Buffalo, NY – After a Columbia county senior’s attempt to help a 26 year-old Marine Corps soldier from the Capital Region get from his base in Hawaii to Buffalo in time for his fiancé’s graduation ceremony at SUNY Buffalo Law School hit a snag, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced today that her office has ensured that Sergeant Jordan Good will be there for graduation day after all. When Lorayne Seibert first tried to donate a plane ticket to Sergeant Good using her frequent flyer airline points, she was unable to redeem the miles due to a technical error. After help from Gillibrand’s office, the hiccup was resolved, which allowed Ms. Seibert to book the soldier’s ticket. The Afghanistan veteran will now be reunited with his fiancé after being apart for almost six months and is excited to attend her graduation this Saturday.
“I am thrilled that Sergeant Good will now be able to take part in this special day thanks to the kindness and generosity of his caring neighbor and family,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I thank him for his service to our country and extend my congratulations to the happy couple.”
Sergeant Jordan Good said, “I really can’t thank everyone enough. Being there to support Christie is really important to me. She has supported me throughout my service, even from the very beginning and now I get to show her how proud I am of her.”
Lorayne Seibert, 87, neighbor of Good family, said, “I am so glad that it all worked out. I don’t think I would have been able to get the ticket if it hadn’t been for Senator Gillibrand. I am grateful to her for helping to make this trip possible for Jordan.”
In 2007, Sergeant Good met Christina Logan at SUNY Buffalo. That same year, he enlisted in the military. From August 2010 to March 2011, he toured Afghanistan and was part of the Heavy Marine Helicopter Squadron 362 team, maintaining the helicopter’s networks and computer assets. Sergeant Good is currently stationed at a base in Hawaii.
Over the 2011 holiday break, Lorayne Seibert, a neighbor who has known Sergeant Good since he was a child, offered to donate her frequent flyer miles towards the purchase of a roundtrip flight from Hawaii to Buffalo for Ms. Logan’s graduation ceremony. Sergeant Good’s father picked up the remainder of the ticket cost as a Christmas present to his son.
Ms. Seibert contacted Senator Gillibrand for help in March when she was unable to redeem her 40,000 miles through United Airlines Mileage Plus due to an issue with her account and password information. After Senator Gillibrand contacted the Transportation Department’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division to look into the issue, Ms. Seibert was able to redeem her miles and book the ticket.
Sergeant Good flew in from Hawaii earlier this week and is scheduled to return to his base this weekend. He will be attending SUNY Buffalo this fall. This summer, Ms. Logan will be preparing for the New York state bar exam.