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A Birthday to Remember: Tuskegee Airman Celebrates Birthday Onboard

smiller
Explorer C

Here at Southwest Airlines we have one mission: a dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered through a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride and Company spirit. Being the dedicated airline we are, when Alma Frances Harris reached out to us to make her brother’s birthday a little more special, we knew we had to rise to the occasion.sam1

Alma’s brother is Lt. Col. George E. Hardy, and he wasn’t just celebrating any ordinary birthday. He was turning 91 years old! Aside from the fact that we wanted to help him celebrate this amazing milestone, we also wanted to recognize that Lt. Col. Hardy is a Tuskegee Airmen veteran, and was one of the first African-American military aviators in the United States Armed Forces to serve during World War II. Southwest Airlines is not only dedicated to our Customers, but also to our armed forces.  When we learned Lt. Col. Hardy’s story, we knew we needed to make this birthday one to remember. Our Team immediately went to work. sam 3As Lt. Col. Hardy and Alma arrived to Philadelphia International Airport to catch their flight to Tampa on June 6, our Team greeted them with decorations and cake to commemorate this amazing man reaching a significant milestone in his life. Philadelphia Customer Service Agents made Lt. Col. Hardy feel special and thanked him for his service to our country. Upon boarding the plane, the celebration continued as the Flight Attendants and passengers wished a “Happy Birthday” to Lt. Col. Hardy. We hope that we were able to make Lt. Col. Hardy’s 91st birthday a memorable one! To learn more about Lt. Col. George E. Hardy and the Tuskegee Airmen visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvW_dHS_-W0.