Help us help our troops! Send service members home to their loved ones this holiday season.
LYNCHBURG, Tenn. – For the seventh year now, the Jack Daniel’s Distillery and the Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) have partnered to raise money to help bring our troops home for the holidays. The “Operation Ride Home” campaign provides financial assistance to active duty junior-enlisted military and their families to travel from their place of military service to “home” for the holidays.
The Jack Daniel’s Distillery has once again donated $100,000 to kick off the campaign this year. In total, the company’s donations will exceed more than one million dollars over the life of Operation Ride Home.
Since Operation Ride Home began in 2011 – 2,669 junior enlisted service members, both those who are single and those with families totalling 5,767 people in all – have traveled from their bases to homes around the country for the holidays. Men and women from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard have been assisted with travel to 47 of the 50 states.
The ASYMCA works with the various military commands in specific areas co-located with ASYMCA branches to identify and prioritize junior-enlisted service members and families with the most financial need. Plane tickets and pre-paid debit cards are given to assist those traveling.
Operation Ride Home is open to active duty service members in the paygrade E-4 and below, both single and married, who might not otherwise financially be able to travel home for the holidays. The option to drive or fly is an individual decision. Plane ticket vouchers are limited to $400 per person flying, and for those choosing to drive, the pre-paid debit cards are $100 per family member for gas, lodging, and food.
Family members also can apply if their service member is deployed or otherwise prevented from traveling due to military duty. Commanders will help program officials choose participants in the program. Other restrictions: Families must be driving more than 350 miles to be eligible for the $100-per-person gift cards, all participants must sign liability waivers, and prior Operation Ride Home beneficiaries may apply again, but aren’t guaranteed to be selected.
Operation Ride Home Applicants: View and complete the Operation Ride Home Application
Remember the application must be submitted by the service member or spouse and must be approved by your command.
Operation Ride Home can only serve military members stationed near these Armed Services YMCA branches. Participating locations are:
- Altus and Lawton-Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
- Camp Pendleton, San Diego, and Twenty-nine Palms, California.
- El Paso and Killeen, Texas.
- Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
- Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
- Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
- Hampton Roads, Virginia.
- Honolulu, HI
- Alaska
Not everyone is fortunate enough to spend the holidays with loved ones. I remember our very first Thanksgiving and Christmas thousands of miles from home while on an overseas assignment in a remote location. My husband was junior-enlisted, thus new to the military, and it was a struggle. There were times when we just couldn’t make it back to the States for the holidays. Reconnecting military families during this special time of year is one small way Operation Ride Home strengthens military families.
The famed distillery is asking friends to visit www.jdoperationridehome.com to make a contribution to help more service members spend the holidays at home. All donations are 100 percent tax deductible.
Help us help our troops! Send service members home to their loved ones this holiday season.
