Li Davis, a 20-year Army veteran, remembers what this time of year can be like for service members.
“I spent countless holidays, major holidays, all by myself,” the Clarksville resident recalled.
But thanks to a nonprofit, Miles for Military, Davis arrived Wednesday at the Baltimore/Washington International Airport to welcome her daughter, Victoria Sanders, home for Thanksgiving from her own service in the Air Force.
“My beautiful baby,” Davis exclaimed, taking her daughter’s face in both her hands. “The world got brighter.”
Sanders, 20, is an airman 1st Class at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base outside of Dayton, Ohio, where she works in IT.
“This is really, really nice,” Sanders said. “I really needed that break. And family is really important.
“Thanksgiving is a time where everyone can come together and eat, have a feast,” she said. “So, it is really nice to see them during the holidays.”
On her to-do list for her two weeks on leave?
“Black Friday shopping,” she said. “Maybe get some spa treatments. Who knows? Just hang out with family, really have some good food.”
Sanders, who has been in the Air Force for about two years, said she hadn’t been planning to come home, thinking the plane ticket might be pretty pricey. But then, she learned of Miles for Military.
The group was started in 2021 by a Marine mom, Maureen Byrne, of Braintree, Mass., who, when paying for her son to come home for Thanksgiving, learned that many of his friends couldn’t afford to do the same.
The group fundraises to buy plane tickets for junior enlisted men and women, although it recently entered into a partnership with the loyalty program of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts that allows members to donate reward points to the group.
As part of getting a free flight, service members provide 25 hours of volunteer work in their community. Sanders did her service at the Wright-Patterson Junior Force Council, a group for younger enlistees and officers, saying she shared information about how they can network with those in higher ranks and served as a conduit for them to raise concerns and ideas on the base.
The application process for the flight home was simple, she said, although it took some doing to fit the volunteer hours into her schedule.
“But I’m glad it paid off,” Sanders said.
She hadn’t seen her parents and younger sister for about a year, and her grandparents, who also came to town for the holiday, even longer than that.
Davis, whose husband is a Navy veteran, said the volunteering aspect of Miles for Military was unique.
“I definitely advise all the young military people to take advantage and be more active,” she said, “Participate in all the volunteer opportunities that they can.”
And the fact that her daughter’s volunteering led to her coming home for the holiday?
“It’s priceless,” Davis said.
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