U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Lilliana Morales walked through Pittsburgh International Airport for the first time in two years, greeted by relatives who had flown in from Puerto Rico and Philadelphia to welcome her home. Morales, who grew up in Baldwin Borough, left for basic training two years ago and hadn't returned to her hometown since. The trip was made possible by a free round-trip flight from Miles for Military, a Boston-based nonprofit that trades volunteer hours for airfare.
A TikTok Discovery Led to a Homecoming
Morales learned about the program through TikTok, according to TribLIVE, which first reported on her reunion. She completed her qualifying volunteer service at Shoreline City Church in San Antonio, where she is stationed, and heard back on her application within two days of submitting it. Miles for Military requires applicants to complete at least 25 verified volunteer hours within 12 months of the requested flight and to apply at least 30 days before travel, per the organization's own FAQ page. The distance between San Antonio and Baldwin Borough is roughly 1,500 miles.
Morales is engaged to Maddox Van Dyken, a fellow Air Force service member she fell in love with at her base in San Antonio. The couple, both 20 years old, plan to use the trip to scout wedding venues and revisit some of Morales's childhood favorites around Baldwin Borough. Morales said Miles for Military made the trip home possible, according to TribLIVE's reporting.
How the Flight Program Works
Miles for Military is open to active-duty service members in ranks E1 through E4 who have completed the required volunteer hours; National Guard and Reserve members are not currently eligible, per the organization's FAQ. Eligible troops can receive a free round-trip flight worth up to $1,000 for domestic travel or $1,500 for international travel, flying from any duty station in the world to any U.S. state or territory, though the nonprofit makes the final booking decision based on availability and cost. Service members may complete their volunteer hours at their base, in their community, or with a faith-based organization, and eligible flyers can receive one round-trip flight per calendar year if they log a fresh set of hours. The program is funded through donations, with a single donor covering overhead costs so that public contributions go directly toward flights, according to Just The News.
A Nonprofit Born From a $900 Phone Call
Miles for Military was founded by Maureen Byrne, who serves as the organization's founder and president. Byrne started the nonprofit in 2023 after spending almost $900 to fly her son Ronan home to Boston for Thanksgiving from Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, according to TribLIVE. When she asked Ronan, who served in the Marine Corps, why more troops didn't come home for the holidays, he told her nobody gets home because nobody can afford to — a response Byrne said broke her heart and pushed her to find a solution.
Byrne comes from a family with deep military ties: her father served in the British Army, her brother and two uncles served in the U.S. Army and Navy, according to the TribLIVE report. She later completed a nonprofit management course at Harvard University's Kennedy School, and the organization has grown from Byrne working alone to a staff of eight split between Boston and Washington, D.C., with friends helping spread the word through word-of-mouth advertising.
From Dozens of Flights to Thousands
The nonprofit's growth has been rapid. TribLIVE reports Miles for Military provided fewer than 100 annual flights as recently as 2023 and now expects to provide 5,000 flights in 2026, with Byrne aiming for 25,000 the following year. Separately, ABC7 reported the organization started with just 19 flights in its first year, grew to 49 the following year, and had already provided 535 flights this year as of its report. Cumulative totals vary across outlets — Just The News has cited 818 service members flown home from more than 150 installations, WSAV has cited 1,000 enlisted service members flown home, and a Businesswire release cited more than 600 service members booked since inception — though the counting methods behind each figure were not specified.
Byrne has said the nonprofit would get more service members home if it could raise the money, and roughly 500,000 junior enlisted personnel in ranks E1 through E4 are described as eligible for the program nationwide. She has said she wants to partner with airlines to secure unused seats for service members and hopes to remove the dollar limit on international flights, noting that some service members stationed in Guam cannot get home for years because tickets are extremely expensive.
Other Families, Same Story
Morales's reunion echoes similar homecomings the nonprofit has arranged elsewhere. Miles for Military flew Air Force Airman First Class Crystal Boyd home from California so she could attend her family's reunion in Valdosta, Georgia — an event she had missed for three years while stationed on the West Coast, and which this year marked the family's 50th gathering with nearly 250 relatives and friends expected, per WSAV. At Jacksonville International Airport, the organization brought Senior Airman Carson LaGrange home to his family after more than two years away, a flight that NBC Boston reported marked the organization's 100th overall. For Morales and her family at Pittsburgh International Airport, the moment carried the same weight: two years of distance closed by a volunteer application, a donor-funded ticket, and a flight home.
