This Memorial Day, our thoughts are with the heroes who have died while bravely serving in the U.S. armed forces. It's a time to think about those who sacrificed their lives to give us the freedom that we enjoy every day.
It's deeply personal for us at American Airlines, which is why on Memorial Day and throughout the year, we are humbled to help transport fallen heroes back to their friends and family.
After all, we all know somebody who served and made the ultimate sacrifice. Maybe it's an old family friend or somebody you knew in school. Maybe it's an uncle or a nephew. Maybe it was a brother or sister. A mother or a father, a son or a daughter.
American team members from across the country – and oftentimes around the globe – work together on very short notice to ensure our fallen heroes are transported home with the utmost respect, dignity and honor.
When local members of the armed forces gather to welcome a fallen hero home, our team members can't help but appreciate the power of the moment. In most cases, Color Guard members move the casket from the aircraft to a waiting hearse. The fallen soldier is taken to the American Airlines Cargo facility while the family awaits their arrival in beautifully-painted military carts designed to honor them. After a moment of silence, the Color Guard assists in transferring the fallen soldier from the cart to the hearse.
One of the most incredible and fitting instances of this absolute dedication to this country was through the recently departed Mark Cummings in Los Angeles. A retired Marine, Cummings was the embodiment of Semper Fidelis, the Marine motto of "Always Faithful."
For every single fallen hero that came through Los Angeles on American Airlines metal, Cummings arrived in his neatly-pressed Marine Class A uniform to provide escort and safe passage to the airplane for the fallen soldier. He would then mark the military cart with the date to honor those who served.
When Cummings passed away, the Los Angeles Cargo facility renamed the military cart the Mark Cummings Memorial Military Cart in his honor.
To all our veterans, active-duty service members and families, we want to say thank you. While no amount of words will ever be enough to express our gratitude for your sacrifice, we are simply humbled to help out where we can.
And as we celebrate this Memorial Day weekend by spending time with our families, traveling to new places, taking in a movie or by just relaxing at home, it's essential to remember our fallen heroes that help make this freedom possible.
Learn more about the American Airlines initiatives to support our heroes on aa.com.
About American Airlines Cargo
American Airlines Cargo provides one of the largest cargo networks in the world with cargo terminals and interline connections across the globe. Every day, American transports cargo between major cities in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia.
About American Airlines Group
American's purpose is to care for people on life's journey. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL and the company’s stock is included in the S&P 500. Learn more about what's happening at American by visiting news.aa.com and connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.