Seattle, Seafood, Starbucks, and the Stars&Stripes

It's been a busy month, but the most exciting adventure recently was my trip to Seattle this week. Southwest was scheduled to take delivery of our 500th aircraft, and to mark this milestone, we sponsored a contest for our Employees to nominate a Coworker who has not only brought America the Freedom to Fly, but who has also fought for our country's freedom as well.
We selected 36 Freedom Fighters (one for every year we've been flying) who came to Seattle to pick up this brand-new plane! Our Team had sponsored the contest, so we went up to help coordinate the details of the trip.
We had a little time before our Freedom Fighters arrived, so we set up a meeting with the communications folks at Starbuck's corporate offices--it was really cool to get to tour their offices and talk about their communications plans too.
And of course, no trip to Seattle is complete without a trip to Pike's Market!
Herbie, our very own Freedom Fighter, came to Boeing to pick up the plane, too!
But, by far, the most touching moments of the trip came from the conversations we had with our military servicemen and veterans. We had designed this trip as a small "thank you" to them for the time they've sacrificed in service to our country. But truly, I had no idea the amazing impact this trip would have. We had men and women from all branches of the military, who had served in many different wars and operations. They had served in Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, and countless other lands--foreign and domestic. They'd earned purple hearts, bronze stars, and medals of honor. They had flown through hurricanes, performed air strikes in Baghdad, and been prisoners of war in Vietnam. The sacrifices they had made were monumental.

But what touched me most of all was when our Vietnam servicemen talked about how when they returned home from the war, there was no welcome, no parade, no yellow ribbon, no fireworks. Unlike soldiers returning home from other wars, who were greeted with parades and yellow ribbons, some of our veterans had returned home from war to find a country unwilling to thank them for what they had done. Not anymore.

For many of them, Thursday was the first day they'd ever received a true hero's welcome for their service. More than 30 years later, they finally received a long-awaited welcome home. That afternoon, complete with color guard, band, confetti, and American flags, our heroes were embraced with the warmest of welcomes.

Some descended the stairs wearing a uniform that they wear when they actively serve our country today--its familiarity like a friend who has seen you at your best and worst. Some wore uniforms that hadn't been outside the cedar chest for many years--the fit having changed a little with age, but the deep pride that comes from donning the colors still endures. For others, wearing the uniform from decades ago was a true impossibility--but they proudly wore the insignia of their branch of the armed forces in another way.

These men and women sacrifice still to this day to ensure our freedoms. They guard our land, but they also fight for intangible concepts like justice, honor, and equality. No words that I can type could ever convey the deep gratitude that I feel towards those who fight for our freedoms after an encounter like this.

God Bless America.