Operation Ride Home

Holiday Travel Assistance for Military Families

The Jack Daniels Operation Ride Home program helps bring military families together for the holidays. Operation Ride Home subsidizes the travel costs for eligible service members and their dependents to return home to spend time with their families during the holidays.

2026 Application Period is Closed for El Paso

Applications are currently being reviewed. Selection notification will be November 5-6.

If you have questions regarding a submitted application, please contact us at: 915-263-7164 ext. 105 or twarren@asymca.org.

Program Overview

  • Travel assistance valued at a maximum of $500 for one round-trip airline ticket or a $125 prepaid gift card for vehicle travel per eligible family member.
  • Service member, military spouse or military official may submit an application. If the service member is traveling, a signed Leave Dates Approval Form is required to include as part of the application process.
  • Participants must complete an application in its entirety in order to be considered.
  • ASYMCA El Paso reviews and selects eligible applications who might not otherwise financially be able to travel home.
  • For air travel an ASYMCA approved travel agent must purcahse the airline ticket; for vehicle travel, the applicant receives the gift card from ASYMCA El Paso. ASYMCA does not reimburse individuals for airline tickets purchased separately.
  • Limited to E1-E5 Active Duty or Reserve military personnel, their spouse, and dependent children ages 0-18, from all six Service branches. National Guard are not eligible.
  • Spouse and children must travel with their service member unless the service member is deployed or on TDY at the time of travel.
  • To apply through ASYMCA El Paso, applicants must be stationed at Fort Bliss, White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico (if you’re located at another installation please contact your local ASYMCA for details)
  • Other relatives, including parents, grandparents and siblings, are not eligible to receive assistance. Flying a family member to an installation is not allowed.
  •  Travel destinations must be at least 350 miles from the service member’s duty station and can be anywhere in the world. Any amount over the $500 airline ticket value is the responsibility of the service member.

The 2026 Operation Ride Home application period is September 7 – October 2, 2026 for travel dates between November 1, 2026 – February 28, 2027.

The application window for 2026 Operation Ride Home has ended. Applications are currently being reviewed. Selection notification will be November 5-6.

If you have a questions regarding a submitted application, please contact us at: 915-263-7164 ext. 105 or twarren@asymca.org.