Pass It On: Earning Her Wings
She was set to use her frequent flyer miles to visit her family, but when she learned she could give the miles to a wounded solider, she had a change of heart.
By Mary Ann Leone, Allentown, Pennsylvania

Finally, I’d accumulated enough frequent-flier miles for a free ticket home to see my family! I couldn’t wait!

But that changed when I saw a news story about Fisher House, which provides lodging near military hospitals for families of injured soldiers. Scrolling through the Ways to Give section of fisherhouse.org, I spotted the “Hero Miles” program.

You could donate your frequent-flier miles to provide round-trip tickets to service members who are wounded or ill and need to travel home but aren’t eligible for government-funded airfare. The troops can also use the program for air tickets so their loved ones can visit them in the hospital.

Now there was something else I couldn’t wait to do. After a few clicks, my miles were donated. A week later, I got an e-mail saying someone had booked a flight with my miles. It didn’t seem so bad to have my wings clipped, because my heart soared.