For 65 years, Military AutoSource (MAS) has been dedicated to serving the U.S. Military community. We know the challenges of being far from home, and Operation Homeward Bound is our way of making that distance a little smaller.
This year, in partnership with Ford, we invited service members to share their stories for a chance to reunite with loved ones. From hundreds of moving entries, we selected three deserving winners—each receiving a $2,500 Delta gift card to fly home, on us.
1. U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Ryan Buechele | MCAS Iwakuni, Japan
Lieutenant Commander, Ryan Buechele has spent years overseas, balancing deployments, residency, and raising his own family. All the while, his younger sister, Courtney, has been battling ALS, her condition worsening to the point of full-time care.
Now, he finally has the chance to come home—to be by her side, make memories, and share in the time they have left. Winning this $2,500 Delta Gift Card prize means a long-awaited reunion and the gift of precious moments with his sister.
2. U.S. Army Captain Jimmy Kurian | Camp Arifjan, Kuwait
On his first deployment at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, Captain Jimmy Kurian serves with pride, the first in his family to join the U.S. Military. His parents instilled in him the values of duty, gratitude, and service—principles he now upholds every day.
Service means sacrifice. Thousands of miles away, he missed his daughter’s first birthday, watching her grow only through a video screen. The hardest part of deployment isn’t the distance—it’s the moments he’ll never get back. Winning this Delta gift card means a long-awaited homecoming, a chance to reconnect with his wife, and, finally, to hold his daughter in his arms.
3. U.S. Army Sergeant First Class John Leonard | Hohenfels, Germany
Sergeant First Class John Leonard’s story is one of sacrifice and family commitment. His brother is battling a rare genetic kidney disease and is now in kidney failure, relying on dialysis while waiting for a transplant. John, stationed in Germany, is his best chance—a perfect donor match.
Hope comes with a cost. John has already paid out of pocket for multiple trips to Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore for testing, with at least three more ahead, including the transplant itself. The $2,500 Delta gift card will help ease the financial strain, so John can focus on what matters most—giving his brother a second chance.
Supporting Our Military Community
This year marked the 7th annual Operation Homeward Bound and we’ll be back again next year. We’re committed to helping service members reunite with the people who mean the most.
Congratulations to our winners—your stories remind us why this program matters. We hope this prize makes your journey home a little easier and gives you more time to create memories with those who matter most.
About Military AutoSource
Military AutoSource provides a factory-direct program tailored to the unique needs of military life. As the only Exchange and DoD authorized car-buying program, MAS is the exclusive military distributor and retailer for Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Jeep, Lincoln, Nissan, Ram, Toyota, and Volkswagen vehicles.
Through our program, U.S. Military, DoD civilians and contractors as well as the Diplomatic community can purchase a new or pre-owned vehicle for delivery in the US or to more than 50 overseas duty locations. Learn more about your overseas U.S. Military car-buying benefits.
