Holidays For The Heroes

United States Air Force Airman Tasha is booked as Mission 479! “The last time I saw my mom was in October 2022. At that time, she lost her mom (my grandmother), and I was not able to attend the funeral because of the cost of flying back home, even though she would have loved to have me there to support her at that time. I was also not able to celebrate her 50th birthday with her. Overall, these past few years without seeing her have been hard, so I want to surprise her for her birthday in May if possible. I think it will make her very happy.” So, from Mississippi to home, thanks to a set of donors who made this one happen. If you want to help one of our military members get home for the holidays or special event, hit our donate button at holidaysfortheheroes.org - 100% of all donations go straight to the plane tickets as we are all volunteers! Tax deductible as we are a 501c3! Thanks Tasha for protecting us! Thanks donors for protecting the protectors! E

Mission 478 Complete! Meet United States Air Force hero Hector! He is in Europe and has a special family event worthy of a Holidays For The Heroes assist! I want to thank the donors associated with Ministry Brands - some of the donations this network created came in a little later than the 2024 Christmas holiday, but the impact in 2025 is just as real! They are responsible for this trip home for Hector! If you are active duty or know some one on active duty or want to help one of our country’s best get home for a visit, head to holidaysfortheheroes.org - hit apply or donate! We are 100% volunteers, 100% of your donation goes to plane tickets for heroes like Hector, and we are a 501c3 tax deductible organization. Thanks again!

Mission 477 Booked! Meet United States Air Force Airman Thomas! He is in Europe and will be getting home to his family in the next week or so. Staffing needs kept him on the mission during Christmas, but he will be celebrating with his family in February! A few (slightly editted for length) words from him: “I would be deeply grateful for the opportunity to receive a free voucher to fly home for the holidays, as it would allow me to reunite with my family, especially my younger siblings…Unfortunately, financial constraints and the rising cost of travel have made it impossible for me to afford the trip home. Your generosity would mean the world to us and would help make this holiday season truly unforgettable.” Thank you Airman Thomas! You are headed home! If you are interested in applying for our program or you want to donate to help get some of America’s best men and women united with families, please head to: Holidaysfortheheroes.org

Completed Mission #2 of 2025! Airman Emanuel! From Europe to Puerto Rico! “I am an Air Force active duty, SrA working as a mental health tech at xxxxxxx AB…I want to surprise my family, spend time with them, and help them with my little brother, a special needs kid with Down syndrome. Sadly, my family does not have much help or support, due to our close family member being out of Puerto Rico….It will be a year since I last saw my family.” This trip was paid for by the good folks Ministry Brands! We had one of the original Ministry Brand folks cancel due to mission needs! Thanks to all of our supporters! Holidaysfortheheroes.org

Our very first mission of 2025! Meet Azareil, a member of the United States Air Force! Sometimes, due to staffing needs, folks new into the military don’t often get to go home during the actual holiday season as rank figures in to prioritizing lists in a lot of cases. So, she is headed home in the next little bit. A message from her: “Being stationed in Italy as your first base while serving in the Air Force is a unique experience filled with opportunities and challenges, especially when your family remains back in Florida. This is my first time living very far from my family as well as my first Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years without them. I would want to go back to surprise them and spend as much time as I can with them to make up for the time missed!” This is mission 475 of Holidays For The Heroes! HolidaysfortheHeroes.org

2024 Recap! I first would like to thank all of the supporters of Holidays For The Heroes. Whether you donated, reposted, or introduced us to military service members in need, your support was felt all year. As such, we had our best fundraising year in our short history. I especially want to thank Chris Bacon and the good people at Ministry Brands who directly and indirectly through their network got nearly 30 home in 2024 and through the work they did, will likely get an additional 15 or so home in 2025 as some of the supporter’s donations did not hit the mail box until January. I also want to thank Spartan, Joshua Peach, and Be Au Sm who helped us with the Boston Spartan Race fundraiser. And, there are a few major donors who I wish I could thank here, but for anonymity purposes will just say thanks - you all know who you are! Last but not least, I want to thank volunteer extraordinaire, Andrew A., who scrambled just as hard as I did in getting all these heroes booked on airlines! We got 75 home this year! We got a few home for births, weddings, proposals, and other significant family events - but most of the trips were Thanksgiving and Christmas time trips. Ticket costs were super high - the average ticket this year was $1,159. Part because airline tickets are just more expensive, but also we had a ton of overseas trips. So, even though we had our best fundraising year, the dollars went shorter than years past. How did it break down? 39 Airforce 18 Army 10 Navy 8 USMC 55 Men, 20 Women (We don’t influence who submits applications - this is just a piece of data!) Every year, I ask myself - are we still doing good things with this little project. The answer continues to be an overwhelming yes. The notes I occasionally get back from these young men and women and thier families make it worthwhile! I can also guarantee every penny donated gets put to tickets. I fund/donate myself for everything else. Also, as we are a 501c3 - you can write any donations off with the IRS. To 2025! We will cross 500 trips! Amazed and grateful. Ed Roshitsh HolidaysfortheHeroes.org

Mission 474! United States Air Force ‘s Airman Pascal! He is headed home from Europe to Maryland in the next 48 hours thanks to a handful of donors who came together for a rather expensive flight. He would not have gotten home without Holidays For The Heroes’s many supporters! “Hello, I am A1C Pascal. I joined in 2023 to finish my education and be able to take care of my Mom and make my dad proud. It has been hectic ever since I left, for I have not been able to take a leave back home to see my family especially my mom who depends on me and is currently sick. I would really appreciate an assistance to cover my tickets to go see them.” Thank you so much! HolidaysfortheHeroes.org

Mission 473! United States Air Force Airman Matthew took off today to head home for Christmas, thanks to a handful of donors! He was so excited to get this news literally at the last minute! “I want to come home for the holidays because I haven’t seen family in a while, my sister ……has been a huge support in my military career….I haven’t seen her in almost a year. I also want to see my dad on his last flight of his military career, he has been serving for over 27 years and is the reason I joined, he is my hero.” Thanks supporters for getting Matthew home! Holidaysfortheheroes.org

Mission 472! US Army soldier Lionel is headed home to Maryland today for a two week Christmas visit! (Slightly editted words from Lionel)… “Hi, my name is Lionel. I’m currently serving in the U.S Army, and it has been quite a journey. There are days when the challenges feel overwhelming, as the demands require a lot of mental strength. I’m grateful for the support I receive through emails from loved ones reminding me that they are always there for me. I would deeply appreciate the chance to visit my girlfriend and spend some precious time with my family this Christmas and New Year.” Thank you to a few donors over the last few days that made Lionel’s trip possible. Holidaysfortheheroes.org

Thank you to all who have made this year special for our troops! Mission 471!