by loved ones as they pass away. Today, the majority of requests are for World War II veterans, Korean War veterans, and Vietnam War veterans in elderly care facilities or long term inpatient care facilities. Luke’s Wings regards the Veterans in Hospice Care Program as a “final salute” to the greatest generation that ever lived.
In 2012, Luke’s Wings created a separate project line to provide emergency flights for the families of our service members who are injured on special missions. Luke’s Wings is honored to be able to be a resource for Special Operations Forces within the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) – Care Coalition.
Recognizing the difficulties families encounter as they make their way to their loved ones’ side, Luke’s Wings purchases the plane tickets and plans the trips, then Luke’s Wings partners with other non-profit organizations that can provide other services including, but not limited to, free or discounted accommodations, meals, entertainment, local travel vouchers, city tours, etc.
MarineParents.com
The mission of the MarineParents.com Travel Assistance program is to provide financial assistance to Marine Corps family members who would otherwise not be able to attend their Marine's boot camp graduation.
Military Overseas Free Flights for College Students (Student Dependent Travel)
Some great information for families stationed at an OCONUS assignment (including Alaska and Hawaii) who have a college student studying elsewhere.
Old Glory Honor Flight
Old Glory Honor Flight is dedicated to transporting our local WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans to Washington, D.C. to see the memorials built in their honor.
Our mission is to offer our local World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans a memorable, safe and rewarding tour of honor to our nation's capital. It's a whirlwind tour. This trip happens all in one day and is completely free of charge to the vet! It's our small way to say 'thank you' for their service and sacrifices to this great country. We are also dedicated to making this trip as safe as possible. Trained volunteer 'guardians' are assigned to accompany our veterans. For added safety, we travel with volunteer medical professionals.
Operation First Response
The mission of Operation First Response, Inc (OFR) is to support our nation's wounded Heroes and their families with personal and financial needs. Some assistance may be given for travel expenses to and from major medical facilities.
Operation Fly a Soldier Home (Operation Once in a Lifetime)
Soldiers deploy all over the world -- Egypt, Germany, Korea and the Middle East -- but many of these soldiers do not get to come home. They do not get to come home because they cannot afford to fly home. Soldiers deployed overseas are responsible to pay for their own flights home. If a soldier was stationed in Germany with his family and had not been home in two years, he would have to pay for him and his family to fly back to the United States.
Operation Once in a Lifetime has been able to fly hundreds of service members home over the past 7 years when the soldiers could not afford to fly home on their own. We would like to be able to fly every soldier home but we cannot do it without donated airline miles and funding. If you have extra airline miles, please contact us and donate them to a soldier. Help us fly every soldier home!
Operation Homefront
Operation Homefront's Critical Financial Assistance program helps military families address critical financial shortfalls. Most often, this means assistance with mortgage payments, rent, utilities, car repairs, home repairs, overdue bills, critical baby items, and groceries. Learn more - LINK
Operation Ride Home (Jack Daniel's and AYSMCA)
Operation Ride Home is a program designed to assist junior-enlisted service members and those with families travel from their military bases to homes around the country. Our mission is to raise as much money as possible to assist these heroes with getting home. With the help of the ASYMCA, we will be able to eclipse 10,000 of these heroes and their families that we’ve helped with travel. We will have raised more than $2 million for the life of the program. If you’re a member of the US Armed Forces interested in the program or have a family member or friend who might be, you can visit this page for more information: https://www.asymca.org/operation-ride-home.
PALS for Patriots
Patient AirLift Services (PALS) arranges free air transportation for individuals requiring medical diagnosis, treatment or follow-up, for compassionate assistance, for military personnel/family requests through the PALS for Patriots Program, or for humanitarian purposes through the PALS Sky Hope Disaster Relief Program.
Pilots for Christ
Pilots For Christ International is a non-denominational organization of pilots and aviation enthusiasts, dedicated to the promotion of the Gospel through aviation and necessary ground transportation. Free air and ground transportation is available! If you need air or ground transportation, Pilots for Christ might be able to help.
The Callen Foundation (Ohio)
The Callen Foundation provides limited financial assistance to the families for active duty Ohio military families. We provide active duty Ohio military families emergency financial assistance on a rapid basis. Our focus is on those families with the most urgent needs of day to day life such as late utility bills, rent & car payments, food and basic living necessities. We offer assistance as a one time event. All referrals for assistance are vetted by only accepting referrals from the Ohio National Guard's Family Assistance Centers located throughout Ohio. In order to be good stewards of our public donations is is our policy to not offer funding to anyone where our gift will not prevent the same situation from occurring at the next billing due date. One means of help they offer is emergency travel assistance.
The Honor Flight Network
Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization created solely to honor America's veterans for all their sacrifices. We transport our heroes to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect at their memorials. Top priority is given to the senior veterans – World War II survivors, along with those other veterans who may be terminally ill.
Veterans Airlift Command
The Veterans Airlift Command provides free air transportation to wounded veterans and their families for medical and other compassionate purposes, through a national network of volunteer aircraft owners and pilots. Our priority is on the veterans of Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan).
Copyright 2008 - 2023 Benita Koeman, Operation We Are Here. All rights reserved.
Operation We Are Here is a HUB of RESOURCES for the military community and military supporters.
Military support is not a concept to embrace; military support is sacrificial action. Visit our military support TOOLKIT.
See also...
Listing of Veterans Day books for kids - LINK
Listing of Memorial Day books for kids - LINK
Benita Koeman of Operation We Are Here is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. When you purchase a product that is linked to Amazon, I earn a small commission which in turn helps me to continue with my mission of providing resources to the military community and military supporters.
Books
about
Old Glory Honor
Flights
Be sure to visit these ADDITIONAL resources:
Resources for supporters of military and veteran families
- Practical insights in caring for
Military and veteran family resources
- Christian encouragement
- Deployment support for
- Downloads and printables
Operation We Are Here
Follow us on
resources
