Soldiers get special Thanksgiving treat at BWI Airport

Annapolis Capital ^ | Nov. 28, 2003 | Associated Press

[jackbill]

Lt. Christian Dietz, on his way to rejoin his unit in Iraq after two weeks R&R with his family in Washington Township, Mich., assumed he would miss Thanksgiving.

Lt. Dietz, 26, was walking to buy a sandwich at a fast food restaurant at BWI Airport yesterday when an employee from Southwest Airlines directed him to an employee's lounge. There Lt. Dietz and his fellow soldiers were given plates piled high with generous portions of turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings.

"This is great," said Lt. Dietz, of the 40th Engineering Battalion, as he worked on his food. "This is the sort of thing that makes you feel really appreciated."

Lt. Dietz's reaction was typical of the roughly 200 soldiers who joined Southwest Airlines employees on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

Yeah, the food was good, said the soldiers. But what they really liked was the feeling that the public appreciated them.

"It started when I first got off the plane two weeks ago," said Spc. Carlos Rodriguez, 36, of Dorado, Puerto Rico, who serves with the First Armored Division. "People were clapping and cheering. They stopped us in the airport and told us what a great job we were doing. My father and uncle served in Vietnam and for them it was totally different."

"We do appreciate you," said Angelos Christopher, a Southwest Airlines employee who took time out from the hustle and bustle of the holiday traffic to eat with the soldiers. "Practically everyone in this company has somebody over there. We know what you're going through."

"God bless you," added Cliff Reynolds, another employee.

Mr. Reynolds described himself as a veteran who served during the Vietnam War. "We didn't have anything like this," he said.

Baltimore-Washington International has been a major way station for soldiers since late September when the military launched its largest R&R rotation program since the Vietnam War. Already a major military gateway for troops stationed overseas, the Linthicum airport now handles two flights a day - one arriving and one departing.

The soldiers, dressed in desert khakis and hoisting heavy rucksacks on their shoulders, have become a familiar sight to travelers and employees. The young men and women have inspired an outpouring of generosity. One traveler, standing at a Southwest ticket counter and seeing the troopers pass by, donated his frequent flier miles and a gift certificate to any soldier who needed it.

"That's the way it's been from Day One," said Mr. Christopher.

The troopers' accounts of their experiences in Iraq have been as varied as the soldiers themselves.

"It hurts going back. It's harder going back this time than it was when I first left," said Spc. Roberto Depiou, 23, of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Spc. Depiou, who said he has a baby on the way, said it took him almost a week to wind down from the tension of being in a war zone.

[Old Sarge]

Mr. Reynolds described himself as a veteran who served during the Vietnam War. "We didn't have anything like this," he said.

I have yet to encounter a Vietnam veteran, face to face or online, who doesn't have a bitter, mean, spiteful comment about how well the troops are saluted today, as opposed to their treatment at the hands of America's Left in the 70's.

[boxerblues]

God bless this man who ever he was.

We need to email Southwest to let them know wha a great service they are doing for troops

[nicmarlo]

Lt. Dietz, 26, was walking to buy a sandwich at a fast food restaurant at BWI Airport yesterday when an employee from Southwest Airlines directed him to an employee's lounge. There Lt. Dietz and his fellow soldiers were given plates piled high with generous portions of turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings. "This is great," said Lt. Dietz, of the 40th Engineering Battalion, as he worked on his food. "This is the sort of thing that makes you feel really appreciated."

Ping; yet another great story, meekie.

[FlJoePa]

Amen! Is it any wonder that they are about the only carrier that turns a profit?! It's because they are actually in tune and in touch with the average American.

Way to go Southwest!

[expatpat]

Ans this is in the People's Republic of Maryland.

[cyborg]

Oh yeah you are right... no spitting and baby killer signs anymore

[jackbill]

We need to email Southwest to let them know wha a great service they are doing for troops

I couldn't find an e-mail address for SWA (except for their investor relations) but I did fax a letter of thanks and the article to Mr. Herbert Kelleher, the Chairman. The FAX number is:

215-904-5015

[kayak]

bttt

[MeekOneGOP]

Great article !

Soldiers get special Thanksgiving treat at BWI Airport

Excerpt:

Lt. Christian Dietz, on his way to rejoin his unit in Iraq after two weeks R&R with his family in Washington Township, Mich., assumed he would miss Thanksgiving.

Lt. Dietz, 26, was walking to buy a sandwich at a fast food restaurant at BWI Airport yesterday when an employee from Southwest Airlines directed him to an employee's lounge. There Lt. Dietz and his fellow soldiers were given plates piled high with generous portions of turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings.

"This is great," said Lt. Dietz, of the 40th Engineering Battalion, as he worked on his food. "This is the sort of thing that makes you feel really appreciated."

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my General Interest ping list!. . .don't be shy.

[snippy_about_it]

I have yet to encounter a Vietnam veteran, face to face or online, who doesn't have a bitter, mean, spiteful comment about how well the troops are saluted today, as opposed to their treatment at the hands of America's Left in the 70's.

Where are you hanging out at on line Sarge?

That's not what I hear here. All the FReeper veterans I know have had nothing but support for our troops. In fact they have made and continue to make every effort to be sure the current troops are NOT treated as they were when they came home from Vietnam.

Our veterans have been out at the airports and at the docks when our troops come home to welcome them.

VetsCoR made and gave away cd's of FR Support our Troop rallies to our troops.

I've seen nothing but support for our troops here and on the street.

I don't mean to sound like I'm ranting but I take offense to the implication that our Vietnam veterans are anything but grateful for our current troops treatment and very happy that they are getting the praise they deserve and are not in the least bitter toward about it.

They might be bitter, and rightly so about the treatment they themselves received when they came home from Vietnam but I have not encountered one, in person or online that behaves the way you report.

We must be meeting an entirely different group of veterans. The ones I know and interact with or even just read posts from on FR are happy for the treatment our current troops are receiving.

Is it possible you made a typo?

[SAMWolf]

Hey. You just met one. I think it's great the current troops are being treated with the respect they deserve.

[Old Sarge]

They might be bitter, and rightly so about the treatment they themselves received when they came home from Vietnam but I have not encountered one, in person or online that behaves the way you report. We must be meeting an entirely different group of veterans.

We must surely be so.

I get the polar opposite. And I hang out right here, on FR.

I've been flamed by 'Nam vets the forum over for being a REMF and a pretender - "Semper Weekendis" is all I get from our "proud" Marines of that era.

On local radio, during the breaking story of LTC West, I was hearing 'Nam vets calling in, saying West should've been shot by the first NCO that saw him. "We Support Our Troops When They Shoot Their Officers!" Remember hearing THAT?

Twice now, I've been tempted to type up an opus, and bail out of this forum. People keep telling me those are the exceptions, and not the rule, and I give them the doubt - until the next time I'm proven right.

[Darksheare]

I served recently during the Clinton debacle in office.
When my step-daughter died, I was not shown any respect.
I was told I was lying, that she was in fact alive, and even if she wasn't "Suck it up and drive on, she didn't mean anything to you anyway."
I was denied bereavement leave, and they attempted to AWOL me for being at her funeral.
My animousity is towards that particular officer who was a Clinton shill and Shinseki clone(All the bad characteristics), the Army itself is blameless in the action taken against me.
It's due to quick thinking by some NCO's and a Major that kept things from spiraling further out of whack from there.

It's not just Vietnam Vets that got disrespect, but they indeed did get the worst of it.
There were troops here in recent years that were treated worse than dogs by officers and politicos alike.
My experience is hardly unique.
When Sledgehammer entered office, we got a Pres that actually respects the soldiers.
And it's been since his oath of office that things have gotten better for those in uniform.
It was a little too late to save my career, but it saved others.

[snippy_about_it]

Thank you for your reply Sarge.

I'm not saying they aren't out there but I haven't seen that here. I have met online veterans who I don't agree with on other matters but not on the treatment of our current troops. I'm sorry to hear that you have.

FR is a large community and I would hope and I actually believe that the larger majority are bitter and disrespectful of anyone's service.

You shouldn't leave. You should stick around and fight back when you encounter those types. :)

[Samwise]

NO more treating our Vets like they did to the Nam Vets!

I remember the Viet Nam era. I was too young to really understand everything, but I thought the hippies dressed cool. Now that I'm an old lady and I understand things, I am determined that Vets never be treated like that again. Someone once said that for evil to prevail, all that is necessary is for good people to remain silent. We will never be silent again.

Every flag I wave, every vote I cast, every letter I write, and every care package I send is sent to honor not only the men on the front lines today, but to honor and thank every Viet Nam vet who ever served this country.

I can't imagine how difficult it must be to be a Viet Nam vet. They sacrificed so much and then were treated so poorly when they came home. I just hope they realize that their legacy is not the war. Their legacy is the fact that we will never be silent again.

[Darksheare]

Hang around with us.
And ignore the idiots.

[maica]

"It hurts going back. It's harder going back this time than it was when I first left," said Spc. Roberto Depiou, 23, of Arecibo, Puerto Rico.

%%%%

My saddest memories about the Viet-Nam war were seeing the planeloads of troops going BACK to Viet-Nam from their R&R. Guam was a refuelling stop and it was impossible to go to the airport without seeing a planeload of young men waiting to board a plane for the war zone. The fresh troops were going into a relative unknown and just looked cautious in their starched uniforms. The ones who already had 6 months in Viet-Nam really did look like some of the characters in "China Beach." They KNEW what was in store for them, and the looks on their faces were visions that I will never forget.

Our troops who come home for their 2 weeks and go back deserve every bit of praise and honor that we can give them.

[boxerblues]

Okay sorry no emails to Southwest but they do have a contact page with phone number and faxes

Contact Southwest Airlines

---

Customer Relations: 214-792-4223


Mailing Address:

Southwest Airlines
Customer Relations
P.O. Box 36647 - 1CR
Dallas, Texas 75235-1647

http://www.iflyswa.com/about_swa/luvbook.html

[snippy_about_it]

Darksheare, Old Sarge says the Vietnam veterans he has met are bitter toward the treatment our current troops are receiving, i.e., cheers and welcome home support.

I pinged a few of you to show Sarge that our veterans, at least the ones I know are not bitter toward the good treatment our troops are getting. My impression is you are supportive of the fact our troops are finally being treated respectfully when they come home.

[snippy_about_it]

Amen Samwise!!