by Heather Graf
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – Being home for the holidays is something our military men and women don't take for granted. It's also something they rarely get to experience. This year, a hefty donation is making that possible for hundreds of Fort Campbell soldiers.
Tennessee-based whiskey maker Jack Daniels is donating $101,000 to pay for plane tickets, gas cards, and travel funds for those soldiers who may be stuck on post this holiday season, without the money or means to travel home.
"It's a huge deal, and I don't know if I really realized the impact of it until today," said Shirley West, who heads up the Armed Services YMCA at Fort Campbell.
That agency is working hand-in-hand with Jack Daniels, to identify soldiers who both need and deserve this bit of help.
"I talked to a gentleman this morning and asked him how long it had been since he went home, and he said about three years," she said. "He couldn't afford it if it weren't for this."
On Friday, Shirley and her staff at the YMCA started handing out the first of the travel vouchers.
"I'm going to San Antonio, Texas to see my family," said Private First Class Oscar Garcia. "It's my first time home in a while. I'll be there thru Christmas and New Year's."
Garcia says the thing he looks forward to the most is spending Christmas with his two-year-old daughter.
"This will be my first one with her, so it'll be a pretty joyful experience," he said.
Jack Daniels is paying for travel for not just for the soldiers, but their spouses and children, as well.
"This is a tremendous help for these families," says West. "We've got people going to Maine, California, even Washington."
This is the first year Jack Daniels has made such a donation, but the hope is that Operation Ride Home will become an annual event.
You can help them send even more Fort Campbell soldiers home for the holidays, by clicking here: https://jdoperationridehomemedia.com/donation.
A spokesman for Jack Daniels says the public has already pitched in nearly $25,000. Donations for this year's travel can be made any time before December 21.
Email: hgraf@newschannel5.com
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