Photo By Janecze Wright | Jaxon Depan, 9, greets volunteers on his way to board Snowball Express flight 9707...... read more read more
Subscribe
KILLEEN, Texas — It was still dark in the early hours of Saturday morning, but spirits were bright at Killeen Regional Airport as Fort Hood leadership, city officials, special guests and volunteers gathered to send 31 Gold Star family members to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, courtesy of Snowball Express.
The annual five-day event full of fun and fellowship honors fallen heroes, supports their surviving family members and reminds Gold Star families the military community supports them and they are not alone.
“(Snowball Express) shows that they still matter,” Col. Mark R. McClellan, U.S. Army Garrison-Fort Hood commander, said of the Gold Star families. “They’re still centered in our hearts, and there’s organizations, both volunteer and local, that care about them and still think that they’re important to us, and we show that we care.”
When award-winning actor and musician Gary Sinise first learned about Snowball Express in 2006, he knew immediately he wanted to be a part of the organization and joined the following year. The event grew over the years, “eventually becoming the Gary Sinise Foundation initiative, to expand impact and bring even more joy to our incredible families by launching this magical annual trip to Disney World Orlando,” explained retired Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch, an ambassador and advisory board member, Gary Sinise Foundation.
“It is an honor to be here in the company of heroes, and we as a nation, we’ve got this all wrong,” Lynch said as he addressed attendees. “We think athletes and actors are heroes. They’re not. Our service members and our families are the true heroes, and in this room, we have the most important heroes — the families of the fallen.”
Brig. Gen. Geoff R. Van Epps, deputy commanding general-maneuver, III Armored Corps, echoed the same sentiments, praising the families for their resilience.
“On behalf of the Soldiers and families at Fort Hood who still remember, and in fact, will never forget, the sacrifices that you and your families made for our country, we continue to be grateful, to remember and to be inspired by the grace and strength with which you live in spite of your loss,” he said.
Many Gold Star family members find strength in commonality and lean on one another for support.
“I was so overwhelmed because there’s so many people that come with the letters and the things you have to sign and the boxes you have to pick up and the personal belongings,” explained Jessica Rollins-Jones, who was on her second Snowball Express trip with her son, Micah Rollins, after the death of her spouse, Sgt. Jimmy Rollins, in 2012. “But when we went to Snowball Express, at that time it was in Fort Worth, everything there was just hugs, warm eyes, hot chocolate, twinkling lights and face painting. It was easy, it was calm and it was warm. And even though there were memorials where you had to remember, there was also comfort.
“You feel so alone because that person is gone, and so it can feel like it’s a movie,” she added. “And you come here and you meet all these people and it’s not only you, and all these people understand without words.”
This is also the second trip for Rayven Sullivan, a Gold Star spouse, who said her fellow Gold Star families have become her family.
“Building our own village has been amazing and connecting with all the people who’ve experienced the same things that we have is a weight off of my shoulders because my baby doesn’t feel as alone anymore,” she said of her daughter, Mahogany Sullivan, 11, and her late spouse, Spc. Javion Sullivan, who passed away in 2018.
This year’s Snowball Express partnered with American Airlines to charter 10 flights headed to 21 airports to fly families traveling from as far as Alaska, Hawaii, Asia and Europe, with flight 9707 carrying local Gold Star families to their final destination of “The Most Magical Place on Earth.”
Though Sinise couldn’t be there to see them off in-person, he sent a letter conveying his affections for Lynch to read on his behalf.
“To all our Snowball families please know that we never forget your loved ones or your sacrifices,” he read. “They remain forever in our hearts, and we know that they want, most of all, to see you smiling, laughing and creating new memories this week. Have fun, meet new friends and remember, you are never alone. We love you.”
| Date Taken: | 12.11.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.29.2025 15:46 |
| Story ID: | 555332 |
| Location: | TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 12 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Snowball Express honors Gold Star families, by Janecze Wright, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
