Listed below are amazing resources for our military community… enjoy!
Air Travel for sick and disabled veterans
Air Charity Network
www.aircharitynetwork.org
For more than 25 years, Air Charity Network has been coordinating free air transportation for children and adults with medical or compelling humanitarian needs. 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
http://www.redcross.org/get-help/military-families/financial-assistance
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.
Who is Eligible for Financial Assistance:
Call the American Red Cross Hero Care Center at 1-877-272-7337 (toll-free) if you are:
– An active duty service member
– A member of an activated National Guard or Reserve unit
– An immediate family member of a service member in the above two categories
– A military retiree or spouse/widow(er) of a retiree
Angel Airlines for PTSD Recovery
www.angelairlinesforptsdrecovery.org
Angel Airlines For PTSD Recovery’s mission is to ensure that no veteran in need is denied clinical care because of a lack of transportation. It’s a charitable patient airline ticket agency. The organization works with in partnership with Air Compassion for Veterans (ACV). ACV provides air transportation for these wounded warriors, veterans and their adversely affected family members. This transportation provides access to specialized counseling and a variety of treatments they may need in order to eventually reintegrate into society as healthy and productive citizens.
Angel Wings for Veterans
http://angelwingsforveterans.org/
Angel Wings for Veterans provides wounded, ill and injured veterans and active duty service members along with their families with 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. They provide transportation to clinical care and to a variety of therapies.
Angel Flight
www.angelflightsoars.org
Angel Flight Soars arranges free air transportation for people who need to travel to receive lifesaving medical treatment, but lack the means. They believe illness isn’t stopped by boundaries and cures shouldn’t be either – whether the boundaries are geographic or monetary. They help families focus on getting better instead of worrying about how to get there. That’s why they coordinate 8 missions a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Angel Flight volunteer pilots are ready to act as angels in the lives of others. They are totally committed to their mission of removing the obstacle of transportation for individuals with medical and financial needs.
Angel Flight East
http://angelflighteast.org/
Angel Flight East (AFE) is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the community by facilitating free air transportation for children and adults with medical conditions who need to get to treatment far from home.
AFE serves the Northeastern region of the United States, and for destinations beyond their reach, they link with other volunteer pilot organizations.
Anyone who requests a flight must be medically stable, able to board an aircraft, and fly in a small non-pressurized aircraft. 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 they cover a 14 state territory that includes Virginia to Ohio to Maine.
Fisher House (Hero Miles)
http://www.fisherhouse.org/programs/hero-miles/
The Hero Miles Program provides round-trip airline tickets to wounded, injured, and ill service members and/or their families who are undergoing treatment at a military or VA medical center; or who are attending an authorized event. Flights are made possible through frequent flyer mile donations made by individual airline passengers.
Helping Heroes Fly
http://www.helpingheroesfly.com/
They provide airfare to enlisted military personnel so that they can be home with their families for holidays, and special occasions when they otherwise can’t afford a ticket.
They believe finances should never keep a military hero from being with family!
Impact a Hero
http://impactplayer.org/programs/business-aviation-support/
Emergency Financial Aid – Grants help offset the loss of income while a parent or spouse is the caregiver to the injured Hero; provide assistance for basic living expenses such as: mortgage, rent, car maintenance, utilities, groceries, etc.; transportation and lodging expenses of multiple family members visiting their injured family member; and assist with payments of uncovered medical expenses or prosthetic device upgrades, and handicap accessible retrofits in their home
Let’s Bring ‘Em Home
From the Founder… “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.
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.”
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.
Marine Graduation Foundation
If you don’t have the money to get to the graduation, apply for assistance. People donate, applications are reviewed and if all goes well they will help you with travel costs so that your Marine does not have to stand alone on graduation day.
They do this to make sure that no new Marine stands alone on graduation day. These men and women volunteered to go through painstaking training to allow all of us to sleep at night knowing they are there to protect us. Only after they successfully make it through training are they called United States Marines.
Military Overseas Free Flights for College Students (Student Dependent Travel)
http://www.worldtravelingmilitaryfamily.com/military-overseas-free-flights-for-college-students-to-visit/
Great information for families stationed at an OCONUS assignment (including Alaska and Hawaii) who have a college student studying elsewhere.
Old Glory Honor Flight
http://www.oldgloryhonorflight.org/
Their mission is to offer our local World War II veterans a memorable, safe and rewarding tour of honor to our nation’s capitol. This trip happens all in one day and is completely free of charge to the vet! It’s their small way to say ‘thank you’ for their service and sacrifices to this great country. They are also dedicated to making this trip as safe as possible. Trained volunteer ‘guardians’ are assigned to accompany every veteran. For added safety, they 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. Financial aid varies as each case is based on individual needs ranging from rent, utilities, vehicle payments, groceries, clothing, and travel expenses. Some assistance may be given for travel expenses to and from major medical facilities.
Operation Fly a Soldier Home (Operation Once in a Lifetime)
http://operationonceinalifetime.com/
Soldiers deploy all over the world, 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.
Operation Homefront – Miles for Military
http://www.operationhomefront.net/
Operation Homefront partnered with Quicken Loans who has has donated 400 flights at a minimum of 2,000,000 miles for domestic and international air travel.
By connecting the American donor community to our military families through a robust array of valued and life-changing programs that address the specific short-term and Critical Financial Assistance, long-term stability and recurring support needs they experience, Operation Homefront is able to help military families overcome many of the challenges inherent in military life. The result: stronger, more stable, and more secure military families
If you are an active duty member of the U.S. military, use the application on their website to submit your request to be considered for a free flight home to visit your loved ones or to request flights to have your loved ones visit you.
The program is open to active duty service members, E1-E6 or wounded, ill or injured, any rank.
Operation Ride Home (Jack Daniel’s and AYSMCA)
http://www.jdoperationridehome.com
The trained staff of the non-profit ASYMCA will work closely with military commands and volunteers across all service branches to identify those service members and families in need of travel financial assistance. While our nation’s military does a wonderful job of getting our troops back to their base from deployment, it’s just not home. From monetary donations to airline miles, let’s get even more service members and their families home this year.
Pilots for Christ
pilotsforchrist.org
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 through their membership of Christian pilots.
The Honor Flight Network
http://honorflight.org/
Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization created solely to honor America’s veterans for all their sacrifices. They 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
veteransairlift.org
The Veterans Airlift Command provides free air transportation to post 9/11 combat wounded and their families for medical and other compassionate purposes, through a national network of volunteer aircraft owners and pilots.
Wings for our Troops
http://wingsforourtroops.com/
The Wings for Our Troops Foundation was born out of their desire to honor their son, CPL Chad S Wade, USMC, who was killed in action while in combat in Afghanistan on December 1, 2010. Wings for Our Troops Foundation strives to assist Marines/Soldiers in getting home before and/or after deployment or for family emergencies should they not have the financial means to do so otherwise.
Wings for Warriors
http://wingsforwarriors.org/
Wings for Warriors is a volunteer driven, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in support of combat wounded military service members returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Their mission is to provide necessary tools, insights and resources for wounded veterans as they go through the recovery process and transition into new realities.
They support financial assistance for immediate family members traveling to visit wounded loved ones located at military and hospital facilities around the nation.
Navy – Marine Corps Relief Society (NMRCS)
http://www.nmcrs.org/pages/emergency-travel
WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
For help with urgent travel funds, you must be an:
- Active duty or retired Sailor or Marine
- Eligible family member with military ID card
- Surviving spouse
- Reservist on extended active duty of 30 days or more
Land Travel – Land transportation and transportation for sick and disabled veterans
Angel Wings for Veterans
http://angelwingsforveterans.org/transport-modes/
Angel Wings for Veterans arranges charitable, non-local trips for veterans who are unable to fly or who need to travel a relatively short distance to access care. We provide gas cards and commercial train and bus tickets. The typical trip does not exceed 300 miles and must be over 50 miles.
Disabled American Veteran’s (DAV) Voluntary Services Program
Our nation’s heroes travel around the globe to protect our freedoms—it’s only right that we return their dedication. Volunteering to drive a vet ensures that even those living remotely from VA hospitals can make their appointments and never go without the treatment they need. The Disabled American Veteran’s (DAV) Voluntary Services Program operates a network of volunteers who provide veterans free rides to and from VA medical facilities and improve care and morale for sick and disabled veterans.
Homeward Bound Adirondacks (Saranac Lake, NY)
homewardboundadirondacks.org/services.html
HBADK was active this year in providing free medical transportation to Veterans and their families. They did a number of local transports (New York state) as well as providing transportation to Burlington and Albany. The service will provide transportation to medical and mental health appointments, errands, and other appointments. Priority will be given to medical and mental health appointments.
Marine Graduation Foundation
www.usmcgrad.org
If you don’t have the money to get to the graduation, apply for assistance. People donate, applications are reviewed and if all goes well we will help you with travel costs so that your Marine does not have to stand alone on graduation day.
Operation: Destination Homebound (Southern California)
https://operationdestinationhomebound.org/
Operation: Destination Homebound provides free transportation to and from airports, bus and train terminals, for all branches of the military and their families. They also provide transportation to VA hospitals and the Veterans Administration. They service Southern California and North Carolina for now and hope to expand in the future.
Operation Homefront
https://www.operationhomefront.net/howwehelp
Operation Homefront assists military families during difficult financial times by providing food assistance, auto and home repair, vision care, travel and transportation, moving assistance, essential home items, and rent-free transitional housing for wounded veterans and their families.
RideshareOnline.com (Northwest USA)
www.rideshareonline.com
RideshareOnline.com is your resource for commuting options in the Northwest. This regional project is managed by Washington State Department of Transportation and is currently available in Washington and Idaho.
RideshareOnline.com assists commuters by providing free carpool, vanpool, and bicycle ridematching services, bus/rail options, SchoolPool carpooling programs for parents, and information about the benefits of teleworking from home. Many commuters may be able to access information on their employer’s in-house commute program and promotional incentives through RideshareOnline.com.
VA – Free rides for veterans in highly rural areas
http://www.va.gov
Thousands of veterans who live in highly rural and remote areas will now have free transportation to their VA medical appointments to receive the health care they need and have earned through service to our country.
A highly rural area is a county or counties with a population of less than seven persons per square mile. Twenty-five states have counties that are highly rural. Those states are found in the northern, western and southwestern parts of the United States.
VetCar.org (Atlanta, GA)
http://vetcar.org/
Vetcar is supported by Victory Auto Brokers and charitable donations in an effort to help homeless/formally homeless and disabled veterans obtain affordable transportation. Their mission is to end veteran homelessness and unemployment throughout Atlanta by providing those who served our country with affordable and reliable transportation.
At VetCar, 85% of cars sold are to a veteran, at an affordable price with low monthly financing options at 0% interest. VetCar is a Homes of Light program that provides assistance to veterans to purchase reasonably priced used vehicles. The goal of this program is to provide participants with transportation that will enable them to pursue and maintain employment.
Vehicle adaptation for wounded warriors
Help Our Military Heroes
http://www.helpourmilitaryheroes.org/
Help Our Military Heroes is dedicated to delivering adaptive minivans to our wounded and injured military heroes who have served since the inception of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
HOMH is donation-driven with 100% of public donations going toward purchasing special-needs vehicles for military heroes in need and other programs to help the wounded and injured.
Heroes to Hometowns (American Legion)
http://www.wilegion.org/page/content/programs/heroes-to-hometowns
“Heroes to Hometowns” is a transition program for severely injured service members returning home from OEF/OIF. The “Heroes to Hometowns” establishes a support network and coordinates resources for severely injured service members returning home.
(If you are not severely injured and are in need of general transition assistance or support, you may also fill out the Request form or your American Legion Department Service Officer (DSO) or your local American Legion post ).