“We do nothing,” said Janelle Huffman, Hero’s Bridge Program Director.
A humble statement and one far from the truth when considering the impact Hero’s Bridge volunteers have on aging veterans.
When Air Force veteran Jay Steinmetz passed away on June 21, 2025, at age 71, the Hero’s Bridge schedule suddenly seemed empty. For nearly two years, Jay had become a part of the rhythm of our days, and we had become a part of his.
Three times a week—every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, including holidays like Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve—Jay needed life-saving dialysis. And every time, without fail, Hero’s Bridge volunteers and staff, in partnership with the Regional Transportation Collaborative, ensured he got it.
Thirteen volunteers and each Hero’s Bridge staff member volunteered to take turns picking him up from his Bealeton home and driving twenty miles to the dialysis center. Hours later, someone else, or sometimes the same person, would bring him back home.
As the months wore on, Jay’s energy waned, and his inclination to chat began to fade, but he remained optimistic, cheerful, and always impeccably dressed.
Jay had stories—so many stories. A world traveler with a brilliant mind, his contributions to national security will endure far beyond our community. But Hero’s Bridge will remember him not just for his service, but for the way he allowed us into his life during his most vulnerable days.
Each holiday season, we will remember the quiet sacrifice of those who left their own families to care for him. We’ll remember the lively conversations from better days, the silent car rides when words were too much, and the deep honor of walking beside a veteran until his journey’s end.
And we will know — we did not ‘do nothing.’ We did everything that was needed.
“Colonel Jay Steinmetz devoted his life to safeguarding our nation,” said Hero’s Bridge CEO and Founder, Molly Brooks. “Through 26 years in the U.S. Air Force and nearly two decades in the private sector, he led global airlift missions, advanced national security systems, supported humanitarian crises, and helped shape how our country prepares for emergencies and responds to threats.
With all he gave, commanding flights during wars, natural disasters, and Cold War transitions, he should never have lacked transportation to something as basic and life-sustaining as dialysis in his later years.
It is a profound injustice that a man who once delivered emergency medicine to others around the world struggled to access his own care at home. At Hero’s Bridge, we believe that aging heroes like Colonel Steinmetz deserve more than our gratitude, they deserve real, tangible support. No veteran who served this country with distinction should ever be left behind. I am inspired by the Battle Buddies and Hero’s Drivers that met this gap in our healthcare system for Jay. This is why we do what we do,” she concluded.