The Ben Jackson Foundation is proud to announce 14 recipients of its September 2026 Travel Awards, continuing its mission of helping military service members reconnect with the family and loved ones who support them throughout their service.
This month’s recipients represent the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, with service members currently stationed throughout the United States and at military installations in Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. Their journeys will take them home to destinations across the country—and, in one case, across the world.
For military service members, being stationed far from home can make family time difficult. Deployments, training, permanent duty assignments, and overseas postings can mean missing birthdays, holidays, milestones, and everyday moments with the people they love. The Ben Jackson Foundation Travel Awards help ease that burden by providing financial assistance for travel home.
September 2026 Travel Award Recipients
This month’s 14 recipients will be making journeys from their current duty stations to spend time with family and loved ones:
- John Bendele — U.S. Army: Fort Campbell, Kentucky → Kentucky
- Caleb Clemons — U.S. Air Force: Kadena Air Base, Japan → Indiana
- Breanna Dacanay — U.S. Navy: Coming home to Virginia
- Anonymous — U.S. Air Force: Osan Air Base, South Korea → Texas
- Chandler Diehl — U.S. Air Force: Kadena Air Base, Japan → Indiana
- Anonymous — U.S. Navy: 29 Palms, California → Texas
- Megan Emery — U.S. Air Force: RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom → New York
- Julio Espino Rayo — U.S. Air Force: Yokota Air Base, Japan → Florida
- Jaden Grow — U.S. Air Force: RAF Croughton, United Kingdom → Alabama
- Samantha Saint Jean — U.S. Marine Corps: Camp Hansen, Japan → Florida
- Christopher Santos — U.S. Navy: NAB Coronado, California → Davao Del Sur, Philippines
- Sofia Suvorina — U.S. Marine Corps: Camp Hansen, Japan → Florida
- Anonymous — U.S. Air Force: Kadena Air Base, Japan → Florida
- Juliett Wright — U.S. Air Force: Joint Base Langley–Eustis, Virginia → Hawaii
Closing the Distance Between Service Members and Home
The miles represented by these journeys tell only part of the story.
For a service member stationed overseas, a trip home can involve thousands of miles and significant travel expenses. For those stationed across the country, getting home can still be difficult when military responsibilities, limited leave, and the cost of transportation stand in the way.
The Travel Awards help remove one of those obstacles.
A trip home can mean sitting around the dinner table with family, spending time with children, visiting parents, celebrating an important milestone, or simply enjoying the feeling of being home again. These are ordinary moments that can become extraordinary when military service keeps families apart.
The Ben Jackson Foundation believes those moments matter.
Supporting the Families Behind the Service
When a service member joins the military, their family makes sacrifices too. Spouses, children, parents, siblings, and other loved ones often spend months apart from the person they care about while providing encouragement and support from home.
Helping service members get home isn’t simply about transportation. It’s about strengthening the connections that help military families navigate the challenges of service.
The September Ben Jackson Foundation Travel Awards are another example of how the Ben Jackson Foundation puts that belief into action.
Thank You to Our Supporters
The Travel Awards program is made possible through the generosity of donors, volunteers, businesses, and community members who believe in supporting those who serve our country.
Every contribution helps make another journey home possible. Every award provides an opportunity for a service member to reconnect with loved ones. And every reunion is a meaningful reminder that the sacrifices made by our military families do not go unnoticed.
The Ben Jackson Foundation is incredibly grateful to everyone who continues to support this mission and help us carry forward Ben Jackson’s legacy of service and compassion.
Congratulations to Our September Recipients
To our September 2026 Travel Award recipients, congratulations and thank you for your service and dedication to our country.
We hope your journey home provides meaningful time with the people who matter most and creates memories that will last long after you return to your duty station.
The Ben Jackson Foundation is honored to help bring military families together—one journey home at a time.
