It started with a LinkedIn post by Ed Roshitsh, a North Carolina software company executive.
Roshitsh offered to pay for the flights of five servicemembers so they could be home for the holidays.
Roshitsh posted the offer on Saturday. Then, he waited.
“Military people don’t get paid a lot — especially enlisted. I think an E1 might make $15,000 a year. And so, to travel home is a real hardship,” Roshitsh said.
Nearly a day went by with no responses. But on Sunday, the post took off.
“An email comes in. Another email comes in. Another email comes in,” he said.
Roshitsh said 60 servicemembers have applied for the help. What's more surprising is people have been stepping up to help him in his mission, offering to pay for flights.
The names of the servicemembers will be drawn from a hat.
Each of them has a story. Roshitsh is getting to know them all.
“Her dad is sick and they didn’t know if they’d be able to get home for the holidays. And so, she had no other way, and so she threw her name in a hat,” he said.
So far, Roshitsh has helped 42 servicemembers. He says as long as the donations keep coming in, he'll keep drawing names. He hopes to help every single servicemember in the hat.