Dot native Maureen Byrne has gone the extra mile to help servicemen and women travel home for the holidays through her Boston-based nonprofit, Miles for Military.

The organization lets active-duty service members trade volunteer hours for flights they would otherwise not be able to afford. Specifically, Miles for Military helps those in the most junior ranks fly home at no cost. 

Byrne, a Marine mom, was always thankful that her son, Ronan Barrett, a corporal electrician, and his best friend, Danny O’Toole, a corporal sniper, could make it home for “the moments that matter,” but she knew that many of their peers didn’t have the same luxury.

“One Thanksgiving it was almost $900 to send Ronan home from North Carolina to Boston,” said Byrne, who grew up in the Ashmont Hill neighborhood. “It just made me think there are so many kids that don’t get to go home. Every day I’m reading a story or I’m talking to a Marine or a soldier and some of the stories are just so heartbreaking.”

Byrne wanted to help reunite other families, but she wasn’t sure how. One weekend when she was talking to Ronan, she learned that he sometimes left his base at Camp Lejeune to volunteer in the community. That’s when the lightbulb went off. 

“I thought: ‘What if we ask these kids to do volunteer work and they can earn a ticket?’ It’s like a win-win,” said Byrne. “A lot of the kids love to volunteer. It gets them out of their barracks, off base, and doing things that they really enjoy, learning new skills and meeting new friends.”
Thus, Miles for Military was born. 

“I brought the idea to a friend of mine who helped me kickstart it up, which is why we’ve been able to fly up to a hundred homes this season. But we really need more donations,” Byrne told The Reporter. “We need people to go to our website— www.milesformilitary.org— hit that donate button, and help.”

Though the organization is especially popular around Christmas, Miles for Military operates year-round.

“The moments that matter can be holidays, they could be summer, they can also be weddings, they can be funerals, sadly,” said Byrne. “Even the smallest donation can be put toward a ticket to get a kid home to see his mom, dad, friends, or grandma.”

After volunteering for 25 hours at any 501(c)(3) organization, active-duty service members can file an application for an airline ticket at least two weeks prior to their requested travel. The Miles for Military team then reviews and confirms the application and helps the service member book a flight anywhere within the contiguous 48 states. 

The organization has flown individuals to California, Oregon, Arizona, Missouri, and more. Just last week, two Marines from Massachusetts flew into Logan Airport, thanks to Miles for Military. 

“Saturday morning, we had [Private First Class] Antonio Marcucci from Fall River flying home. I met him at the airport with his mom and his mom’s wife. It was really nice,” said Byrne. “Sunday night I had [Marine Corporal] Nicolas ‘Nico’ Serret fly home. He hadn’t been home for 2 years and 4 months. I went to brunch Monday at the house to visit with the family.”

Byrne hopes to see many more members of the armed forces return home to their families this holiday season. “We’re seeking to grow our donor base through corporate partnerships and private donations,” said Byrne. “Our goal is to raise a lot of money; that is our number one goal … because the demand is great.”

She added, “We really want to scale this to the point where we don’t have to turn anybody away.”