INDIANAPOLIS — A special send-off tradition returned to the Indianapolis International Airport Saturday for families and children of fallen Hoosier heroes.
15 local military families headed to Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida on the Snowball Express thanks to the Gary Sinise Foundation and American Airlines.
They will join nearly 1,000 family members of fallen U.S. military heroes from across the country.
Austin Dan has been participating in the Snowball Express since he was 5-years-old.
“It’s been almost 18 years since his dad died,” Jennifer Dresslar, Austin’s mom, said. “His dad deployed the day he was born and died three months later. I still grieve him every day.”
Austin says he likes being able to connect with other kids who understand what he’s been through.
“I get to show him he’s not alone — that he’s not the only kid who has experienced what he’s had to,” Jennifer said. “On these trips, he doesn’t feel like the odd man out.”
For more information on the Snowball Express, click here.
