JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
Approximately 100 U.S. Service members including U.S. Soldiers and Airmen from Joint Base Langley-Eustis (JBLE) wished Gold Star members, families of fallen Service members, safe and happy travels on their all-expenses paid trip to Dallas as part of the Snowball Express event at Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk, Virginia, Dec. 12, 2015.
Through the Express' weekend of events, Gold Star children from across the nation received the opportunity to build bonds with others who have been through the same ordeal of losing a parent in the line of military duty.
"It's a bitter sweet experience because in order for my grandchildren to do this, we lost our daughter, and all these people have lost a loved one," said Judith Reynal, a Gold Star family member from the Hampton Roads area. "But, it is comforting to know that the community cares enough about your loss to provide this type of experience for these children."
The event, which Reynal described as royal, began with Service members at Norfolk Airport lining up with U.S. flags to form a walk-way from the entryway escalator to the security gate for the Gold Star families.
"You don't believe it until you see it," said Reynal, of the line of Soldiers, Sailors, Coast Guardsmen, Marines and Airmen. "It's every service person -- It's so nice to see everyone united because that's what we're here for, to protect our United States."
As the families walked through, the Service members along with passersby cheered the families on, showing their thanks for the families' continued support after losing their loved ones in time of war.
For Service members like U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Luis Olmeda, a student at the JBLE Aviation Logistics Noncommissioned Officer Academy, seeing the families' reactions was more than they had expected of the volunteer event.
Olmeda explained that some of the children were shy and scared because the cheering was loud, but he could tell that they were smiling even if they were hiding their faces from the crowd.
The families' reactions not only shed light on the significance of the event, but the importance of continued support for the entire military family.
"We're here for them and are here to support them in any way that we can," said U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Roberto Mercado, a services superintendent for the 192nd Fighter Wing. "We do share that loss with them. Even though we may not have known that family member, every time we lose someone in combat we all lose a brother or a sister. These families have an extended family forever. We are here, we're strong and we're definitely going to continue to support them."
For Reynal, Service members like Olmeda and programs like the Snowball Express, helped her walk away from the event knowing this wouldn't be the last time the services would come together to remind the Gold Star members of their role in the military family.
"I can't believe all of you are here on a Saturday to support us," said Reynal of the Service members. "And, it's not just Saturdays, it's 24/7, twelve months a year, and we are so grateful."