SOUTHWEST AIRLINES SALUTES MILITARY HEROES FROM COAST TO COAST BY GIVING BACK

[cwelch]

To honor our more than 750 Employees who currently serve in the National Guard and Reserves, along with thousands of Customers who served or are serving in the armed forces, we’re proud to call November “Military Heroes Month.”

We hope you’ll join us in celebrating our country’s service men and women this month. We’ll begin our “Military Heroes Month” with The Mission Continues, a nonprofit organization out of St. Louis that endeavors to build an America where every returning veteran can serve again as a citizen leader, and where together we honor the fallen by living their values through service.

On a special note, we’d like to congratulate this innovative group. On Thursday, November 4, The Mission Continues was given the Manhattan Institute’s prestigious Social Entrepreneurship Award. The Manhattan Institute established the social entrepreneurship initiative in 2001. It combines research, writing, public speaking, and events on the role of nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations with an award program which recognizes the best of America's new generation of nonprofit leaders. In the years since its establishment, the awards have recognized individuals who have founded organizations effectively providing services addressing key social challenges.

Congratulations to The Mission Continues! We’re proud to support your cause. 

Take a look at the “Military Heroes Month” events. We might be coming to a city near you.

11/6-11/7 – Official Airline of The Mission Continues Veterans Day Weekend, St. Louis
Southwest Airlines will bring together Fellows of The Mission Continues for a weekend of service and celebration. The Mission Continues endeavors to build an America where every returning veteran can serve again as a citizen leader, and where together we honor the fallen by living their values through service.  Southwest Airlines was one of the first corporate sponsors of this organization and has supported their work for the past three years.

11/9 – Operation Freedom Bird Send-off, Phoenix
Operation Freedom Bird provides a unique healing journey to Arizona's veterans of the Vietnam War, giving them an opportunity to confront their feelings, share their experiences, and pay tribute to their fallen comrades-in-arms in a supportive environment of fellow veterans and counselors. Approximately 50 veterans have been selected to participate in a four-day visit to the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial in Washington, D.C. This is the 12th year Southwest Airlines will support this organization and trip.

11/11 – A Million Thanks, Nationwide
Southwest Airlines will join the efforts of the A Million Thanks organization by providing its Customers in airports and onboard the aircraft with a postcard and an opportunity to write a letter of thanks and encouragement to U.S. Military members on Veteran’s Day. Southwest will ship the postcards to service members at no cost to the Customers. A Million Thanks is a year-round campaign to show appreciation to U.S. Military men and women through letters, emails and cards.

11/11 – Veteran’s Day, Nationwide
We will make airport and onboard announcements for men and women of the armed forces to priority board and to deplane first, a practice our Employees implement all year long.

11/11 – 24/7 Military Tribute by Southwest Airlines’ Friends & Family - San Antonio
San Antonio Employees will celebrate Veteran’s Day by dedicating a commemorative exhibit entitled “24-7 Southwest Airlines’ Family & Friends Tribute to the Military.”  Local Employees organized this exhibit to pay tribute to the Military members who pass through the San Antonio Airport every day.

11/12 – Operation Freedom Bird – Welcome Home, Phoenix 
Southwest Airlines will welcome home the Operation Freedom Bird veterans in Hangar Five at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport with a ceremony featuring Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and a performance by platinum recording artist Aaron Tippin.

11/12 – Lone Eagle Honor Flight, Nationwide
Southwest Airlines is the Official Airline of the Honor Flight Network and is proud to sponsor the 18 Honor Flights that will take place during the month of November including the Lone Eagle Honor Flight. A Lone Eagle is a WWII Veteran whose application to visit the WWII memorial in Washington, D.C. has been in the organization’s national office for six months or more, yet he or she does not live close to an existing Honor Flight hub. The Honor Flight Network organizes the Lone Eagle trip specifically for these veterans.

11/22 – Helping a Hero, Fort Worth
As a corporate sponsor of Helping a Hero, Southwest Airlines will participate in the unveiling of a new home in Fort Worth, Texas. Helping a Hero provides specially adapted homes for qualifying service members as well as engages the community to provide services and resources for wounded heroes and their families.

11/26 - We Are Thankful, Nationwide
In celebration of the Thanksgiving Holiday, decorative hearts will be displayed on our aircraft with the wording:  We Are Thankful for our Employees, We Are Thankful for our Customers, We Are Thankful for our Family, and We Are Thankful for our Troops.

[Anonymous2109]

I am a disabeled vet also and travels on SWA regularly. I am pleased to say that I have received excellent care from the SWA Crew when I board and deplane. It makes me very pleased to see the SWA give the veterans the respect they deserve. I will continue to support those that support our Troops. THANK YOU FOR KINDNESS YOU GIVE TO OUR MILITARY!!!!!!!! Just another GI

[Anonymous1168]

How about 10% veterans discounts like continental offers?

[George_Ihlenbur]

Thank You Southwest. Your Blog had helped heal my heart. Veit Nam Era Vets had a hard time coming home. Thanks for turning thing around and for the tears in my eyes. I will always be a loyal customer.

[Anonymous1184]

I am so proud to be a customer THE best airline in the United States. God Bless our troops, past, present, and future. Donna B. Austin, Texas

[Julie23]

We took our first flight on Southwest when our son graduated Marine Boot Camp in May 2005. We have flown Southwest since and only Southwest ever since. Our son is still in the Marines and we are proud of him and all of the other military men and women who help us keep our freedoms. Thank you Southwest for the things you do to recognize our military men and women who are currently serving and who have served. I love the photos in the terminals at Midway of all the employees or family members who are or have served. We fly out of Milwaukee now, hope to see somthing similiar there soon!

[Carrie_Rodrigue]

Thank you for supporting our troops. They and their families have given so much for us. A simple minute to wait for them to receive priority is a simple gift we can give them. These gestures bring a tear to my eye when I see the respect humbly received.

[gary_kuhn]

I've been on many SW flights when either one of the crew sang a patriotic song or they asked for the passengers to acknowledge our troops for their service or the troops are allowed to exit the aircraft first. Your November program is REALLY tremendous. Further SW is the only airline where the pilots honor America by wearing their American flag ties. That's very important to me. So keep it up SW, you're definitely doing the right thing and winning my business. P.S. I hope your culture flows over to AirTran

[Anonymous357]

OUR WORLD IS CHANGING DAILY, IT'S REFRESHING TO SEE YOU AT SOUTHWEST HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN ," LOVE, CARE AND GIVING ", THE WAY IT USED TO BE, TO OUR HEROIC SOLDIERS AND ALSO THOSE WHO FOUGHT FOR THIS COUNTRY MANY YEARS AGO. WE ARE A GREAT NATION "GOD BLESS AMERICA" THANK YOU SOUTHWEST FOR SHOWING US AND THE WORLD THIS WONDERFUL TRIBUTE.

[Anonymous3493]

I want to thank you for getting me on the next flight out yesterday when i called because my mother needed me due to illness. I already had a reserved trip some where else next week and was able to cancel that and use that money toward the new reservation. I had mentioned that my husband was away in another country on active duty and how stressed i was that all of this was happening while he wasnt here. She gave me encouraging words and i also did not get charged for the last minute change. I have recommended to all my family and friends to fly with you. You have truely shown me how much you appreciate the men and women of the armed services for everything they do. Proud Wife of an army soldier

[CMSgt_Jim_Linne]

Thank You for your efforts in giving all Veterans the honor they have earned. I am proud to fly Southwest Airlines and appreciate all you and your staf have done. It was so good to see WW II veterans view the Memorial in Washington thanks to your kindness.

[Anonymous3828]

Thanks for everything you are doing for our Veterans. Having a Dad who was on ship in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and a husband who is a Marine, and countless other family members in the military, it is wonderful to see an organization honoring the Veterans. Southwest always goes above and beyond! Great job!

[C_M__Hawkins]

Thank you, Southwest Airlines! As a proud paratrooper from the Vietnam era, I will cross the street in downtown Denver just to shake the hand of our servicemen and women, because, well, there is still just 'something' about the uniform, the individuals who wear it, and what they represent for our great country. SWA is of course my carrier of choice and I do appreciate your corporate willingness to recognize our troops. I think SWA stands head and shoulders above the other carriers with your business model and in the manner in which your company is driven by customer service with reasonable prices. If you look closely when you travel, you can see the happiness of your employees in their smiles. Godspeed.

[Steel_Magnolias]

Dear Southwest, Thank you for paying tribute in so many ways to our honored Heroes who have served and continue to serve today so that we are free to travel and enjoy many other freedoms in this great nation, "ONE NATION UNDER GOD WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL". You are my military families choice of airline always! Our all volunteer U.S. Troop Support group is blessed to give away 100 7 day luxury Villa accomodation stays for some of our bravest and finest in appreciation of their service this year and we welcome you to contact us about how you can support these heros with discounted airfare if you are interested. Thank you for caring and for providing great service to all of us. God bless you and have a wonderful day! Sincerely, Milton Holloway and Deborah Powers-Holloway

[Jorge]

Our Undying Gratitude Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell In the early morning hours of November 11, 1918, representatives of the Allied nations met in a railroad car near Compiègne, France, to sign an armistice ending what was being called the Great War. Meanwhile, somewhere in the trenches in France, shellings and bombings were proceeding as they had for the past four years. In fact, as 11 o’clock neared—the appointed time when fighting was to cease—the attacks intensified. As one U.S. solder put it: "It was not a barrage. It was a deluge.” But then, suddenly, at the 11th hour of that 11th day of the 11th month, the battlefield went silent. At long last, it was "all quiet on the western front.” "The roar stopped like a motor car hitting a wall,” a soldier recalled. The quiet was uncanny as soldiers on both sides crawled out of their trenches. Some cheered or sang; others stood numb. Germans threw down their weapons. One intrepid American infantryman raced out into no-man’s-land with the stars and stripes on a signal pole and planted it in a shell hole while a bugler played "The Star-Spangled Banner” on a German trumpet.1 The armistice that we commemorate every November 11 ended World War I, but it did not end war, nor did it end the need to defend the cause of freedom. Veterans Day has therefore become a day to honor veterans of all wars. So today, with brave soldiers again engaged in conflict on foreign soil, may we remember the stirring words of President Harry S Truman: "Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices.”2 1. See Daniel J. Sweeney, comp., History of Buffalo and Erie County, 1914–1919, 2nd ed. (1920), 317. 2. Address before a joint session of Congress, Apr. 16, 1945, www.trumanlibrary.org/ww2/stofunio.htm Program #4235 Musical Selections: 1. The Star-Spangled Banner John Stafford Smith; arr. Frank Asper; Carl Fischer 2. Our God Is Marching On Medley of official hymns of the branches of the U.S. armed forces; arr. Michael Davis; Arr. Unpublished 3. Prelude on My Country, ’Tis of Thee (Organ solo) Thesaurus Musicus, London, 1744; arr. Clay Christiansen; Arrangement Unpublished 4. Distant Land John Rutter; Collegium Music 5. Spoken Word 6. The Last Full Measure of Devotion Larry Grossman; arr. Ian Fraser; transcribed by Michael Davis; Arragnement Unpublished 7. Cohan’s Big Three George M. Cohan; arr. Floyd E. Werle; Arrangement Unpublished

[Anonymous4546]

I love Southwest , always did! fly with them to Florida, 2 years ago my son was deployed to Iraq, prior to that he was training in Fort Sill Ok. I was flying back from visiting a friend in Florida and before we landed in Islip one of your AMAZING flight attendants made a point to thank our service members. My son is in the NY Army Guard stationed at Islip airport. I could barely get out a thank you to this fine lady because I was so overcome with emotion. I managed to tell her he was stationed at the airport but was currently in Fort Sill...thank you Southwest for caring~ A proud Army Mom

[Elaine7]

SWA...what a great company of workers!!!! Always going the extra mile for the customer - in every way. Gotta fly Southwest ALL THE TIME. Are you considering going international?

[WW2_VETERAN_IWO]

I GO TO MY WW2 SHIPMATE'S REUNIONS EVERY YEAR TO ALL PARTS OF THIS WONDERFUL COUNTRY AND IT'S "ALWAYS ON SOUTHWEST AIRLINES" ! I WOULD NOT EVEN THINK OF USING ANOTHER AIRLINE. THE CREWS ON SOUTHWEST ARE "SO VERY FRIENDLY TO THIS "OLD VET". THERE AREN'T MANY OF US LEFT. OUR REUNIONS ARE DWINDLING ANNUALLY, AND I WONDER WHO WILL BE THE LAST ATTENDEE AT OUR GROUP'S LAST REUNION ? I HAVE BEEN "HONORED BY SO MANY OF YOUR PILOTS" WHO SERVED IN THE MILITARY ALSO. YOU HAVE THE "BEST" AIRLINE GOING TODAY ! I THINK YOUR "FREE FLIGHT"REWARDS HAVE ALL THE OTHER AIRLINES BEAT. THANKS FOR THE MANY FANTASTIC MILES I'VE FLOWN WITH YOU ! I REALLY "LOVE YOUR PEANUTS" ! JOSE A. PORTILLO,WW2 NAVY VETERAN .

[Gerald_Pogue]

I have flown Southwest since the days of mini skirts and white boots. And, I will continue to be a "LUV" customer due to the efforts of your company to provide veterans and their families with a sense of pride and belonging. The appreciation shown during my flights (A-Listed) to Veterans both Active and Prior Service makes makes me personally proud of Southwest. Thank you to all the employees who truely embrace the Spirit. You all don't know the depth of positive impact of your actions provide. Thanks Again, A Viet Nam Veteran

[Bill_Elliott]

As my wife and I were flying from Albuquerque to Los Angeles on November 13th, I was taken by the courtesy and professionalism of all of Southwest's employees, but I was especially taken by the overall good mood and attention that Cutty paid to everyone, especially the veterans on that flight.

[Erin9]

Thank you Southwest! I have always enjoyed flying with you. I appreciate no additional fees and the courtesy you always show to the military. You really walk the walk.