Thanksgiving is a time of delicious huge holiday feasts and gathering of family and friends, but in some cases, that’s not as easy to make happen and you have to get a little extra creative.
In an especially poignant story that really is pulling at my heartstrings on this Thanksgiving, Miles For Military flew a soldier home just in time for the holidays.
U.S. Army Specialist Luis Garcia landed at at Newark Airport on November 26 after two years away thanks to this new non-profit, whose mission is to provide flights for young active duty service members from all branches of the military to get home for the moments that really matter, such as getting home for the holidays or other meaningful life and family events.
Specialist Luis Garcia has been stationed at Fort Hood in Texas, and when he returned home for the holidays, many family members, including his younger brothers, had come in from Philadelphia for the occasion.
“I cannot describe with words,” Garcia said in an interview with WPIX. “It’s been two long years. I’ve been in Germany, Poland, and we went back to California, and now coming back to see my family is really cool.”
“It’s going to be so great for Thanksgiving ‘cause we’re going to be, all the family, together now,” Isa Garcia, Luis’ cousin, told WPIX. “With him, we are complete.”
This effort is continuing to grow, and it’s going to mean a lot of military getting to see their family for the holidays. PIX 11 News reports that the goal is by the end of the year nearly 500 soldiers will have the opportunity to be flown home through this program.